Chinese structure
3 min readChinese structure is based on the principle of balance and symmetry.office buildings，residences，teples and palaces allfollow the principle that the main structure is the axis.The secondary structures are positioned as two wings on either side to form the main room and yard.The distribution of interior space reflects Chinese social and ethnical values.For example，a traditional residential building assigns family members based on the family’s hierarchy.
Still，the practice of making houses face south is one of the most striking features.The reasons are obvious-to get more sunshine and avoid the prevailing winds，especially the cold wind from the north in winter.
Ancient Chinese architecture features nique timber framework with tiber，bricks，and tiles as the main building materials.Walls bear no load and separate space only so that windows and doors will not be restricted to certain locations on the walls.Due to its extreme flexibility and adaptability，this structure would effectively shelter occupants from different climates，however diverse they might be.Another important advantage of the timber structure is that it could resist earthquake since tinmbers are springy，though it is vulnerable to fire.
Traditional buildings are sited in order to be in harmony with nature and to receive qi from auspicious directions.Qi is mostvibrant in areas that face the sea with mountains to the rear.Ideally，an auspicious site corresponds with one of the 4 Taoist quadrants so that North（the Black Turtle）is the highest，the left and East（the Azure Dragon）is higher than the right or West（the White Tiger），and the South（the Red Bird）is lowest facing a pond，slow river，or large body of water.Tou really need ageomancer to figure this out，and there are all sorts of feng shui gadgets to help rectify any bad qi in the building.
The distinctive roof of Chinese architectures has a great deal of symbolism involved.Synbolism is present in the colored eaves decoration，roofing material，and roof top decorations.A roof usually has a wavy tiling that runs horizontally，and vertical round ridges that run up and down.The vertical ridges are symbolic of bamboo，which represents youth and longevity.Gold is an auspicious（good）material，so the imperial roofs are gold/yellow in color.Green roofs synmbolize bamboo shafts，which in turn represent youth and longevity.
As a big country，the architectural styles of different regions and pationalities in China may vary in characteristics and functions.
They can be generally classified
Imperial Architecture
The palace is the highest，most luxurious and valuable architectural type in ancient China.It represents the highest level of architectural skills of the time.At the beginning，the term”palace”indicated the house of a”saint”，and later in the Qin dynasty，Imperial mausoleum architecture holds another major part in ancient Chinese architecture since it usually stands for the highest architectural techniques of the time.They are also called underground palaces.The Mausoleum of the First Enperor Qin Shihuang is a typical example.
The altars and ancestral teples are buildings for sacrifice.Ancient Chinese built large numbers of grandiose and elegant altars and ancestral temples, because they had firm belief in various gods and spirits. The greatest model is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, which served as an imperial temple. The temples for ancestral worship are found scattered around China.
