Geo Architecture and Landscape in

China s Geographic and Historic

Context Volume 3 Geo Architecture
Blending into Nature 1st Edition Fang
Wang (Auth.)
Visit to download the full and correct content document:
https://textbookfull.com/product/geo-architecture-and-landscape-in-china-s-geographi
c-and-historic-context-volume-3-geo-architecture-blending-into-nature-1st-edition-fan
g-wang-auth/
More products digital (pdf, epub, mobi) instant
download maybe you interests ...

Geo Architecture and Landscape in China s Geographic

and Historic Context Volume 4 Symbolism and the
Language of Geo Architecture 1st Edition Fang Wang
(Auth.)
https://textbookfull.com/product/geo-architecture-and-landscape-
in-china-s-geographic-and-historic-context-volume-4-symbolism-
and-the-language-of-geo-architecture-1st-edition-fang-wang-auth/

Bim for Landscape Architecture Landscape Institute

https://textbookfull.com/product/bim-for-landscape-architecture-
landscape-institute/

Deep Rock Mechanics From Research to Engineering

Proceedings of the International Conference on Geo
Mechanics Geo Energy and Geo Resources IC3G 2018
September 21 24 2018 Chengdu P R China 1st Edition
Heping Xie
https://textbookfull.com/product/deep-rock-mechanics-from-
research-to-engineering-proceedings-of-the-international-
conference-on-geo-mechanics-geo-energy-and-geo-resources-
ic3g-2018-september-21-24-2018-chengdu-p-r-china-1st-edition/

Computational Geo-electromagnetics: Methods, Models,

and Forecasts: Volume 5 1st Edition Viacheslav V.
Spichak

https://textbookfull.com/product/computational-geo-
electromagnetics-methods-models-and-forecasts-volume-5-1st-
edition-viacheslav-v-spichak/
Navigating Educational Change in China: Contemporary
History and Lived Experiences 1st Edition Fang Wang

https://textbookfull.com/product/navigating-educational-change-
in-china-contemporary-history-and-lived-experiences-1st-edition-
fang-wang/

Societal Geo-innovation: Selected papers of the 20th

AGILE conference on Geographic Information Science 1st
Edition Arnold Bregt

https://textbookfull.com/product/societal-geo-innovation-
selected-papers-of-the-20th-agile-conference-on-geographic-
information-science-1st-edition-arnold-bregt/

Active Landscape Photography Theoretical Groundwork for

Landscape Architecture 1st Edition Anne C Godfrey

https://textbookfull.com/product/active-landscape-photography-
theoretical-groundwork-for-landscape-architecture-1st-edition-
anne-c-godfrey/

Geo Spatial Knowledge and Intelligence 4th

International Conference on Geo Informatics in Resource
Management and Sustainable Ecosystem GRMSE 2016 Hong
Kong China November 18 20 2016 Revised Selected Papers
Part I 1st Edition Hanning Yuan
https://textbookfull.com/product/geo-spatial-knowledge-and-
intelligence-4th-international-conference-on-geo-informatics-in-
resource-management-and-sustainable-ecosystem-grmse-2016-hong-
kong-china-november-18-20-2016-revised-selected/

Geo Spatial Knowledge and Intelligence 4th

International Conference on Geo Informatics in Resource
Management and Sustainable Ecosystem GRMSE 2016 Hong
Kong China November 18 20 2016 Revised Selected Papers
Part II 1st Edition Hanning Yuan
https://textbookfull.com/product/geo-spatial-knowledge-and-
intelligence-4th-international-conference-on-geo-informatics-in-
resource-management-and-sustainable-ecosystem-grmse-2016-hong-
Fang Wang

Geo-Architecture
and Landscape in
China’s Geographic
and Historic Context
Volume 3 Geo-Architecture Blending
into Nature
Geo-Architecture and Landscape in China’s
Geographic and Historic Context
Fang Wang

Geo-Architecture
and Landscape in China’s
Geographic and Historic
Context
Volume 3 Geo-Architecture Blending
into Nature

123
Fang Wang
Peking University
Beijing
China

ISBN 978-981-10-0487-2 ISBN 978-981-10-0489-6 (eBook)

DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0489-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016932338

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016

This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part
of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations,
recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission
or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar
methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or
for any errors or omissions that may have been made.

Printed on acid-free paper

This Springer imprint is published by SpringerNature

The registered company is Springer Science+Business Media Singapore Pte Ltd.
Inscription by Liangyong Wu

Admire the great earth,

Impart your emotions to the mountains and the waters.
The rationale of geography,
The thinking of the architect.

Gifting to Fang Wang

From Liangyong Wu
Professor, School of Architecture, Tsinghua University
Member, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Member, Chinese Academy of Engineering
The Laureate of Supreme Prize of Science
and Technology of China in 2011
Foreword

Conservation in the broadest sense is an instrument for any society to modulate the
rate of change in the (built) environment. Today, conservation discourse and
practice extends from the preservation of historic artifacts to the natural environ-
ment in the most inclusive sense. Habitats, historic cities and buildings, cultural
landscapes, and even intangible heritage are all part of that repertoire we call our
inheritance. Naturally, in the process of rapid urbanization and transformation, the
memory of these crucial aspects of our heritage is often compromised. Furthermore,
the questions of conservation are often clearly not central to the agenda of devel-
opment, nor for that matter even with the broader cultural or education discourse.
Naturally this varies across countries and through different cultures and political
regimes. In this context, China is an interesting case where rapid urbanization over
the last 30 years put development at the forefront of its agenda often at the risk
of the sudden erasure of its wonderful historic fabric. A condition where the
memories of its rich heritage and the relationship of its people to their traditional
built and natural environment was severely interrupted.
In fact, traditional practices of building in Chinese culture were about codifying
man’s relationship with nature—of how human beings should ideally situate
themselves in this context. While in other cultures, like India, these rules were often
codified through religion and thus often distorted in their practice, in China, tra-
ditional practices, premised largely on geomancy, stayed intact through the cen-
turies. With the onslaught of rapid development and transformation in the built
environment in China, questions of protecting the natural and historic built envi-
ronment receded into the background. New codes to determine and facilitate
“quick” growth took precedent. China and its landscape transformed like nothing
witnessed in history before.
It is now, many decades later, that a new generation of architects and designers
as well as historians and environmentalist are motivated to reclaim these traditions
and weave a narrative of continuity between China’s historically rich past and its
incredible achievements of the present. It is in this context that this four-volume

