Chinese Architectural Decoration Art Culture Origin

Author: Shen Fuxu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-12-01
Features: Architecture is a culture, and this culture has two meanings. One, architecture itself is a culture; the other, architecture serves as a container for various cultures. Almost every culture is realized in architectural spaces, so architecture also reflects various cultures. This is the uniqueness of architectural culture, and its high value lies precisely here.
What is architectural decoration? It is not merely the objects placed on the surface of a building for aesthetic purposes. Architectural decoration is a visual object of architecture, serving multiple functions. It is not only for beauty but also carries many other meanings, such as ethnic, regional, religious, ethical, customs, mentality, and emotional connotations. In other words, its semantics are multi-layered.
From the perspective of architecture as culture, architectural decoration can be regarded as a "holographic" object. The decoration in a building fully reflects its essential characteristics. Other decorative components of architecture also possess this quality. Therefore, to study architectural culture or the entire Chinese culture, studying architectural decoration can reveal the bigger picture from the small, giving us a glimpse of the whole. This is again the uniqueness and value of architectural decoration.
This book is a study of the origins and development of Chinese architectural decoration art and culture. It consists of eight chapters, covering the inception of Chinese architectural decoration art, its evolution, and its types—such as upper decoration, lower decoration, and indoor decoration.