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Many Buddhist temples are built in pagoda style, a multi-roof structure, one on top of another in diminishing sizes, and exactly what most people have an understanding of as Chinese style of traditional architecture.
Even though the roots of pagoda architecture are not in China but in the Indian subcontinent, when the majority of us see pictures of pagodas we commonly believe those are pictures of temples in China. But pagoda type of architecture is also found in Korea, Japan, Vietnam and in Nepal.
In fact it was the Newar architects of Kathmandu valley that have perfected the pagoda design and are credited with having brought the pagoda design over the Himalayas to China and rest of Far East.
Whatever the origin of Chinese pagodas, fact is that in China are found the tallest and most striking pagodas around, for example the remarkable Six Harmonies Pagoda in Hangzhou and the striking Three Pagodas of Dali in Yunnan.
But there’s more to Chinese architecture than pagoda architecture. Although China certainly provides multi-sensory experience at ever step with a mood created by a variety of expressions, architecture is usually what contributes most appreciably to our perception of a location we pass through on our vacations.
Undeniably Chinese cities today extol the achievements of modern architecture. China’s urban skylines are astounding and panoramas of the kind of cities such as Chongqing and Shanghai leave us at awe at the urban jungle of countless residential high-rises mushrooming around monumental landscape of city core skyscrapers and towers.
Although urban design in China has achieved stunning progress over the last two decades, most travelers still prefer to sample the remnants of old China as found in compact historical towns such as Fenghuang in central China and Suzhou and Hangzhou in the east.
Of course there are many more examples of well restored Chinese towns, for example UNESCO heritage towns of Lijiang and Dali in Yunnan.
Then there are Tibetan towns. But one does not even need to travel to Tibet, though the Barkhor quarter of Lhasa is the true gem of Tibetan urban settlement. One can find its smaller version in the Old Tibetan quarter of Zhongdian, in northern Yunnan.
Some of the most striking traditional architecture is found in China’s tribal villages. If vernacular architecture is of interest to you, you ought to venture to Guizhou. Specifically in the southeastern remote mountainous corner of Guizhou you will discover the amazing Dong and Yao villages. The Dong perfected home construction engineering without single nail. Their houses are of post and beam frame, all solid wood design, without nails, screws, or glue but rather using notched joints and wooden pegs only.
Your tour of China can include the experience of learning vernacular architectural strategies that in the West have long been forgotten about.