vii
viii Foreword

collection titled Geo-Architecture and Landscape in China’s Geographic and

Historic Context is of critical importance. This work by Prof. Wang is a skillfully
compiled collection of deep research on the historic and geographic relationship
of the built environment and nature in China. This question is however interrogated
in the most interesting and rigorous way by introducing the category of geography,
which she extends into geo-architecture—a suggestion that architecture and its
relationship to a particular geography is also a way to understand the social and
cultural contracts that have evolved in that geography. And resulting from this
relationship, the architecture that is manifested is usually a very particular response
to its social, economic, and cultural context. This understanding clarifies not only
the relationship of architecture to the land per se, but also the people, rituals, and
cultural contracts that are associated with or a result of an architectural intervention.
It goes further to interrogate the spiritual—the uncodifiable or the invisible that has
often informed ways those societies are organized and their built environment
conceived. In the context of China, this is a refreshing and brave departure, which
promises to set down the foundation to engage these questions in the mainstream of
architectural debate.
Professor Wang’s understanding of culture as an ever-evolving phenomenon is
also useful. I have known Prof. Wang since 1999 and remember her preoccupation
with this issue since those transformative years in China. She sees culture as being
dynamic, and really, the unwritten rules in society that evolve with conflicts,
development, and the general evolution of a society. This has a direct bearing on the
architecture of a place and attitudes of a society toward building as well as material
culture. The historic environment is merely a yardstick to register this change. In the
four volumes, the case studies are a wonderful supplement to the text, where
examples illustrate these somewhat subjective readings of this implicit culture as
well as history of building in China. The range of cases from rural and urban houses
to institutional buildings as well as from deep traditions and colonial influences
supplements the arguments very appropriately as well as vividly. The methodology
of the work is unique in that it brings history, geography, and culture as well as the
precision of architectural documentation together in the same collection. Clearly
structured, a complex argument is made precise and in ways that can speak to
planners and designer. In that sense, it could serve as an instrument that would be
extremely useful not only for advocacy but also for pedagogy, more generally, in
sensitizing a new generation of Chinese architects to the land on which they build.
The collection also sets an important precedent for the examination of traditions
in landscape and architectural design for many parts of Asia. While India and China
pose the polar ends of this spectrum of Asia, the resonance the book, say for
Myanmar as it takes on the path of development or for Vietnam, would be equally
powerful—a reminder to these cultures that the delicate balance between man-made
and natural environments have deep historic traditions and are sensitive ecologies
that can be leveraged for development and not seen as deterrents. As debates of
ecology and sustainability take the fore in our discussions about architecture and
Foreword ix

planning and we understand more clearly the interconnected nature of our existence
on the planet, this book adds a powerful voice from China to the global debate.
Geo-Architecture and Landscape in China’s Geographic and Historic Context is a
welcome addition to this growing body of literature, which will mold the thinking
about design in rigorous as well as refreshingly new ways.

April 2015 Rahul Mehrotra

Professor and Chair
Department of Urban Planning and Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Preface

There is a close relationship between architecture and its geographic environment.

In the context of reevaluating cultural globalization and increased focus on the
geographic nature of architecture, architectural research from a geographic per-
spective has become increasingly significant. Of the forces that shape architecture,
world-renowned Indian architect Charles Correa once said:
At the deep structural level, climate conditions culture and its expression, its rites and
rituals. In itself, climate is the source of myth: thus the metaphysical quantities attributed to
open-to-sky space in the cultures of India and Mexico are concomitants of the warm climate
in which they exist: just as the films of Ingmar Bergman would be inconceivable without
the dark brooding Swedish winter.1

Climate is only one of several geographic factors, but from Correa’s comments,
we gain a glimpse of the impact that geography can have upon architecture. Further,
we can extrapolate from our understanding of the relationship between geography
and architecture a new perspective on the connotations for humanity itself.

1 Geo-Architecture Is not a Label for a Certain Form

of Architecture

In related research both in China and elsewhere, a number of concepts draw close to
geo-architecture, including regional architecture, vernacular architecture, and local
architecture, to name only a few. It is not necessary here to compare all such notions
in detail; for an illustrative example, compare geo-architecture with regional
architecture: these two areas of study represent different viewpoints—those of
geography and architecture, respectively—from which one might approach the built
environment. The historical background, basic theories and analytical methods that

1
Correa, C. Regionalism in Architecture. Journal of the University of New Mexico, 1992, Vol. IX,
Spring: 4–5.

xi
xii Preface

underlie and characterize them are, for the most part, fundamentally different. Just
as architecture scholars are often unfamiliar with geo-architecture studies, geogra-
phy scholars are often equally unfamiliar with regional architecture concepts.
However, while geography is a highly developed field with roots in antiquity,
“regional study” has not yet to receive formal recognition as a scholarly discipline.
To the extent that there arises a need to relate or differentiate the two approaches,
“scale” provides us with a useful perspective. From a geographical perspective,
different influences on architecture can be categorized according to the scale on
which said influences act. In general, influences are considered to act on zone
(macro), region (middle), and site (micro) scales. Regional architectural studies
focus largely on the influence of a regional culture and a region’s natural features
upon architecture. Geo-architecture studies, by contrast, are primarily concerned
with the differences that arise between entire geological zones—for example, the
appearance of differing architecture across different latitudes. Site characteristics, in
turn, are the most basic of geographical factors (e.g., micro-landforms), which
cause the architectural differences.
It is particularly important to assert that geo-architecture is neither a particular
architecture type nor a label for a certain group of architecture forms. At some level,
all buildings express geographic characteristics. Thus, the notion of
geo-architecture includes all architecture to some degree.

