Sunken Courtyard Dwellings
This unique form of dwelling is found on the loess plateau in Pinglu County, Shanxi Province. It is formed by digging a pit, 10m deep, and hollowing out caves in the walls to serve as living quarters for both men and animals. The entrance and exit is via a slope. They show a unique style.
Ancient Street of Tunxi
This street, paved with flagstones, in Tunxi City, Anhui Province, is about 1,000m long. Old-style buildings with two stories line the street. They have white walls, black tiled roofs and horse-head-shaped eaves. The street recreates the style of the Southern Song Dynasty, hence the name of the "Song Street," or "Song City." Foreign tourists call it the "Ancient Rome of the East."

The Qiao Courtyard
The Qiao Courtyard
A visit to the Qiao Courtyard in Qiaojiabao Village near Taiyuan City, capital of Shanxi Province, will get you acquainted with the local customs and practices of the central Shanxi area during the late Qing Dynasty and the initial period of the Republic of China (1912-1949). The courtyard, built during the Jiaqing and Daoguang reign periods of the Qing Dynasty, includes six large compounds, 20 small ones, and 313 rooms, with a total area of over 8,700 sq m. the imposing buildings are compactly distributed and exquisitely structured. The decorations and material objects are displayed to introduce the time sequence, climate and other natural phenomena of the seasons, sacrificial rites, wedding and funeral rites, and life styles during the period. In addition, on display are wooden objects, clothes and ornaments, ceramic wares, calligraphic works and paintings, and handicrafts, bringing to life the local customs and practices of north China.

Suzhou Gardens

Suzhou Gardens
Suzhou is famous for its classical gardens, which merge the beauty of the nature, architecture and painting. Rocks, flowers and trees are cleverly interspersed among pavilions, terraces, open halls, winding paths and corridors. Gardens open to the public include the Blue-Wave Pavilion of the Song Dynasty, the Lion-Grove Garden of the Yuan Dynasty, the Humble Administrator's Garden, Linger-Here Garden, Art Garden, Happiness Garden and Huanxiu Mountain Villa of the Ming Dynasty.
On December 4, 1997, some of Suzhou's classical gardens, i.e., the Humble Administrator's Garden, Linger-in Garden, Lion-Grove Garden and Huanxiu Mountain Villa, were put on the UNESCO's World Heritage List. In November 2000, the Lion-Grove Garden, Art Garden, Ou Garden, Blue-Wave Pavilion and Tuisi Garden were listed as the world cultural heritages.

Shibo (Treasured Stone)Stockade
Shibao (Treasured Stone) Stockade
Shibao (Treasured Stone) Stockade, which lies on the northern bank of the Yangtze River 45 km east of the Zhongxian County seat, Chongqing City, is built on the side of Yuyin (Jade Seal) Mountain facing the river. Rising abruptly, the isolated peak looks like a jade seal, hence the name. Legend has it that it was a stone left by Nu Wa (a goddess in Chinese mythology) when repairing damage to Heaven. The whole building, composed of a gate, gate tower, and an ancient Buddhist temple on the top, guards the only path up the mountain. The cultural relics and calligraphy and paintings by famous persons unearthed in Zhongxian County since the New Stone Age are displayed in the hall. It is called one of the "world's eight great majestic buildings."

Night view of Hakka roundhouses
Hakka Roundhouses
The Yongding Hakka roundhouses look like sturdy fortresses, for they were originally built to defend the inhabitants against bandits. In April 1986, a model of Yongding roundhouse was displayed together with models of the Beijing Lamasery of Harmony and Peace and the Great Wall at the Exhibition of Construction Models held in Los Angeles, becoming the focus of world attention and causing a sensation in the exhibition hall.

Pala Manor
Pala Manor, situated in Gyangze County in the Tibet Autonomous Region and by the Xigaze-Gyangze Highway, is four km from the county seat. It is the best preserved manor of the old Tibetan nobility. The imposing three-story main building, composed of a scripture hall, drawing room, recreation room and bedroom, is richly and exquisitely ornamented with carved beams and painted rafters, looking beautiful and majestic. A collection of the Confucian classics, a niche for a statue of Buddha, gold, silver and jade articles, and the clothes and ornaments used by its owner are still kept intact.

Yellow Crane Tower
Yellow Crane Tower, situated at the summit of Snake Hill by Wuchang Bridge in Hubei Province, has been known as "one of the world's superb views" since ancient times. Along with the Yueyang Tower in Hunan and Prince Teng's Pavilion in Jiangxi, they are called the three famous towers in the region south of the Yangtze River. According to historical records, it was first built on the Yellow Crane Rock projecting over the Wuchang River in the second year (223) of the Huangwu reign period of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. It became well known through the ages, especially for the poem "Yellow Crane Tower" by Cui Hao of the Tang Dynasty. The modern reconstruction project started in 1981, and was completed in 1985. The magnificent and imposing tower, 51.4 m in height, with five and ten exterior and interior stories, respectively, is characterized by overhanging eaves and tilted corners. There is a wonderful panoramic view from the top of the tower.

Prince Teng's Pavilion

Prince Teng's Pavilion
Prince Teng's Pavilion, situated by the Ganjiang River to the west of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, is one of the three famous towers in the region south of the Yangtze River. It was built in the fourth year (653) of the Yonghui reign period of the Tang Dynasty, when Prince Teng, the younger brother of Emperor Taizong, was the superintendent of Hongzhou City, hence its name. It has been rebuilt 28 times. The last time was in 1989 when it was rebuilt in imitation of the Song Dynasty style, according to a blueprint drawn by Liang Sicheng, a leading Chinese architect. It covers 13,000 sq m of floor space, and is 57.5m high. The building, with overhanging eaves, tilted corners, carved beams and painted rafters, presents a magnificent appearance.

Ancient Dwellings of Xinye
Village
Ancient Dwellings of Xinye Village
In Xinye Village, which lies in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, and has a history of 1,000 years, there are a number of houses built during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The road paved with cobble stones, gray tiles, post and panel structure, ancestral hall and the Chamber of Cultural Prosperity reflect the traditional ideas of the culture of rural life combined with study, and the Confucian concept of the interdependence of yin and yang.

Yueyang Tower
Yueyang Tower, standing on the city wall of the West Gate of Yueyang City by the Dongting Lake in the north of Hunan Province, is one of the three famous towers in the region south of the Yangtze River. It has long enjoyed the reputation of being the "first tower under heaven," as the Dongting Lake is known as the "first water under heaven." It is said that it was used as a parade tower by Lu Su, a general of the State of Wu during the Three Kingdoms Period. It became more famous when the essay "On Yueyang Tower" was written by Fan Zhongyan in the fifty year (1045) of the Qingli reign period of the Northern Song Dynasty. The timber-structured three-storied main building with a double-eaved roof is surrounded by a veranda on which is a carved bench of impressive workmanship.

Night view of Yueyang Tower
Former Residence of Hu Xueyan
This Former Residence of Hu Xueyan, which lies in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, was built in the 11th year (1872) of the reign of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty at enormous expense. It has a total area of 10.8mu (one mu equals 0.7 ha), and a floor space of 5,815 sq m. The former residence boasts 13 towers, Zhiyuan Garden, pavilions, terraces, a small bridge over a flowing stream and bright verandas, all ingeniously designed. The rockery in the Zhiyuan Garden is the largest artificial karst cave in China. The splendid house, an excellent example of late Qing Dynasty architecture, was built using a great quantity of high-grade timber, such as red sandalwood, nanmu, ginkgo, hoop pine and Chinese beech.

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About Folk Arts-China 2002

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