Chinese Architecture and Metaphor: Song Culture in the Yingzao Fashi Building Manual (Spatial Habitus: Making and Meaning in Asia's Architecture)

Investigating the historical tradition of Chinese architectural writing from antiquity to the twelfth century, __Chinese Architecture and Metaphor__ reveals significant and fascinating social and cultural phenomena in the most important primary text for the study of the Chinese building tradition. Unlike previous scholarship, which has reviewed this imperially commissioned architectural manual largely as a technical work, this volume considers the __Yingzao fashi’__s unique literary value and explores the rich cultural implications in and behind its technical content. Utilizing a philological approach, the author pays particular attention to the traditional and contemporary architectural terminology presented in the __Yingzao fashi.__ In examining the semantic meaning of the architectural terms used in the manual, he uncovers a systematic architectural metaphor wherein bracketing elements are likened to flowers, flowering branches, and foliage: Thus pillars with bracketing above are compared to blossoming trees. More importantly, this intriguing imagery was shared by different social groups, in particular craftsmen and literati, and craftsmen themselves employed literary knowledge in naming architectural elements. Relating these phenomena to the unprecedented flourishing of literature, the literati’s greater admiration of technical knowledge, and the higher intellectual capacity of craftsmen during the Song, __Architecture and Metaphor__ demonstrates how the learned and “unlearned” cultures entangled in the construction of architectural knowledge in premodern China. It convincingly shows that technical language served as a faithful carrier of contemporary popular culture and aesthetic concepts. __Chinese Architecture and Metaphor__ demonstrates a high level of engagement with a broad spectrum of sophisticated Chinese sources. It will become a classic work for all students and scholars of East Asian architecture. Investigating the historical tradition of Chinese architectural writing from antiquity to the twelfth century, Chinese Architecture and Metaphor reveals significant and fascinating social and cultural phenomena in the most important primary text for the study of the Chinese building tradition. Unlike previous scholarship, which has reviewed this imperially commissioned architectural manual largely as a technical work, this volume considers the Yingzao fashi’ s unique literary value and explores the rich cultural implications in and behind its technical content. Utilizing a philological approach, the author pays particular attention to the traditional and contemporary architectural terminology presented in the Yingzao fashi. In examining the semantic meaning of the architectural terms used in the manual, he uncovers a systematic architectural metaphor wherein bracketing elements are likened to flowers, flowering branches, and foliage: Thus pillars with bracketing above are compared to blossoming trees. More importantly, this intriguing imagery was shared by different social groups, in particular craftsmen and literati, and craftsmen themselves employed literary knowledge in naming architectural elements. Relating these phenomena to the unprecedented flourishing of literature, the literati’s greater admiration of technical knowledge, and the higher intellectual capacity of craftsmen during the Song, Architecture and Metaphor demonstrates how the learned and “unlearned” cultures entangled in the construction of architectural knowledge in premodern China. It convincingly shows that technical language served as a faithful carrier of contemporary popular culture and aesthetic concepts. Chinese Architecture and Metaphor demonstrates a high level of engagement with a broad spectrum of sophisticated Chinese sources. It will become a classic work for all students and scholars of East Asian architecture. Investigating the historical tradition of Chinese architectural writing from antiquity to thetwelfth century, Chinese Architecture and Metaphor reveals significant and fascinatingsocial and cultural phenomena in the most important primary text for the study of theChinese building tradition. Unlike previous scholarship, which has reviewed this imperiallycommissioned architectural manual largely as a technical work, this volume considersthe Yingzao Fashi's unique literary value and explores the rich cultural implications in andbehind its technical content Utilizing a philological approach, the author pays particular attention to the traditional and contemporary architectural terminology presented in the Yingzao Fashi. In examining the semantic meaning of the architectural terms used in the manual, he uncovers a systematicarchitectural metaphor wherein bracketing elements are likened to flowers, flowering branches, and foliage: Thus pillars with bracketing above are compared to blossoming trees. More importantly, this intriguing imagery was shared by different social groups, in particular craftsmen and literati, and craftsmen themselves employed literary knowledge in naming architectural elements. Relating these phenomena to the unprecedented flourishing of literature, the literati's greater admiration of technical knowledge, and the higher intellectual capacity of craftsmen during the Song, Chinese Architecture and Metaphor demonstrates how the learned and "unlearned" cultures entangled in the construction of architectural knowledge in premodern China. It convincingly shows that technicallanguage served as a faithful carrier of contemporary popular culture and aesthetic concepts Utilizing a philological approach, the author pays particular attention to the traditional and contemporary architectural terminology presented in the Yingzao fashi. In examining the semantic meaning of the architectural terms used in the manual, he uncovers a systematic architectural metaphor wherein bracketing elements are likened to flowers, flowering branches, and foliage: Thus pillars with bracketing above are compared to blossoming trees. More important, this intriguing imagery was shared by different social groups, in particular craftsmen and literati, and craftsmen themselves employed literary knowledge in naming architectural elements. Relating these phenomena to the unprecedented flourishing of literature, the literati's greater admiration of technical knowledge, and the higher intellectual capacity of craftsmen during the Song, Chinese Architecture and Metaphor demonstrates how the learned and "unlearned" cultures entangled in the construction of architectural knowledge in premodern China. It convincingly shows that technical language served as a faithful carrier of contemporary popular culture and aesthetic concepts. Chinese Architecture and Metaphor demonstrates a high level of engagement with a broad spectrum of sophisticated Chinese sources. It will become a classic work for all students and scholars of East Asian architecture Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Historical Tradition of Writing on Architecture: From Antiquity to the Mid-Tenth Century 2. From the Mujing to the Yingzao Fashi: The Rise of Building Manuals and the Construction of Architectural Knowledge 3. The Yingzao Fashi: The Making of Widespread Legitimated Building Knowledge 4. The Yingzao Fashi Architectural Terminology (I) Bracketing Likened to Flowers, Branches, and Foliage: Architectural Metaphors and Conceptualization in Tenth to Twelfth Century China 5. The Yingzao Fashi Architectural Terminology (II): The Interplay of Literature, Arts, and Craftsmanship Conclusion Appendix 1. Previous Scholarship on the YZFS Appendix 2. Architectural Types Glossed in the Erya and in the Shiming Appendix 3. Structural Elements Glossed in the Erya and in the Shiming Appendix 4. Entries on Architecture in the Taiping Yulan Appendix 5. Quotations of Classical Texts for Gong in the Erya Shu, the YZFS, and the Taiping Yulan Appendix 6. Architectural Terms in the Terminology Section of the YZFS as Compared with the Taiping Yulan and the Yiwen Leiju Appendix 7. Classics and Historical Sources Cited in the YZFS Notes Bibliography Index About the Author

Reading a Japanese Film, written by a pioneer of Japanese film studies in the United States, provides viewers new to Japanese cinema with the necessary tools to construct a deeper understanding of some of the most critically acclaimed and thoroughly entertaining films ever made. In her introduction, Keiko McDonald presents a historical overview and outlines a unified approach to film analysis. Sixteen "readings" of films currently available on DVD with English subtitles put theory into practice as she considers a wide range of work, from familiar classics by Ozu and Kurosawa to the films of a younger generation of directors.

Jiren Feng. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [279]-295) And Index.