CIIINESE ARCHITECTURE:.
Before leaving Asia, we must advert to the architec ture of a people, singular in many respects, placed at the eastern extremity of the Old World, and far removed from the iestless activity and ambition of Arabs and Eu ropeans. The extensive and populous empire of China has long remained stationary, with regard to customs, arts, and sciences. The practice of its architecture has been too long established, and our intercourse with the country too recent, to enable us to trace any account of its origin ; but the general principles of its construction have evidently been taken from the tent. Its cities are only large encampments. In each individual building, the outlines of its form, its numerous small parts, its slender columns and slight covering, are all measured and modelled by the tent.
During the last two centuries, China has, however, been frequently visited by men of talents and observation, who, in spite of the jealousy of its government, and the prejudices of its inhabitants, have acquired and communi cated minute and satisfactory accounts of the practice of its architecture. The authors from whom we shall chief ly select information, are, Duhalde, Le Compte, Cham bers, and Barrow.
From Sir William Chambers we learn, that there are temples of various dimensions and forms. I. Some very small, consisting of one apartment only. 2. Having a court, surrounded by a gallery leading to a ting (or large apartment) containing idols. 3. Composed of several courts, encircled by galleries, wherein Bonzes have their cells, and the idols their halls ; these last are more properly convents. 4. The lofty tower, or Taa.—All these are known by the name of Pagoda.
The first object in the pagoda of Ho-nang, in the south suburb of Conan, is an extensive court, where an avenue formed by three rows of trees conducts to a ves tibule, which is open, and ascended by steps. This is succeeded by a second vestibule, containing four colossal statues, composed of a sort of stucco representing mar ble; they are seated, and have in their hands various sym bols. This last vestibule leads to a large court, encom passed by colonnades and cells for the Bonzes, and hav ing in the middle four pavilions or temples, two stories high, filled with idols, before which the Bonzes perform their religious rites. In the corners of the court are also four pavilions, where the superior Bonzes reside. Be hind the colonnades, between the cells, are four halls which contain idols. Near the middle of the length of this large court, two smaller courts surrounded with buildings are projected, of which those on one side serve for kitchens and refectories, and those on the other for hospitals. The forms of the pavilions are various. The
cells of the Bonzes are very small, and have no light ex cept what is admitted by the door. The pavilions and their pillars, as well as those of the colonnades, are of wood, with marble bases. All the buildings are covered with tiles of coarse porcelain, painted green and var nished.
This disposition is common to all temples of this sort; and by omitting the pavilions in the middle of the great court, it bears a near resemblance to most Chinese edi fiees Qf importance. The palaces of the emperor, priu ces of the blood, mandarins, and Kong-Quaen, or col leges of letters, arc all nearly of the same form.
To the lofty towers the Chinese give the name of tarts; but they are known to Europeans by the name of pago das. Duhalde says, they are so common, as, in some provinces, to be met with in every city and large town, and even in the villages. The most celebrated are the Porcelaine Tower at Nang-king, and that at Tong Tschang-Fou. Of the former, from Duhalde (Vol. I. p. 129,) we learn, that this tower, unquestionably the tallest and most elegant in China, has eight faces, each 15 feet in breadth, and is 20 Chinese toises (200 feet French) in height. It is divided into nine stories, by floorings within, and cornices without, which support small roofs covered with glazed tiles of a green colour. From p. 200 of the same volume, we learn also, that the tower at Tong-Tschang-Fou consists of eight sto ries ; that its outside is of porcelain, decorated with va rious figures ; that the interior is lined with highly po lished marbles of different colours; that a staircase, form ed in the thickness of the wall, leads to the several sto ries ; and that at each story there is, on the outside, a marble gallery quite round the tower, protected by lat tices of gilt iron. At each corner of these galleries small bells are suspended. These octagonal towers di minish as they ascend, as well in the height as in the breadth of each story ; and, in general, the apex of the edifice supports a long pole, encompassed by a number of iron rings, and secured by eight chains fastened at one end to the top of the pole, and at the other end to the angles of the upper roof. In some of these towers, the stairs are in the inside in the middle of octagonal cham bers, and the cornices consist of a filler and large cavetto, decorated with representations of the scales of fishes, an ornament very common in China.