What was Chang’an City like in the Tang Dynasty? What is the meaning of “temple”? What are the differences between an imperial garden and a private garden? What changes did Chinese modern and contemporary architecture go through? What characteristics does Chinese architecture show in the new century? This book containing a lot of exquisite pictures is intended to guide readers through China’s long architectural history of thousands of years from the glorious achievements in ancient traditional architecture and the complicated course of development in the modern and contemporary era to today’s magnificent modern cityscapes and show a relatively complete picture of Chinese architecture to interested people.

About Author

Cai Yanxin, female, born in 1980, is a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. She graduated from the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University in Shanghai with a doctoral degree in 2009. Now she is an associate professor at the School of Architecture, Southwest Jiaotong University, mainly studying traditional architectural culture, historical and cultural towns, and protection and utilization of traditional architecture.

Foreword
Ancient Cities
Capital Construction
Local Cities
Military Defense
Supreme Imperial Power
Palace Buildings
Temple Buildings
Tomb Buildings
Temples of Gods
Confucian Buildings
Buddhist Buildings
Taoist Temples
Islamic Buildings
Christian Buildings
Appreciation of Gardens
Imperial Gardens
Private Gardens
Vernacular Dwellings
Western Influences on Chinese Architecture
Pursuit of Self – Modern Architecture
Towards the New Period
Development of Modern Architectural Trends
Diversified Architectural Styles
Works of Foreign Architects in China
Architecture of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan