Jiangnan Archway

Author: Xue Bing
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Travel enthusiasts in today's society are no longer satisfied with just sightseeing. The continuous enhancement of cultural understanding has become their new pursuit. Self-guided tours and specialized themed tours are increasingly popular among many of them, especially the younger generation. This series of books is a new attempt to meet their needs. The first batch of this series includes 6 titles, introducing the (archways), (ancient stages), (ancient bridges), (old houses), (ancestral halls), and (ancient pavilions) of Jiangnan. This book provides a comprehensive and vivid introduction to the (archway), a unique symbolic architectural feature in China. The (archway) evolved from ancient city gates () and served as commemorative structures during the 500-600 years of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Examples include the meritorious (archway) revered by Zhang Yanzhong, ancestral (archway) for honoring ancestors, spiritual (archway) symbolizing "communication between heaven and earth," and tragic (chastity archways). These wooden and stone (archways) are epitomes of China's millennia-old traditional culture. Today, when travelers stand before surviving ancient (archways), reconstructed () (archways), and newly built artistic (archways), they should not only admire them but also gain deeper insights.