Includes bibliographical references (pages 357-376) and index.

Introduction. Beyond the forbidden city -- Chapter 1. Genesis of Chinese buildings and cities. Cities and buildings before written records ; Cities and buildings of the Bronze Age ; Western Zhou to warring states -- Chapter 2. Architecture of the First Emperor and his predecessors. Rulers' cities ; Rulers' tombs ; Architecture of China's First Empire -- Chapter 3. Han architecture. Han Chang'an: the First Emperor's vision realized ; Han Luoyang and other cities: realistic imperial vision and nonimperial presence ; Han Tombs outside the capitals ; Additional evidence of Han architecture ; China's earliest Buddhist architecture -- Chapter 4. An age of turmoil: three kingdoms, two Jins, sixteen states. Urbanism and palaces in an age of disunion ; New buildings for a Buddhist age ; Tombs -- Chapter 5. Northern dynasties and southern dynasties. Cities and palaces ; Tombs of royalty ; Tombs in Gansu, Koguryo, and Datong ; Great age of Buddhist cave-chapels ; China's earliest pagodas ; Toward a timber frame ; A Buddhist monument to Pious deeds ; Sarcophagus as architecture -- Chapter 6. Sui and Tang: architecture for empires. Three great cities ; Palace architecture in and outside the Sui-Tang capitals ; Sacred wooden architecture ; Exemplary Tang pagodas ; Tombs ; Five extraordinary buildings ; Tang architecture outside the empire -- Chapter 7. Five dynasties and ten kingdoms. Humble halls for aspiring rulers, 963-966 ; Tenth-century timber architecture before 960 ; Official and royal tombs ; Architecture of the Dali Kingdom -- Chapter 8. Grandeur and magnificence under Liao and Western Xia. The ancestral prefecture ; Magnificent halls--Liao style ; Liao pagodas ; Liao tombs ; Octagonal construction: Liao and Western Xia -- Chapter 9. The Chinese building standards. Fundamentals of the Chinese timber frame ; Bracket sets and roofs ; Jiehua -- Chapter 10. Song elegance and Jin opulence.Religious architecture north and south, 960-1127 ; Religious architecture, 1127-1279 ; Secular architecture -- Chapter 11: The Chinese city between Tang and Ming. Urbanism on the grasslands ; Metropolises of millions ; Jin capitals ; The road to Dadu ; Yuan Dadu and Zhongdu ; Cities and princely retreats outside the capitals -- Chapter 12. The Mongol century. Eminent halls ; Other Yuan buildings ; Architecture of foreign faiths -- Chapter 13. The Chinese imperial city and its architecture, Ming and Qing. Imperial Nanjing ; Imperial Beijing ; Building standards in Qing palatial architecture ; Altars ; Thirteen Ming tombs ; Qing imperial architecture -- Chapter 14: Late imperial architecture in Chinese style. Ming Buddhist monasteries ; Monasteries on sacred peaks ; Architecture of Confucianism ; Three towers in Shanxi -- Chapter 15. Convergences: Lamaist, Dai, Islamic. Architecture of Lamaist Buddhism ; Chengde: Qing vision realized ; Buddhist architecture in the Yunnan marshes ; Dong towers ; Ming and Qing Islamic architecture -- Chapter 16. Garden and house. Gardens of South China ; Imperial gardens of Beijing ; Residential architecture -- Chapter 17. China comes to Europe, Europe comes to China, Chinese students come to the United States. Chinoiserie ; Sequestered European architecture ; China's First Generation of Architects ; Conclusion. Resolving the Forbidden City. The Counteraxis.

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Throughout history, China has maintained one of the world's richest built civilizations. The nation's architectural achievements range from its earliest walled cities and the First Emperor's vision of city and empire, to bridges, pagodas, and the twentieth-century constructions of the Socialist state. In this beautifully illustrated book, Nancy Shatzman Steinhardt presents the first fully comprehensive survey of Chinese architecture in any language. With rich political and historical context, Steinhardt covers forty centuries of architecture, from the genesis of Chinese building through to the twenty-first century and the challenges of urban expansion and globalism. Steinhardt follows the extraordinary breadth of China's architectural legacy--including excavation sites, gardens, guild halls, and relief sculpture--and considers the influence of Chinese architecture on Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Tibet. Architectural examples from Chinese ethnic populations and various religions are examined, such as monasteries, mosques, observatories, and tombs. Steinhardt also shows that Chinese architecture is united by a standardized system of construction, applicable whether buildings are temples, imperial palaces, or shrines. Every architectural type is based on the models that came before it, and principles established centuries earlier dictate building practices. China's unique system has allowed its built environment to stand as a profound symbol of Chinese culture.

With rich political and historical context, Steinhardt covers forty centuries of architecture, from the genesis of Chinese building through to the twenty-first century and the challenges of urban expansion and globalism.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Description based on title page of print version.