Chinese calligraphy : an introduction to its aesthetic and technique : with 6 plates and 155 text illustratons

CHINESE CALLIGRAPHY

slightly curved. And, parallel with this change, the roofs of houses began to curl.

介

But the influence of calligraphy upon architecture is usually more subtle than this. It can be discerned in the general structure, the form and proportions, of buildings. The Chinese do not hide the supporting framework of their buildings. The skeleton—the pillars, rafters, and beams—is left visible both outside and inside. The pillars, which are usually of wood, are naturally erected first, then the beams and rafters, then the walls are merely filled in with bricks and the roof covered with tiles. The structure has to be balanced firmly on its foundations just as a character has to be poised on its base in the manner described on pages 171-2.

An even more interesting connexion between calligraphy and architecture is the use made by architects of the shapes of characters for their ground plans. The buildings sometimes follow the characters Chung (+p) and Pin (§) in the disposition of the rooms, halls, and courtyards.

Architectural detail too has characters incorporated in its designs. Windows and fences in particular show this. Glass windows were introduced into China only recently; formerly the window-spaces were filled with wooden lattice work covered with thin paper. The lattice work was often elaborately carved into characters with propitious meanings such as ‘ Happiness ’, ‘ Longevity ’, ‘ Kindness’, and so on.

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Lies

FIG. 145