2 Geo-Architecture Is a Research Thinking

Geo-architecture borrows perspectives, concepts, and methodology from the study

of geography to investigate architectural phenomena and the processes that produce
such phenomena. Geo-architecture is concerned not only with understanding the
past, present, and, to whatever extent possible, the future of the physical archi-
tectural landscape but also with the human or social features of architecture. As
such, geo-architecture draws particularly on theory and methodology from natural
geography, human geography, and historical geography. Natural geography
involves the study of geology, landforms, climate, hydrology, and vegetation, as
well as the Gobi desert, Tibetan Plateau, loess landform, and other such typical
physiognomy types. Human geography examines the intersection between geog-
raphy and religion, nationality, custom, belief, economics, and politics. Historical
geography deals primarily with population migration, regime change, foreign
influence, etc.
Geo-architecture, within itself, is inherently a cross-disciplinary pursuit. The
study aims to appraise the myriad influences of natural, human, and historical
factors upon architecture. These influences are considered in three categories,
namely the interaction between architecture and nature, the interaction between
architecture and its human users, and the change in architecture over time; each
category serves as a lens. Augmenting these lenses is the research factor of the
Time–Person–Place concept, which is applied on three geographic scales in order of
Preface xiii

decreasing magnitude: zone, region, and site. The analysis ultimately focuses on
two aspects: geographic influence on architecture and architectural response to
geography. Architecture research to date has dealt primarily with the regional scale
and factors related to technology and the arts. From an architectural studies per-
spective, the research presented here is creative and unique in its consideration of
multiple scales, multiple timelines, and multiple cognitive agents. Similarly,
geography research to date has been predominately concerned with macro-scale
phenomena. This research reflects new interest in micro-scale phenomena.

3 The Research Object Selection for Geo-Architecture

The term “architecture,” as used in geo-architecture, refers to more than individual

buildings or groups of buildings and includes a wide range of subject matter not
often touched upon in traditional studies of architecture. Sites such as the Mani
field, the ancient postal road, and the tree-embracing pagoda—rarely, if at all, dealt
within the predominant body of architecture research—are considered in great
depth here. Some works that are especially representative of individual geographic
locations, for example, the Lingqu Canal, which connects the Xiang and Li Rivers,
and the Gaocheng Astronomical Observatory, which marks the earth’s core, are
included as well. Each case is no less than an exquisite expression of human
wisdom.
It is the authors’ hope that this work also spreads to some of China’s academic
knowledge in the fields of the humanities and geography. Violent geological
activity has made China, located at the intersection between several tectonic plates,
home to a stunning variety of natural landforms: there are towering snow-capped
mountains, extensive prairies, and rivers that surge through deep, winding gorges.
Against this backdrop, Chinese civilization has, over a period of several thousand
years, produced colorful cultures. Thus, selected cases are chosen to reflect as many
landforms, geology, and culture types as possible.
This series Geo-Architecture and Landscape covers 103 cases distributed
throughout 30 provinces, including autonomous regions, municipalities, and special
administrative regions, all over China. To obtain first-hand materials, the research
team for this work made great efforts to travel to the architectural sites in question
for the investigation. Thus, over 95 % of the cases featured in this series were
visited, experienced, and scrutinized by the research team members in person.
Each case study in these books investigates the interaction between architecture
and geography from the aspects of climate, geology, vegetation, culture, and his-
tory. The beautiful pictures presented within the books strive to illustrate how
architectural works exercise compliance, echo, and change to exist amongst
mountains, water, stones, vegetation, and human society. This work seeks to ana-
lyze the Chinese natural and cultural identity; thus, all of the architectural works
chosen for analysis are located in China. However, the theory presented here in the
series is universally viable and thus can be valuably applied to architecture in other
xiv Preface

countries as well. Architecture is the treasured heritage of human civilization in that

it reflects the profound ways in which people of different skin colors and localities
understood the geographical world around them.
Upon finishing this series, I could not help asking myself: what new thinking
regarding the relationship between architecture and geography will the next sight of
some mysterious or familiar geo-architecture lead to? This process of discovery has,
if anything, made me all the more aware of my ignorance and enamored by the
breadth and depth of the field; it is from these that I draw the strength and
encouragement to press on without hesitation.

July 2015 Fang Wang

Acknowledgments

I began working on the research for Geo-Architecture and Landscape in November

2007. Time has really flown. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my
sincere thanks and appreciation to a number of individuals and organizations who
have helped, contributed, and supported in various ways the realization of this
series over the past 8 years.
Many thanks must go to Liangyong Wu, Daozeng Li of Tsinghua University,
Stephen M. Ervin of Harvard University, and Annette M. Kim of the University of
Southern California for their encouragement and good advice over the years.
A special nod goes out to Rahul Mehrotra of Harvard University for his thoughtful
foreword. A dedication goes to Charles Correa of Massachusetts Institute of
Technology and Yuming Wang of East China Normal University.
I extend special gratitude to my colleagues Changchun Feng, Liping Zhou,
Chunhua Yan, Jijun Meng, Bihu Wu, and Yanwei Chai and to my friends Yuanqin
Shen, Shuhua Dong, Chaozhi Zhang, Jianzhong Li, Jingyan Yang, Dongsong Li,
Jiayu Qin, Xinmin Huang, Yaogen Peng for their support and encouragement of
this series. I also want to thank the students in my research team at the College of
Architecture and Landscape Architecture, College of Urban and Environmental
Sciences, School of Urban Planning and Design, Peking University, whose careful
research assistance was invaluable.
Help from the many people who provided illustrations, an important component
of this series, is very much appreciated. Although too numerous to list, I greatly
appreciate the kindness and generosity of those individuals, firms, and photogra-
phers who made accessible their beautiful photographs and drawings—on which
the series has depended so greatly. Every effort has been made to credit sources
appropriately in the captions, but apologies are due for any omissions or
inaccuracies.
Finally, I deeply appreciate the help of my editors, Leana Li, Toby Chai, Hannah
Qiu, and their colleagues at Springer.
In closing, this series Geo-Architecture and Landscape is dedicated to my
husband, Shuai; our son, Han; and our parents, who have given me the adequate

xv
xvi Acknowledgments

work time, precious love, and valuable encouragement that I needed to persevere
over the years.
In short, many thanks to all with whom I have worked and by whom I was
helped over the last 8 years between 2007 and 2015 on Geo-Architecture and
Landscape.
Contents

