Architecture

The differences between Chinese and Western classical architecture

Key words: classical architecture, building materials, spatial layout, development history, concept, Confucianism

1. Introduction

Architecture has a close relationship with human’s life; it is not only a rudimentary living facility people can’t leave, but an essential medium that people can convey their emotion, and in some degree, architecture carries the evolution of human civilizations. Furthermore, different civilizations bring out different style of architecture. As with Chinese and Western classical architecture, there are many differences between them. For example, Chinese classical architecture prefer to use wood and soil as building materials, while Western classical architecture prefer to use stone. The differences between Chinese and Western classical architecture reflect their differences in the religions, aesthetical standards, ethics and morals. Both of them are the explanation to their own culture. What’s more, with the development of international economy and international cooperation, Chinese modern architecture was deeply influenced by Western classical architecture. In the meantime, Western modern architecture also effected by Chinese classical architectural culture, and because of this, at present, Chinese and Western traditional architecture are becoming more typical now than any other periods. Thus, it is fully of comparability to have a contrast on Chinese and Western classical architecture. This essay compares the differences between Chinese and western architecture from the building materials, spatial layout and the development history of architecture. In this article, you will know the differences between these three aspects, and you also will understand the reasons that they have great disparities in the same period. In this article, western countries mainly meant Mediterranean countries, especially Greece.

2. Building Material

The building material...