Ancient City Planning Theory--- The Kao Gong Ji and Beijing:
Early Chinese city planning was based off the Kao Gong Ji or Book of Artificers, a Confucian manuscript written around 5th century BC intended to promote and maintain social order under the rule of the emperor. This book describes the foundation and layout of a capital city including being bounded by walls to enforce barriers and prevent intruders from invading [1]. The great city of Beijing, first known as Dadu City, embraced the guidelines of the manuscript when it was first built in 1267; however, city planners also showed their creative skills by attempting to include natural landscapes and made modifications to the original plan to meet their vision [2]. When Beijing’s location was sought to be the new capital city for the emperor in the Yuan dynasty, big plans were set to create one of the world’s most prosperous imperial cities.
The main points of the Book of Artificers include [3]:
Early Chinese city planning was based off the Kao Gong Ji or Book of Artificers, a Confucian manuscript written around 5th century BC intended to promote and maintain social order under the rule of the emperor. This book describes the foundation and layout of a capital city including being bounded by walls to enforce barriers and prevent intruders from invading [1]. The great city of Beijing, first known as Dadu City, embraced the guidelines of the manuscript when it was first built in 1267; however, city planners also showed their creative skills by attempting to include natural landscapes and made modifications to the original plan to meet their vision [2]. When Beijing’s location was sought to be the new capital city for the emperor in the Yuan dynasty, big plans were set to create one of the world’s most prosperous imperial cities.
The main points of the Book of Artificers include [3]:
- The capital city should be laid out as a square enclosed by walls extending 9 li (Chinese mile) or about 4.5 km, with 3 gates on each wall.
- 9 longitudinal and 9 latitudinal main streets are to run through the city, with each main street containing 3 lanes.
- The emperor’s Imperial Palace, facing true south, is the geometric center of the capital city. The Imperial Ancestral Temple is to the palace’s left, the Alter of Soil and Grain to the right, the emperor’s administrative center to the front, and the capital’s main market and commercial area to the back.
The “front”, “back”, “left”, and “right” of the master plan refer to the cardinal directions of south, north, west, and east, respectively. Chinese traditions ideally desire buildings and cities to be aligned along a north-south axis, with the front facing south and back facing north. This tradition originated from the beginning of Chinese civilization in the lower regions of the Huang Ho, or Yellow River. These guidelines are associated with topography, seasons, and weather for maximum ventilation in the summer and maximum sunshine during the winter [2] [3].
These ideals created the traditional siheyuan (courtyard house) constructed of 4 sections of housing enclosing a courtyard in the center (see Figure 1). This layout is in compliance with the guidelines of the Book of Artificers that emphasizes the protection and privatization of the home. The siheyuan became the “cells” or building blocks of the traditional city structure as they form a pattern to create streets and alleys [3].
Sources:
[1] Architecture-Asia-Chinese Temples and Residences, 2015, Online Encycolpedia, http://science.jrank.org/pages/8359/Architecture-Asia-Chinese-Temples-Residences.html
[2] Jun Wang, Beijing Record: A Physical and Political History of Planning Modern Beijing, 2011, Pg 45-50
[3] Renzi Hou, The Transformation of the Old City of Beijing, China---A Concrete Manifestation of New China's Cultural Reconstruction, 2014, Pg 31-48
Media:
Figure [1] http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_38819.htm 2003
Figure [2] http://www.meiguoxing.com/images/Beijing_Courtyard_Home.JPG
These ideals created the traditional siheyuan (courtyard house) constructed of 4 sections of housing enclosing a courtyard in the center (see Figure 1). This layout is in compliance with the guidelines of the Book of Artificers that emphasizes the protection and privatization of the home. The siheyuan became the “cells” or building blocks of the traditional city structure as they form a pattern to create streets and alleys [3].
Sources:
[1] Architecture-Asia-Chinese Temples and Residences, 2015, Online Encycolpedia, http://science.jrank.org/pages/8359/Architecture-Asia-Chinese-Temples-Residences.html
[2] Jun Wang, Beijing Record: A Physical and Political History of Planning Modern Beijing, 2011, Pg 45-50
[3] Renzi Hou, The Transformation of the Old City of Beijing, China---A Concrete Manifestation of New China's Cultural Reconstruction, 2014, Pg 31-48
Media:
Figure [1] http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_artqa/2003-09/24/content_38819.htm 2003
Figure [2] http://www.meiguoxing.com/images/Beijing_Courtyard_Home.JPG