The Research On Ornamentation Embodied In Wooden Structure Components Of Pingyao Ancient Architecture

Pingyao is officially approved by the State Council as one of the National Historical & Cultural Cities."One City, Two Temples"in Pingyao are the outstanding world cultural relics. Pingyao ancient architecture has leaped over about one thousand years, which cover a rich variety of high cultural value. Pingyao takes dominant share with 5 nationally nominated major cultural relics sites for protection , several provincially nominated sites and a large number of nominated sites by the county government which spread all over the county. Wanfodian of Zhenguo temple which was built in the 7th year of Tianhui in the Northern Han Dynasty (963 A.D.), has the marked Tang style, and was commended by Pro. LiangSicheng as"the most valuable and rare building in the Five Dynasty period". Dacheng Hall of Confucian temple built in the 3rd year of Da-Ding in the Jin Dynasty (1163 A.D.) is the most ancient Dacheng Hall still exited in China. The special construction method of using big oblique beams instead of partial brackets to support the girders of Dacheng hall are really something creative and was regarded as the overture of the"brief and unsophisticated method of wooden structure"in the subsequent era. The structure of"suspension girders and pendent columns"adopted in Dragon and Tiger Hall of Qingxuguan was unique and with high research value. Most buildings in Shuanglin temple were built in the Ming Dynasty and possess the customary architectural style of the Ming Dynasty, while the Xiandian of Chenghuang temple and Yuelou of Wu temple showed the splendid and prosperous style of the Qing Dynasty."The combination of structure and ornament"is one of the significant features of Chinese ancient architecture. Wooden structure components as the main structural members of Chinese architecture are also endowed with the ornamental meaning. The ornamentation embodied in the wooden structure components which have taken on widely different looks covers three main aspects as listed below: First, the cut and polish of the wooden structure components bestowed them with ornamental meaning. Second, the methods of a series of wooden structure components are deemed being of some ornamental meanings. Third, the colored drawings on the wooden structure components also have some ornamental effects. In this thesis, the wooden structure components of Pingyao ancient buildings being the object of study, analysis and probe about ornamentation of the object was made to seek the deep value of"structural...