Page:A history of architecture on the comparative method for the student, craftsman, and amateur.djvu/704

 646 COMPAR.TIVE ARCHITECTURE. deep gorges, across lofty tablelands and rivers, like a huge snake turned to stone. Other buildings are public baths (No. 281 l, m), restaurants, hotels, and theatres. Cities. — In China cities are of four classes, and are mostly- quadrilateral or circular, with moats encircling the walls, and principal gates facing cardinal points. Pekin is a triple city : the outer is the Tartar city having an inclosing wall sixteen miles long, within that is the Imperial citj', surrounded by a wall nine miles long,andthe innermost city contains the Imperial Palace (Xo. 279). The walls surrounding these cities are of immense size and vary from 30 to 60 feet wide at the top. 4. COMPARATIVE. A. Plans. China. — The normal type of temple consists of three buildings parallel with and entered through each other. Such are approached by massive flights of steps, gateways and bridges. The larger proportion are lofty one-storied buildings with open-timbered roofs. The Buddhist temples resemble those of India, consisting of successive open courts and porticos, and in addition, kitchens, refectories and sleeping cells for the priests. Japan. — The Sintu temples are distinguished from the Buddhist by having in front a " toran " or gateway consisting of upright pillars of granite, supporting two or more transverse beams in the same material. It is considered necessary to pass under such gateways for prayers to be effectual. In houses the sizes of all living rooms are regulated by the Japanese mats (tatami) with which the floors are covered ; and which always measure one "ken" (six feet) by one " half-ken " wide, each room being some multiple of these (No. 281 j, m). The Royal mats are 7 feet by 3 feet 6 inches. The houses of both countries owe their bright and cheerful cha- racter chiefl)^ to their setting, being placed in gardens with hanging flowers, fountains, rockery, and flights of steps (page 645). The Pagodas were mostly octagonal on plan. B. Walls. China. — Stone is employed for more important edifices, but ordinary building materials are brick (used principally for the base of walls) and wood. Most Chinese buildings, even when of wood, are raised on a stone platform to protect the building from damp. Brick is sometimes finished with a glazed, colored surface, or the walls have a facing of glazed tiles or majolica. Walls are often con- structed hollow, as described by Sir William Chambers, thus saving material and effecting a more equable temperature in the houses. I