Elements
Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures
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Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright Manage No EE00000221 Country China ICH Domain Traditional craft skills Address The element is distributed all over China, mainly represented by the architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures in Beijing, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Shanxi, Fujian, the Southwestern areas inhabited by minority groups.
| Description | The construction of traditional Chinese timber-framed structures uses wood as the most important building material, with the structural carpentry as its foundation while containing other major divisions of work including the decorative carpentry, tile roofing, stone work, decorative painting, etc. The major wooden components, which consist of column, beam, purlin, lintel and bracket set, form the load-bearing frame for the whole structure. Two main types of framwork were developed as early as the 2nd century BCE. (Han dynasty), one is post-and-lintel, the other column-and-tie-beam. The wooden components are connected by tenon joints, which adds to the flexibility of the structure and improves its earthquake-resistent quality. Since the wooden components can be manufactured beforehand and installed on the spot, it can also significantly shorten the construction period. |
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| Social and cultural significance | Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures is a historical choice of the Chinese people in the interaction of specific natural environment, architectural materials, technical level and social ideology. Chinese inhabitants live in the structures and space built by the traditional architectural craftsmanship generation by generation, and it has become a kind of symbol and cultural identification for the Chinese people. The components of the timber-framed structure are so designed that they can bear the load with ingenious joinery, reflecting the wisdom of ancient technology. Through the architecture adopting the craftsmanship, we can gain some understanding of ancient Chinese’s view of the universe, the hierarchical system and interpersonal relationships in traditional Chinese society. Having lasted for seven millennia and been applied all over China as well as Eastern Asia such as Japan and Korea, this craftsmanship serves to enhance cultural identification and relationships between different peoples. Not only is it the representative of ancient oriental architectural craftsmanship but also the precious intangible cultural heritage for all mankind. |
| Transmission method | The construction of traditional Chinese timber-framed structures uses wood as the most important building material. The major wooden components form the load-bearing frame for the whole structure. It adopts tenon joints as the primary means to connect wooden components and uses modulus as the measure for planning and manufacturing. The construction of palaces and temples is undertaken mostly by professional craftsmen. There are only exterior images and measures on the blueprints for these official-style buildings. The components, the size of the modulus as well as the installation method are all dependent on the practice and pithy formula of the craftsmen. The craftsmanship has evolved with time. Many architectural manuals, such as Carpentry Canons and Buidling Standards (Yinzao Fashi) from Song Dynasty, Building Rules of Luban from Ming Dynasty, Architectural Standards from Qing Dynasty as well as the Building Principles of today, have all recorded and summarized its technical development in different phases and regions. Chinese craftsmen have accumulated rich experience in the past thousands of years of construction. Their unique and systematic methods and skills are displayed through the styles of framework, the manufacturing of components, the joinery and details treatment, on top of their consideration of taboos and cultural rituals. As main bearers of the element, the craftsmen are classified into different types, such as carpenters, tile artisans, stone artisans, etc. The architectural craftsmanship has been handed down from the masters to apprenctices generation after generation and is still here to stay. Since the late 19th century, the construction methods of western architecture were imported into China, and Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures has been impacted greatly with its application scope and the number of practitioners decreasing. Some traditional architectural craftsmanship has perished or been on the brink of disappearance. Nowadays it is mainly employed in the construction of temples and palaces with traditional style and in repairing the ancient buildings. |
| Community | Chinese traditional architectural craftsmanship for timber-framed structures spreads widely through the country, being used by Chinese Han majority from all over China, mainly in the Northeast, North and South of China, and many ethnic minorities including the Miao people, the Dong people, the Dai people and the Li people, mainly inhabitants in the Southwest of China and Hainan Island. Although there are many craftsmanship schools, they share common cultural connotation and technical essence. The representative schools and groups of artisans are: craftsmanship for northern official palaces (the Palace Museum), craftsmanship of Xiangshan school in Suzhou, craftsmanship for residential buildings in Zhejiang, Minnan and Huizhou, etc. The bearers and practitioners of the element are mainly architectural craftsmen whose social status were humble in traditional society, and today they generally work for the public or private companies of traditional architecture, or for the relevant museums and institutes. |
| Type of UNESCO List | Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity |
| Incribed year in UNESCO List | 2009 |