Ancient Chinese architecture is not only a source of reference for modern Chinese design, but its cultural heritage has also had an international influence and attracted global attention. Appreciating ancient Chinese architecture can be likened to opening up an enormous history book. The legends of remote antiquity speak of the great military achievements of the Qin emperor, the noble spirit of the Tang Dynasty, the palace intrigues of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the wisdom and intelligence of the millions of ordinary laborers that are neglected by the history books; all of their images are vividly recorded therein.

About Author

Cai Yanxin, born in Chongqing of China in April 1980, graduated in 2009 from College of Architecture & City Planning at Tongji University in Shanghai with a PhD degree and is now an instructor at the Faculty of Architecture Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu. Her research area includes Chinese traditional architectural art, protection and reutilization of Chinese traditional architectures.

Preface
Ancient Cities
Capital Cities
Provincial Cities
Military Defense
The Supreme Imperial Power
Imperial Palaces
Temples and Altars
Imperial Mausoleums
The Palaces of Gods
Confucian Architecture
Buddhist Architecture
Taoist Architecture
Islamic Architecture
Christian Architecture
Appreciation of Chinese Gardens
Imperial Gardens
Private Gardens
Vernacular Dwellings
Beijing Siheyuan Building (Courtyard Houses)
Northwestern Cave Dwelling
Huizhou Dwellings
Upland Dwellings in Sichuan-Chongqing Region
Earthen Houses of Fujian
The Mongolian Yurt
Xinjiang's Aywang
Tibetan Stone Houses
The Bamboo Houses of Dai Ethnic Group in Yunnan
When East Met West
Western Influences on Chinese Architecture
The New National Formalism Architecture
Towards a New Architecture
Appendix: Chronological Table of the Chinese Dynasties

The Qin Mausoleum, located in Lintong County, Shaanxi Province, is surrounded by the Lishan Mountains to the south and the Wei River to the north. Such a location coincides the traditional
Chinese geomantic omens because the site, surrounded by mountains and rivers, was an ideal burial site for feudal emperors who believed they would lead a new life in another world.
Construction of the Qin Mausoleum, the largest imperial tomb in China, began in 247 BC soon after Qin Shihuangdi ascended to the throne and was still underway at his death in 210 BC. Construction of auxiliary projects was halted in 208 BC when troops surrounded the imperial capital during an uprising.
Numerous groups of people worked on the 39-years construction project, from high-ranking officials such as Prime Minister LiSi who was in charge of the work, to criminals forced to do manual labor. As many as 720,000 workers from across the country helped onstruct the tomb.

Preface
The history of China's architectural development can be traced back thousands of years to the start of the ancient era. At that time, ancient China's architectural structures were primarily composed of wood, with brick, tile and stone supplementing. Ancient Chinese architecture is not only a source of reference for modern Chinese design, but its cultural heritage has also had an international influence and attracted global attention. Appreciating ancient Chinese architecture can be likened to opening up an enormous history book. The legends of remote antiquity speak of the great military achievements of the Qin emperor, the noble spirit of the Tang Dynasty, the palace intrigues of the Ming Dynasty, not to mention the wisdom and intelligence of the millions of ordinary laborers that are neglected by the history books; all of their images are vividly recorded therein.