Part I Embedments and Highlights

1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........... 3
1.1 Geographical Origin of the Architecture’s
“Embedments and Highlights”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.2 Architectural Art of “Embedments and Highlights” . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.3 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
2 “Embedments” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 11
2.1 Tree-Embracing Pagoda: Hundred-Year-Old Roots
Embracing a Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 11
2.2 Sunken Courtyards: Audible but Invisible . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 18
2.3 Avalokitesvara Cave in Yandang Mountain:
Peaks Embracing Temple Inside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 29
2.4 Ancient Cliff House in Yanqing: Amazing Caves as Shelter ..... 36
2.5 Bezeklik Buddhist Caves: One Thousand Buddhas
Halfway up the Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 43
2.6 Longmen Grottoes: Limestone Cliffs Containing
Giant Buddhas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 48
2.7 Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang: The Legend of Caves
at the Foot of the Gobi Desert Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 59
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 69
3 “Highlights” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 73
3.1 Golden Summit of Mount Emei: Buddha’s
Light in a Single Glance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 73
3.2 Yongbulakang Palace: A Shape Similar to a Temple Built
on a Doe’s Hind Leg . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 83
3.3 Shibaozhai Fortress: A Precious Stone by a River
and a Fortress on a Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...... 91

xvii
xviii Contents

3.4 Hanging Monastery of Mount Heng: Ancient Temple Suspended

on a Mountainside . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Part II Enjoying Mountains and Rejoicing in Waters

4 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
4.1 Concept of “Enjoying Mountains and Rejoicing in Waters” . . . . . 116
4.2 Geographical Origin of the Architecture’s
“Enjoying Mountains and Rejoicing in Waters” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
4.3 Geographical Language of “Enjoying Mountains
and Rejoicing in Waters” Architecture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
4.4 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
5 “Enjoying Mountains” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
5.1 Longji Ancient Zhuang and Yao Ethnic Villages:
Home on the Terrace Farm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
5.2 Qikou Hillside Cave Dwelling: Comfort Home
at Loess Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
6 “Rejoicing in Waters” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
6.1 Three Pagodas of Dali: Beauty of the Reflection in Water . . . . . . 145
6.2 Water Longtang of the Grand Canal: Home by the Canal . . . . . . . 157
6.3 Diaojiaolou in Fenghuang Ancient Town: Home by the River. . . . 167
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
7 “Enjoying Mountains and Rejoicing in Waters” Cases. . . . . . . . . . . 179
7.1 Crescent Spring Temple Complex: Temple
by the Spring Water in Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
7.2 Lamasery in the Badain Jaran Desert: Scenery
of a Temple and a Lake by the Sand Hill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
7.3 Xifengkou Underwater Great Wall: Defense Line Stretching
from Ridge to Underwater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
7.4 Wanyao Ancient Village: Chorus of Pottery Kilns and
Hydropower Pestles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

Part III The Language of Stone and Earth

8 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
8.1 Geo-Architecture’ Materials Response: Uncovering Natural
Architecture Vocabulary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
8.2 Material Use in Geo-Architecture: The External Expression
of Blending Together with Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
Contents xix

8.3 Material Properties of Geo-Architecture: The Overall Expression

Combined with the Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
8.4 Geo-Architecture Material Selection: Taking from Nature
Perfectly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
8.5 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
9 “The Language of Stone” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
9.1 Anzhen Fort: A Secure Fortress in the Tempest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
9.2 Shujiatang Miao Ethnic Village: Stone Walls, Stone Tiles,
Stone Village . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
9.3 Baoshan Stone Town: Naxi People’s Settlement Made
of Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
10 “The Language of Earth” Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
10.1 Kashgar Local Dwellings on High Platform: Rammed Earth
Settlement upon Loess Margin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
10.2 Khara-Khoto: Loess City on the Silk Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
11 “The Language of Bamboo and Wood” Cases. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
11.1 Muleng House by Lugu Lake: Local Wooden House of the
Mosuo People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
11.2 Cuoluozi of the Evenki Ethnic Group: Traditional Houses Built
by Pine Wood Poles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
11.3 Snow Village: Houses, Pines, and Scenery in a Snow World. . . . . 279
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
Research Team

Phase One Fan Yin, Xiufeng Yu, Yicai Zhu, Di Liu, Xiaofei Hao, Wei Chen,
Yijie Huang, Jun Ge
Phase Two Yang Liu, Yang Chen, Qianqian Zhang, Samuel Lyon, Gege Wang,
Leilei Song, Hui Yuan, Yu Pei, Xing Wang, Lei Zheng, Min Zhu,
Hao Sun, Fan Yang, Xiao Xiong, Guoqiang Ma, Chenghao Zhang
Phase Three Xulai Chen, Min Zhang, Xiaoli Pan, Ying Wu, Yanyan Gao, Yuan
Hu, Ye Shen, Wenhao Li, Xingchen Liu, Xiaoquan Zhou, Mu
Zhang, Tairan An, Hongru Cai, Luxi Lin, Qiujie Shi, Jingjing Cui,
Xinkai Xiong, Taylor Poor, Catherine Yang, Joan Chen, Lulu Li,
Cathy Lin, Kadri Koop
Phase Four Xi Wu, Jian Liu, Wei Li, Xiaojie Wang, Ruimin Sun, Caixia Wang,
Xiaoning Xue, Ying Dong, Xiaoyu Liu, Fengyao Yu, Jennie Rajni
Chow, Anna Chan
Phase Five Yingqiao Zong, Lisi Wang, Lu Xu, Jie Chen, Linzi Zhang, Huiting
Ruan, Yaoyao Peng, Fanxi Gao, Tianzhu Zhang, Yuchun Xia,
Shanshan Shang, Chunyan Jiang
Phase Six Shiting Lin, Lu Xu, Jianing Li, Wen Mao, Linzi Zhang, Lisi Wang,
Shanshan Shang, Chunyan Jiang
Illustration Fan Yin, Jian Liu, Yijun Wang, Jiali Zhou, Ming Jiang, Hongjie
Editing Zhao, Kun Gao, Sen Sun, Jing He

