Architecture (Part 23): Chinese Cities
In dynastic China, cities were primarily administrative centres of the imperial government. They were the political nuclei of the areas in which they were built (usually rural areas).
A city had to have walls if it was to be considered a proper city. The Chinese word cheng means “city”, “city wall”, and “to wall a city”. From the 1300's AD, city walls had more of a symbolic purpose than a practical one – they symbolized the presence of government & social order.
Many cities were planned in advance of being built, so their form was regular. But in some cities, a degree of planning was imposed after the unplanned settlement had been built, and it was too late to achieve a thorough regularity of form.
The plan of the “ideal city” was systematized around 100 BC. It was square in plan, oriented to the four cardinal compass points, with an emphasis on the north-south axis. There were three gates on each side, and the palace's central position within the city was emphasized. This basic plan was very influential on city planning for the next two millennia.
In 582 AD, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty built the city of Daxing, south-east of the ruined Han Dynasty Chang'an. In 618, the Duke of Tang named himself the Emperor Gaozu of the Tang Empire, beginning the Tang Dynasty (which would last until 907). Daxing was renamed Chang'an, and was the first Tang Dynasty capital, from 618-684. In modern-day China, it is called Xi'an.
The Giant Wild Goose Pagoda was built in 652 AD, in Chang'an's south-east sector.
The enceinte is the main part of a fortress, and is surrounded by a wall or ditch. In Chang'an, the palace enceinte is in the northern centre of the city. The imperial enclosure for government officials is south of the enceinte.
The rest of the city is divided into 108 walled residential wards, which were strictly supervised. There are also two walled markets, located symmetrically in the east and west.
From the 700's-900's AD, the internal structure of cities in economically-advanced regions gradually changed – the walled-ward system disappeared, and a much freer street network for trade/commerce replaced it. The inner walled enclosure had the prefectural offices inside it, and a dual water/road transport system was used.
Suzhou was one such city. Below is a map of the city, carved on stone in 1229. (The stone version is on the right, and a clearer version on the left).
Khanbaliq, or Dadu, was the capital of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). It was built between 1264-93, where Beijing is today, under the orders of Kublai Khan.
The city was triple-walled, and its geometric form was nearly perfect. The palace enclosure was built on the city's main axis, and surrounded by the imperial enclosure. The outer city wall had 3 gates each on the east, west and south walls, and 2 gates on the north wall.
Beijing was built on the ruins of Khanbaliq. It became the imperial capital in 1403, during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), and was also the imperial capital in the following Qing Dynasty (1644-1912), the last dynasty of China.
In order to protect the prosperous south suburb, an outer city wall was built in 1553. This created an 8km-long axis running north-south, from the Drum and Bell Towers in the north to the south central gate.
1916 map of Beijing.
Cities were usually built with a square/rectangular plan in the north, where the terrain tended to be flat. In the south, the topography was more irregular, so the city plans were, too.
Shaoxing, in the province of Zhejiang, is one such city. It has previously been called Kuaiji and Shanyin. It is on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary.
The map below was drawn in 1893. Shaoxing is famous for its canals and bridges, and in 1893 it had 229 bridges. The town was surrounded by lakes, rivers and canals, so water transport was essential for trade. Commercial streets were usually built along the canals. The overall area of the town in 1893 was about 7.4 km2.
Datong is the northernmost city in the Shanxi province. It is located in the Datong Basin, and its urban area is surrounded by mountains on three sides. It is elevated 1km above sea level. Datong was built in 200 BC as Píngchéng, and renamed Datong in 1048. It was sacked in 1649 (at the end of the Ming Dynasty), and rebuilt three years later.
Within the city's walls were: local government offices, the local military headquarters & barracks, a Confucian temple, Buddhist & Taoist temples, a bell tower & drum tower, and granaries. There were also empty spaces for growing grain and vegetables, which was typical of Chinese cities. Later, more walls were built to protect the prosperous areas outside the existing city gates.
