Architecture and Buildings

• Archaeology shows us Chinese architecture began up to 10,000 years ago.

• No very early Chinese buildings survive as they were made of wood and pounded earth.

• Qin Shihuangdi, the First Emperor, first built hundreds of magnificent palaces and we have descriptions of some of them.

• Pottery models of buildings placed in Han Dynasty tombs show us a lot about the architecture of the time (Dynasties).

• The Han, Tang and Ming Dynasties each had their own distinctive style.

• The Forbidden City in Beijing, where the Emperors used to live, is the finest example of Ming and Qing Dynasty architecture.

• Even some of the largest wooden buildings in China were made without using nails.

As well as the magnificent ancient buildings in China, modern Chinese architecture is also now world famous. The city of Shanghai now has the two tallest buildings in China, and lots of other amazing towers and sky-scrapers. Many of them still have reminders of ancient Chinese architecture in their design. Some people worry that too much traditional architecture is being destroyed to make new houses.