xxi
Notes in Volume 3

Annals of Dali Fu (Mandarin: Dali fu zhi), an official record in Dali (today in

Yunnan Province), was written by Fu Tianxiang during the Qing Emperor Kangxi’s
reign (1662–1722).
Avatamsaka Sutra (Mandarin: hua yan jing), translated into Chinese in the third
century, is one of the richest texts of Buddhism, recording as it does the Buddha’s
highest teachings.
Bagua, also named Eight Trigrams, is a basic philosophical concept of ancient
China. It is a yin and yang system that can be composed of eight different forms and
used to symbolize various natural and human phenomena.
Bashu refers to some districts of the Southwestern China during the pre-Qin period
(approximately the twenty-first century to 221 BC) and now includes the area in the
upper reaches of the Yangtze River.
Beikan house, one of the four types of sunken courtyard, is named based on the
direction of the main room and is arranged by the bagua. It has a rectangle plan, a
main room in the north and a kitchen in the east.
Book of the Later Han (Mandarin: hou han shu), an official Chinese historical text
from 25 to 220 AD on the period of the Han Dynasty, was mainly compiled by Fan
Ye during the Liu Song Dynasty (420–479).
Chi, cun, and zhang are traditional ancient Chinese units of length. 1 m ≈ 3 chi, 1 m
≈ 0.3 zhang, 3.33 cm ≈ 1 cun.
Cliff Three-Buddha Niche, craved during the Wu Zhou period (690–705) of the
Tang Dynasty (618–907), is located in Luoyang, Henan Province. It consists of
seven statues, three of them are seated Buddhas and the other four are standing
Buddhas. The works of the seated Buddha seperately represent the past, present,
and future.
Column-and-tie construction is a typical style of traditional Chinese timber
structures in which columns and beams are connected by mortise and tenon joints.
Dao De Jing, also simply referred to as Lao Tse, is a Chinese Taoism classic
completed near the sixth century BC and considered commonly to be written by the
sage Lao Tse (571–471 BC), a philosopher and poet of ancient China, and the
founder of philosophical Taoism in the Spring and Autumn periods (770–476 BC).

xxiii
xxiv Notes in Volume 3

However, the text’s true authorship and date of composition remains a subject of
debate.
Dian You Ri Ji, literally Yunnan Tour Diary, is one of the journals in Xu Xiake’s
famous geographical treatise—The Travel Diaries Xu Xiake. Xu Xiake (1587–
1641) was a famous geographer and travel writer during the Ming Dynasty (1368–
1644) in China.
Diaojiaolou, also known as the stilted house, is a type of hanging foot building in
China. It is built on a slope and supported by several wooden columns and is also
called a hanging house because the pillars supporting the house are sometimes
located outside the walls.
Dongzhen house, one of the four types of sunken courtyard, is named based on the
direction of the main room and is arranged by the bagua. It has a rectangle plan, a
main room in the east and a kitchen in the southeast.
Dougong, a unique structural element and later an ornamental element in traditional
Chinese architecture, is the wooden bracket that joins pillars and columns to the
frame of the roof.
Fengshui (lit. wind and water) is also known as geomantic omen, and is a Chinese
philosophy that seeks ways to harmonize humans with the surrounding
environment.
Firm-mountain-sloped roof is a typical roof style of the traditional Chinese
dwellings, usually comprised of two sloping roofs.
Fold system, a large-scale first-order tectonic unit in the Earth’s crust, consists of
several fold belts and intermediate massifs.
Fu (lit. prefecture) was an administrative division during the Tang, Ming (1368–
1644), and Qing (1644–1911) Dynasties of China. It was also called “Jun” prior to
the Tang Dynasty.
Gable-and-hip roof is a typical roof style in traditional Chinese architecture,
usually comprising four sloping roofs with two large roof sections in the front and
back, whereas on each of the other two sides is a smaller roof section with a gable.
Hexi Corridor, a historical route in northwest China, lies to the west of the Yellow
River. It was the main access route from ancient Zhongyuan (lit. the Central Plain
region of China) to Central and West Asia for trade and the military.
Horse-head wall is one of the most important elements with unique characteristics
in Huizhou-style architecture of the Han nationality in China. It refers to the top
parts of gable walls above the rooftop on both sides and gets this name from its
horse-head like shape. During a fire, the horse-head wall built of stone could cut off
the spread of flame and prevent neighboring wood-framed buildings from damage.
I Ching (Mandarin: yi jing), also known as Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese
classical philosophical work.
Imperial jade seals, made of very precious jade stone, were the seals of ancient
Chinese emperors.
Jiangnan refers to the region to the south of the Yangtze River.
Jin Dynasty (265–420), Chinese dynasty, including the Western and Eastern Jin
periods, is different from the Jin Kingdom (1115–1234) by Jurchen in northern
China.
Notes in Volume 3 xxv

Jin is a unit of weight. 1 jin = 1/2 kg.

Jin Kingdom (1115–1234) was a kingdom dominated by the Jurchen people in
northern China, and differs from the Jin Dynasty (265–420), which was ruled by the
Han people.
Jinshen, a unit to measure the depth of the building, refers to the distance between
two columns in the gable of the traditional Chinese wooden architecture.
Kaijian, also known as miankuo, is a unit to measure the width of the building,
which refers to the distance between two columns in the frontage of the traditional
Chinese wooden architecture.
Lao Tse (571–471 BC), the founder of philosophical Taoism, in the Spring and
Autumn periods (771–476 BC)
Log-cabin style is a structure that stacks wood layer by layer as walls without using
columns and beams.
Mu is a traditional Chinese unit of area. 1 mu ≈ 667 square meters.
Nan Zhao Ye Shi, literally An Unofficial History of the Nanzhao Kingdom,
recorded the unofficial history of the Nanzhao Kingdom, which flourished in the
area that is now Southern China and Southeast Asia during the eighth and ninth
centuries, and was written by Yang Shen during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Nanli house, one of the four types of sunken courtyard, is named based on the
direction of the main room and is arranged by the bagua. It has a rectangle plan, a
main room in the south and a kitchen in the southeast.
Negative (Yin) and positive (Yang) (lit. backing to the dark and confronting with
the bright) is a traditional site selection discipline in ancient China that was believed
to better harmonize the living and natural environments.
Paifang (lit. memorial gate), one type of monument in the form of gates and arches,
is used to commemorate the merit or worship the ancestor.
Peach Blossom Land (Mandarin: shi wai tao yuan), a fictitious land of peace off
the beaten path, first appeared in a well-known ancient Chinese essay,
Peach-Blossom Spring, written by Tao Yuanming (approximately 365–427) during
the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420). The name is often used to describe an unspoiled
wilderness of great beauty away from the turmoil of the world.
Qin Yuan Chun: Xue, a ci (a type of lyric poetry), literally Qinyuan Garden
Spring: Snow, was written in 1936 by Mao Tse-tung (1893–1976), a great Chinese
Communist revolutionary leader of the People’s Republic of China.
Raised-beam frame is one type of timber frame in traditional Chinese architecture.
It is characterized by using beams that are borne up by columns placed in the
direction of depth, with layers of shorter columns and beams overlapped on the
beam up to the ridge of the roof.
Serindia, or the Western region (Mandarin: xi yu), refers to the regions to the west
of the Yangguan and Yumenguan Passes in Dunhuang, including what is now
Sinkiang and parts of Central Asia, although it is sometimes used more generally to
refer to other regions to the west of China as well, such as the Indian subcontinent.
Shen Xian Zhuan, literally Biographies of Divine Transcendent, partially attrib-
uted to the Taoist scholar Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317–420), is a
xxvi Notes in Volume 3

