Okay, here is the translation following your instructions: Gong Liuzhao Watercolor Sketching Art Teaching Series Discussion: Ancient Architecture ``` ， ```

Author: Gong Liuchao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features:
1. The Charm of Ancient Architecture
China still preserves large-scale ancient architectural complexes, most of which are in the Ming and Qing architectural styles. Today, the most complete buildings we can see are palaces, government offices, temples, mausoleums, and gardens, as well as the mansions of ancient wealthy merchants and the courtyard homes of rural landlords and gentry. These preserved ancient buildings generally share common features: grand appearances, durable materials, and the ability to stand majestically across the country, enduring hundreds of years of wind and rain, as part of the world's precious cultural heritage. As an artist, it is challenging to fully understand China's ancient architecture, and I can only gain some superficial sensory impressions through limited sketching. Setting aside the architecture of ancient capitals like Beijing, Xi'an, Kaifeng, and Nanjing, even just experiencing the ancient villages I have sketched is enough to make me marvel at the grandeur of their architecture and the exquisite craftsmanship of their forms.
The Qing Imperial Garden in Chengde—known as the Mountain Resort—nestled among mountains and waters, is in scale. The garden is equipped with all types of architectural structures, including pavilions, terraces, towers, pavilions, halls, pavilions, corridors, and archways. Surrounding it are the Eight Outer Temples, whose architectural styles are particularly profound. The Qing Western Mausoleum, located in Yi County, is situated in a "feng shui" blessed land. This architectural complex exudes a majestic and imposing style, appearing even more magnificent under the towering pines and cypresses, as if it were the Forbidden City surrounded by mountains. The ancient city of Pingyao in Shanxi is encircled by towering city walls, with over a hundred mansions connected by archways to form streets. The ancient county government office remains well-preserved, and the city is also filled with arch-shaped window buildings similar to yodongs. In the uniform clusters of gray-brick and tile architecture, red lanterns hang in front of and behind the houses, adding a vibrant red hue to both day and night. Ancient architecture, ancient styles, and ancient charm evoke a sense of nostalgia.
Additionally, there are grand courtyard homes in the countryside and famous historical sites like the Jin Temple and the Temple of Guandi in the mountains. It can be said that Shanxi's residential architecture holds a unique place in the history of Chinese architecture. Moreover, in the northern Taihang and Yimeng mountainous areas, some ancient villages feature stone buildings with hundreds of years of history. Though not luxurious, they possess a rustic charm and are equally picturesque.
From a spatial perspective:
Outdoor observation offers an open view, and the color space perspective of the scenery changes significantly. As the space extends, the contrast between light and shadow and colors becomes noticeably weaker. Generally, the perspective of warm-colored objects tends to become cooler and grayer as they recede into the distance, while cool-colored objects become fainter and grayer. Regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy, the colors of various objects gradually converge toward the color of the horizon (bluish-purple or other light hues) and become blurred and indistinct. The larger the space, the more pronounced this effect becomes, even to the point where everything is enveloped in bluish-purple or other colors. This is also one of the most striking differences between outdoor and indoor painting in terms of spatial perspective.
From a color perception perspective:
Outdoor scenery, under sunlight, has warm tones on the lit parts, cooler tones on the shaded and shadowed areas, relatively warm tones on the ground and translucent parts, and cooler tones toward the sky. Conversely,