Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/697

 CHINESE AND JAPANESE AKCHITECTUKE. 639 with figures in high reh'ef at the angles, form a characteristic class of structure (No. 280). No distinction is made between civil and religious architecture. In China, the temple is only a better kind of house, provided with an altar. Japan. — The Japanese buildings have a special character of minuteness, both in architectural features, carving, and decoration, contrasting forcibly with those of other nations — as Egypt and Rome — in which the great idea was vastness of size and grandeur of proportion. Japanese buildings have a quality of refinement and delicacy, and their wooden constructions are framed together with such artistic skill as to render them akin to joinery (No. 283). Chinese and Japanese architecture is especially notable for curved sloping roofs, forming a contrast with that of Egypt and India, where flat terrace roofs predominate. The projecting roofs supported on a succession of small brackets form a most striking feature, being ornamented with dragons and other fabulous animals. The accessories of Japanese Temple architecture, such as the gateways, belfries and font sheds, form an important setting to the main structure, as do also the quaintly laid-out gardens with their summer-houses, rustic arbours, and fishponds. 3. EXAMPLES. Temples and Monasteries. — The Temples of Heaven and Earth (Agriculture) (No. 281 d) at Pekin, have been described by the late Mr. Simpson. The former contains two altars with sloping roofs in stages, and is placed in an open space, one mile square, surrounded by a triple inclosure in which are the priests' lodgings. (For normal type of temple see page 646.) In the plains of China such buildings are usually planned on symmetrical lines. In mountainous Japan, use is made of steps and terraces, wooded backgrounds and long rows of stone or bronze standard lanterns to produce a picturesque effect. Accessory buildings, such as pagodas, a stage for sacred dances and storehouses, are grouped around. Palaces. — In the past, as capital succeeded capital, palaces for the Emperors and officials have been erected. Such were often of great extent. The Summer Palace at Pekin (destroyed i860), of which a Pavilion is shown in No. 281 f, was an important example. It covered twelve square miles and contained some thirty residences for the Emperor and his ministers, among these the " Hall of Audience," 120 feet long, 42 feet wide, and 20 feet high, formed the principal apartment. The whole group was set among pleasure gardens, lakes and grottoes on a magnificent scale.