biographical collection of fairy tales which are important to our understanding

of the formation of the Taoist religion.
Siheyuan, also as Chinese quadrangles, a historical type of residence, is commonly
found throughout China, most famously in Beijing. It composes of a courtyard
surrounded by buildings on all four sides.
Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake (Mandarin: Xu Xiake you ji), a collection of travel
journals that was not only best known for its literature value but for its detailed
records of geography, was written by Xu Xiake (1587–1641), a famous geographer
and travel writer, during the late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).
Upturned eave is a type of eave in traditional Chinese architecture that builds the
eaves upturned with special treatment.
Water longtang (Mandarin: shui long tang) is a type of water lane. Communities
are centered on a water lane or several interconnected lanes.
Wu Xi Ju Zhi, an official chronicle of Wuxi County (literally, County Annals of
Wuxi), was written during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368).
Wudian roof is a four slopes roof and is the most distinguished roof form in ancient
Chinese architecture and is commonly used in paramount buildings for the royals
and religions.
Xidui house, one of the four types of sunken courtyard, is named based on the
direction of the main room and is arranged by the bagua. It has a square plan, a
main room in the west and a kitchen in the southwest.
Xin Shi San Qin Ji, local annals recording geography, history, culture, and people
in the Sanqin region (which is now Shanxi Province), were composed by Mr. Xin
(the author’s first name is unknown) during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220).
Yan Emperor (Mandarin: yan di), one of legendary Chinese tribal leaders about
4,000 years ago, is regarded as one of the initiators of Chinese civilization.
Yellow Emperor (Mandarin: huang di) is one of the ancient Chinese emperors and
heroes about 4,000 years ago who is regarded as one of the initiators of Chinese
civilization.
Ying Zao Fa Shi, a technical treatise on architecture and craftsmanship, literally
Treatise on Architectural Methods or State Building Standards, was written by Li
Jie (1065–1110) in the Northern Song Dynasty (960–1127).
Zhang, chi, and cun are traditional ancient Chinese units of length. 1 m ≈ 3 chi, 1 m
≈ 0.3 zhang, 3.33 cm ≈1 cun.
Zhongyuan culture (lit. culture of the Central Plain region in China) is the origin
and core part of the Chinese culture centered in Henan Province and distributed in
the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, which can be traced back to the
Neolithic from 6000 to 3000 BC.
Zhongyuan is referred to the central plain region in China, where dynasties were
usually led by the Han people in the ancient China.
About the Author

Fang Wang Ph.D. is Associate Professor at College

of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Peking
University and a registered urban planner. After
receiving a Ph.D. in Architectural Design and Theory
from Tsinghua University, Dr. Wang completed her
postdoctoral research in geography, with a concen-
tration in urban planning, at Peking University. From
2011 to 2012, Dr. Wang was a visiting scholar at the
Harvard University Graduate School of Design. She is
a member of Chinese Academy of City Planning,
Chinese Geographical Society, and Chinese Architec-
tural Society.
Dr. Wang’s research concentrates on introducing geographical philosophy,
methods, and techniques into the traditional engineering-dominated fields of urban
planning and architectural design. Her focus is also known as “geographical
planning and design,” i.e., research on the influence of geography upon urban
planning and design and reflexively, urban planning and design responses to
geography. She is interested in the following research: the preservation and renewal
of cultural landscapes and historical districts and planning and design of sightseeing
districts and geo-architecture. She has published over 70 academic papers and three
books (one in Springer) and has translated nine books from English to Chinese for
publication. She has piloted one China Natural Science Foundation project, three
Sino-German Center projects, and six other projects of provincial and ministry-level
funding. As the team leader, she won the Second Prize of Land Resources Science
and Technology Award in 2015, sponsored by Ministry of Land and Resources
of the People’s Republic of China.

xxvii
 Part I
Embedments and Highlights

Avalokitesvara Cave in Yandang Mountain.

Source Photograph by Jintao Ye
Chapter 1
Introduction

Geo-architecture results when an inconvenient geographical location is transformed

as it is modified to accommodate human habitation. Myriad construction methods
can be used to adapt construction to landforms, and the most commonly occurring
of these is to integrate human construction with plateaus and mountains. These two
methods work in opposition to one another because in one method, architecture is
embedded into its environment, while in the other, the architecture is situated at the
highlight of the surroundings.
Embedments and highlights are two types of construction resulting when
geo-architecture merges with nature in response to its environment. The outward
expression of an embedment is that the shape or gesture of the architecture is
submerged into the geographical environment, which is characterized by collection,
pregnancy, containing, combination, concealing and protection. Highlights appear
when construction is based on its geographical environment and even surpasses the
original natural beauty. Highlights are embodied in the odd, handy, erect, grand,
squatting, and tall forms of architecture within an environment.
Geo-architecture emerging from the embrace of the earth exploits its geo-
graphical conditions primarily through clever combinations of the landforms and
plants, while making artful use of the site’s cliffs, caves and tree trunks. Such
geo-architecture is represented in the ancient Cliff House in Yanqing County in
Beijing, the Leshan Giant Buddha in Sichuan Province, and the tree-embracing
pagoda in Yunan Province, among other sites.
Geo-architecture is often found on mountaintops and on the “waist” and
“shoulders” of mountains. Its location on high mountaintops highlights the steep-
ness and grandeur of the architecture. Thus, this type of architecture is embodied in
the Shibaozhai Fortress in Zhongxian County of Chongqing, Golden Summit of
Mount Emei in Sichuan, and the Hanging Monastery of Mount Heng in Shanxi.

© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 3

F. Wang, Geo-Architecture and Landscape in China’s Geographic
and Historic Context, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-0489-6_1
4 1 Introduction

1.1 Geographical Origin of the Architecture’s

“Embedments and Highlights”

1.1.1 Material Basis

(1) Space: Rich Topography

The vast land of China consists not only of basins and plains but also of low and
gentle hills, grand and magnificent plateaus, and undulating mountains. The
mountains, hills and plateaus occupy two-thirds of China’s national territory.
Regardless of whether the rugged topography causes a certain degree of inconve-
nience for people, Chinese ancestors managed to make China into a heaven on
earth, with rich products and pleasant settlements. The human use of natural
topography is mainly reflected in the location and design of buildings. The complex
terrain offers a variety of architectural sites in which the presence of buildings
remains in the spatial and temporal relationships defined in different venues. From
the perspective of embedment, naturally occurring caves engulf buildings with their
darkness; the windy and cloudy mountainside is the pathway on which buildings
will continue rising; and the grand mountain shoulder is the footplate for buildings
to reach the sky. For example, the specific volcanic landform and the changing
mountain peaks create the natural stone caves of Yandang Mountain. From the
perspective of highlights, the mountains might be considered the facade for the
buildings to look down from above, the complicated gullies might be understood as
the enclosure of the architecture and the erect precipice might act as protective
screen. Such architecture is represented by the precipitous Hanging Monastery at
Mount Heng (Shanxi), located on a rugged cliff and a steep valley.
(2) The Vicissitudes of Time
Some buildings are ruined by nature, some are ruined by humans and still others are
ruined by time. The buildings that survive the vicissitudes of time have a unique
value. The ancient lofty city tower or the ruins of palaces might tell stories of drastic
changes: stories beginning with the fairy tales that once occurred here and ending
with cruel murder at a later date (Liang 2006). Religious architecture is built to be
eternal: people hope the architecture will stand forever, as it represents the
unlimited power of godliness and its eternal spirit. In this regard, the architecture of
embedments and highlights takes full advantage of its surroundings. The cliffs,
valleys and mountains offer a protective screen from the destruction of wind,
sunshine, rainwater, floods, underground water, and human activities (Yuan 2005),
leading to longevity and eternal mystery.
1.1 Geographical Origin of the Architecture’s “Embedments and Highlights” 5

1.1.2 Spiritual Basis

(1) Establishing the Concept of Nature

With the continuous development of the level of productivity, humans’ attitude
toward the natural environment has gradually shifted. In primitive societies, people
worshiped nature, and productivity was low. In the pre-industrial period, produc-
tivity increased, as people began to utilize nature as a resource. In the industrial age,
people “conquered” nature, which led to increased productivity. In post-industrial
society with its saturated productivity level, people have increasingly expressed
respect for nature. The ancient worship of nature was reflected in unique combi-
nations of buildings and topography. Thus, the original expression of embedments
and highlights is cave dwelling and nest building. Odd and grand underground
caves became comfortable residences, whereas intertwined lush and grand trees
helped create a convenient living space with only minimal transformations. Both
the architecture made by digging into the earth (embedments) and the architecture
rising from the earth (highlights) reflect the blending of body, mind and nature,
while representing communication between heaven and earth.
(2) Penetration of the Humanistic View
Although the same type of territorial environment may yield different layouts and
structures of geographical constructions, the main motive for a particular archi-
tectural expression is to meet different functional demands. From the earliest houses
that satisfied basic requirements to the pursuit of transcending the earthly realm,
construction in China typically accords with ancient Chinese culture and its phi-
losophy of modesty. The notion of harmony between man and nature has produced
construction that either focuses on the earth in the mountains or that highlights
construction on the peaks of cliffs.
The human concept that has had the greatest impact on traditional architecture is
religion, particularly in its subtle penetration. However, because Taoism has always
been regarded as tepid, Buddhism has exerted a stronger impact on architecture. In
Chinese history, following rapid and flourishing Buddhist growth—and the
expanding power of monks—a short suppression of Buddhism once occurred.
However, for very long times, the incense in Buddhist monasteries has burned
unabated. Whether Mahayana Buddhism in Tibet, Qinghai and Gansu Provinces or
Theravada Buddhism in Yunnan Province, Buddhism has made a lasting impres-
sion on local architectural styles, creating new forms out of traditional Chinese
forms. Buddhists believe that to achieve nirvana one must practice abstinence, such
as chanting and meditation, to emphasize separation from common and customary
lives, and this idea influenced the site selection of Buddhist architecture to a large
extent. These secluded temples in the jungle stand either at the foot of a mountain,
embedded in the mountainside or installed into the mountains. Combined with
nature, the architecture produces the relation of embedments and highlights with
mountains and rivers, sky and earth. The great Chinese mountains are known for
their temples, and temples have become famous, including the Tiantai Temple in
Mount Jiuhua of Anhui Province and the Golden, Copper, and Silver Halls in
6 1 Introduction

Mount Emei of Sichuan Province. These architectural sites are located on the top of
magnificent mountains, surrounded by thick clouds and pine trees. The sky and the
sunlight add a mysterious and tranquil quality to the architecture, sharing the
Dharma Realm in which everything seems vain, enticing one to escape the woes of
life by proceeding through the entrance leading to Elysium.
Buddhist monasteries always rely on the geographical conditions of mountain
and plateau. These features are combined with local building customs, absorbing
foreign Buddhist culture and decorative features from India and Nepal, among other
places, and developing rich and creative local architectural styles. The solid, grand
Potala Palace is a perfect example of architecture influenced by Theravada
Buddhism (Huang and Tang 2009). After 2,000 years of evolutionary development,
Buddhist architecture became one of the most important building styles in Chinese
feudal society. In addition to monasteries, there are also towers and grottos. The
well-preserved millennia grotto buildings are another illustrative example of
embedment. These grottos are always located on dark mountain slopes, where the
cliff is protected from weathering. The natural environment of embedment supplies
a quiet and beautiful place for monks to practice meditation and to reach nirvana,
while also enabling them to obtain longer vitality. The Longmen Grottoes, the
Bezeklik Buddhist Caves and the Leshan Giant Buddha exemplify this style.

