Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
2.1
The Relevance of Ancient Chinese Planning Theory
With the growth of world urbanization in recent times, city planning as a specialized
science has become more complex and more important each day. But it is not a new
science, as it was already fl ourishing in some of the great civilizations of antiquity.
Ancient China was no exception, and Paul Wheatley has drawn particular attention
to the symbolic nature of the “ideal” planned layout of ancient China's cities, citing
corroborative evidence in the
Book of Artifi cers
(Kao Gong Ji). One of the outstand-
ing features of the ideal layout is the north-south axis of the whole city, and “this
axial design is superbly executed in Pei-Ching [Beijing].”
1
The
Book of Artifi cers
was completed around the fi fth century BC and deals
primarily with manufacturing technology. It also records the plan for the con-
struction of the imperial capital, which is somewhat ambiguous and has been
subject to varying interpretations and reconstructions. The main points of the
plan include the following. First, the capital should be laid out as a square, sur-
rounded by a city wall; each side should extend nine
li
(Chinese mile, equal to
about 1/2 km) and contain three city gates. Second, within the city there should
be nine longitudinal and nine latitudinal thoroughfares, or three longitudinal and
three latitudinal thoroughfares, each consisting of three chariot lanes. Third, in
the center of the capital is the Imperial Palace of the emperor. On the left side of
the Imperial Palace is the “Tai Miao,” where the emperor pays homage to his
ancestors. On the right side is the “She-ji Tan,” where he worships the gods of
soil and grain. The front part of the Imperial Palace is the emperor's administra-
tive center, and to the rear of the Imperial Palace is the capital's main market and
commercial center.
These declarations in the
Book of Artifi cers
refer to the capital and largest city of
the empire; “left,” “right,” “front,” and “back” refer to the four cardinal directions
(respectively east, west, south, and north). The Imperial Palace of the emperor faced
true south and was located in the geometric center of the whole city. Tai Miao (the
Imperial Ancestral Temple) lay to its east, She-ji Tan (the Altar of Soil and Grain)
lay to its west, and the city market to its north. The city was aligned along a north-
south axis, facing the south and with its back to the north. This orientation bore a
close relationship to the residential traditions of the lower reaches of the Yellow
River (Huang Ho), where Chinese civilization originated. The plains of the lower
Yellow River, small ones such as the Jing-Wei and Yi-Lo Basins as well as the great
North China Plain, have a fl at and open topography. They are located in the temper-
ate zone, characterized by strong prevailing monsoons and four distinct seasons,
with hot, rainy summers and cold, blustery winters. In order to maximize ventilation
in summer, while in winter providing maximum exposure to the sun and shelter
from the cold north wind, residential structures in this area were built to open toward
the south, with their backs to the north. Over time, these evolved into the
si-he-yuan
1
Paul Wheatley,
The Pivot of the Four Quarters: A Preliminary Enquiry into the Origins and
Character of the Ancient Chinese City.
Chicago: Aldine Publishing Company, 1971, p. 425.
