Emily Zucco - Architectural Design of Pavilions in the Qing Dynasty

Architectural Design of Pavilions in the Qing Dynasty

The Qingming Shanghe tu is a large handscroll from the Qing Dynasty period. This scroll is abundant with meaningful visual content showing the daily life of people in the time period. One of the many interesting aspects of daily life included in this scroll is the architecture. In particular, this will focus on the almost pavilion-like structure featured in the imperial portion of the scroll toward the bottom of section 13.

This structure looks quite pavilion-like, almost like a really small house, but far too open to be a space for someone to live. The structure is predominantly pink, with a green roof that has gold features. The viewer can see a fair amount of the inside of the structure. From what is visible, it appears to be pretty empty inside, with a few potential decorations on the walls, too. This structure might be used for some ceremonial type of purpose. However, it may be a place for meditation or other spiritual practices, especially since it is so secluded from a lot of the activity in this scroll. It would be a good, quiet place to reflect. While it is secluded, it is not too far away from everything else and is also right by water, so it is very accessible and likely strategically placed. It is a beautiful building surrounded by beautiful scenery, which makes it seem very special. This strategic placement of this and other pavilions in gardens and similar aesthetically pleasing scenes would explain why the pavilion is so open. It is  very open so it is easy for people to be inside the pavilion and view the scenery.

This type of structure is very common. This is shown with the abundance of structures like this one throughout the scroll. One aspect of this building that is representative of the Qing and Ming dynasty architecture is the roof. There are several different types of roof shapes that were used in this time, and this variety is shown throughout the scroll. This particular building roof type is a double-eave pyramidal roof (Huo). The different shapes of roofs not only represent the architectural style, but they also are related to the social hierarchy. Of the nine most common roof types, the double-eave pyramidal roof is the third highest rank. So, this structure is most definitely used by people of higher class. Each type of roof has a different amount of decorations on it. 

There are several other influences to this type of architecture, aside from social status. Practicality is a large influence (Lu). This makes sense because it seems quite unlikely that in this time anyone would build a somewhat enclosed space that will not be used. So, these structures are built with purposes. So, this one is quite simple. Out of what is able to be seen, internally this is quite empty. This unfilled empty space is most likely left empty so that people can fill it. Additionally, if this pavilion-like structure is for meditation or reflection, it is fitting that the space is empty. Having a clear space makes it easier to have a clear head, the outside world will reflect the internal world, so if the space is filled, it is more difficult to reach a clear mental space.

Another consideration when designing architecture is nature. Humans have to coexist with nature (Lu), especially since buildings such as this pavilion in gardens are meant to be lived in (Murck, 1980, p. 42). Also, when in this structure, humans are inside and outside, due to the open structure. So, all of this considered, it has to work with nature, thus, nature is considered when choosing many aspects of the design, whether it be location, material, or the actual design. This would explain why they take the time to make structures such as this one to be beautiful. Not purely for the value of aesthetics, but also so it fits in with the beauty of nature. 

Overall, this pavilion is representative of the architecture of the Qing and Ming dynasty. From studying the history of this and similar structures, it is easy to understand that there are many factors that influence the architecture of the time, whether it be social status, nature, or practicality.

Works Cited

Lu, Man, Gang Wang, and Jian Zhou. “An Explorative Study of the Ecological Design of 

Residence Architecture in Ming and Qing Dynasties in Yangzhou.” MATEC web of conferences 119 (2017): 1057–.

Murck, Alfreda. 1980. A Chinese Garden Court: The Astor Court at the Metropolitan Museum of        

Art. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pengpeng Huo, Miaole Hou, Youqiang Dong, Aiqun Li, Yuhang Ji, and Songnian Li. “A Method 

for 3D Reconstruction of the Ming and Qing Official-Style Roof Using a Decorative Components Template Library.” ISPRS international journal of geo-information 9, no. 570 (2020): 570–.