1.2 Architectural Art of “Embedments and Highlights”

1.2.1 Location and Shape of Architecture

The most significant feature of geo-architecture is its blending of the site and the
surrounding nature. The sites for geo-architecture are dispersed among loess table-
lands, hilltops, mountain waists and shoulders, caves and peaks, which implies the
space-time aspects of the notion of the unity between architecture and nature.
Inheriting the traditional Chinese view of nature, geo-architecture attempts to invite
both heaven and earth into one residence. The thought-through location not only
shows the broad majestic momentum of the geographical environment but also
demonstrates the continuous pursuit of preserving the buildings. The sunken court-
yards of the Loess Plateau are covered with a thick layer of soil. A vertical mechanism
has been developed to prevent the construction built on the loess from collapsing. In
the buildings, including the Leshan Giant Buddha and the Longmen Grottoes, the
statues of Buddha are hidden in the caves of the cliff, purposefully constructed into
the shady corners of the mountain to reduce the damage caused by wind and sunlight.
(1) Embedments
The architectural examples of embedments in complex and changeable terrains are
always built on sites that are both stable and easy to hold, while difficult to attack.
Embedments always take advantage of the natural protective screen of semi-open
spaces, such as caves and precipices, which surround the architecture. However,
1.2 Architectural Art of “Embedments and Highlights” 7

most of the construction is set in the thick forest as a part of the mountain. The
surrounding environment’s embrace of the architecture results in a site characterized
by vitality, such as the Changkong Trail of Mount Hua, which is located within the
secret places of a steep cliff, and the Bezeklik Buddhist Caves, which is located in a
secret corner of the world, forming a spectacular sight within its surroundings. The
architecture`s form of embedments respond to the local geography, always taking
advantage of the natural and/or man-made caves or cliffs in becoming a habitation
for ancient residents, such as the ancient Cliff House in Yanqing County in Beijing.
In other instances, some structures use the space of embedment provided by nature
for building temples and take advantage of peaks, pillars, piers, caves and walls to
form multiple architectural structures (Chen 2009), such as the Avalokitesvara Cave
in Yandang Mountain. In particular, when the inner-embedment inside the caves
develops into the outer-embedment outside, such as at the Leshan Giant Buddha, the
influence of Buddhist thinking is clear. The Leshan Giant Buddha is carved into a
natural rock at Qixia Peak of Lingyun Mountain and is famous for the Buddha being
the mountain and the mountain being the Buddha.
(2) Highlights
The architectural styles that demonstrate highlights in their relation with the natural
environment typically exploit magnificent geographical backgrounds, such as when
structures are located at the top of a hill and/or a cliff. The combination of man-made
structures and magnificent natural beauty serves to highlight one another,
strengthening the effect of the picturesque geographical environment and the bold-
ness of the architecture, thus becoming a type of crowning feature. For example, the
Shibaozhai Fortress is located on a mountain with steep cliffs, which not only
emphasizes the steepness of the cliffs but also extends beyond the momentum of the
mountain. The geo-architecture that stands out from the environment has the closest
relation with the landform. The layout of the architecture and the majesty and
grandeur of the surroundings are complementary to one another. For example, the
unique terrain of the steep mountains draws attention to the strange, grand and steep
features of the geo-architecture. Conforming to the particularities of the location, the
structure takes the form of a watchtower or a pavilion in a manner that resembles the
Yongbulakang Palace, which is on the top of a mountain, the Shibaozhai Fortress,
which is located on a mountain with a steep cliff, and the Hanging Monastery that
appears to be hanging from the waist of a mountain.

1.2.2 Language and Emotion of Architectures

The narrow definition of architecture is to use the construction method to shape a

relatively closed space system with materials, forming a separation from the natural
environment (Ruo and Zhang 1994). However, the broad definition of architecture
emphasizes the correspondence between artificial construction behavior and nature.
The spatial combination, massing, proportion, scale, color, rhythm, and even
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
The Project Gutenberg eBook of Norman Prince
 This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United
States and most other parts of the world at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away
or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License
included with this ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you
are not located in the United States, you will have to check the
laws of the country where you are located before using this
eBook.

Title: Norman Prince

A volunteer who died for the cause he loved

Author: George Franklin Babbitt

Contributor: Frederick Henry Prince

Release date: September 26, 2023 [eBook #71732]

Language: English

Original publication: Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1917

Credits: Tim Lindell and the Online Distributed Proofreading

Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced
from images generously made available by The
Internet Archive/American Libraries.)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NORMAN

PRINCE ***
 NORMAN PRINCE
An American Volunteer who died for France

Norman Prince
 NORMAN PRINCE
A VOLUNTEER
WHO DIED FOR THE CAUSE
HE LOVED

WITH MEMOIR BY
GEORGE F. BABBITT

BOSTON AND NEW YORK

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY
The Riverside Press Cambridge
1917

COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published December 1917
To the
LAFAYETTE FLYING SQUADRON
 (formerly the Escadrille Américaine)
—those gallant young Americans who led
the way their country was later to follow

“Under the little crosses where they rise

The soldier rests; now round him undismayed
The cannon thunder, and at night he lies
At peace beneath the eternal fusillade
That other generations might possess
From shame and menace free in years to come,
A richer heritage of happiness;
He marched to that heroic martyrdom.”
 CONTENTS
I. Memoir 1
II. His Own Story 15
III. Letters 25
IV. From His Father 49
V. A Comrade’s Tribute 60
VI. His Brother’s Service 65
VII. From the French Envoys 68
VIII. Messages of Condolence and Appreciation 71
 ILLUSTRATIONS
Norman Prince Frontispiece
As Master (pro tem.) of the Pau Draghounds 6
With His Favorite Plane 10
Portrait as Exhibited at Allied Fairs 18
With His Superior Officer Lieutenant de Laage
de Mœux 26
Application to ride a Breguet de Chasse 30
Memorandum of the Bringing-down of his First
German Machine 38
Cover of a French Periodical 46
Norman Prince, Frederick Henry Prince, Jr.,
and Frederick Henry Prince 50
Concours Hippique 54
Camp Norman Prince 62
Frederick Henry Prince, Jr., with his Nieuport 66
Decorations 72
 NORMAN PRINCE

I
MEMOIR

It is fitting that the record of a young life of high aspiration, of fine

achievement, and, finally, of supreme self-sacrifice on a world’s
battlefield, should be permanently preserved, not only for the
satisfaction of those near relatives and friends who deeply mourn its
tragic and untimely end, but for the sense of pride and rapture of
soul which the contemplation of such a record everywhere inspires.
Grievous as it is to see a young and happy life cut off at the
threshold of a promising career, there is compensation as well as
consolation for such a fate when the fine fervor of youth, thoroughly
imbued with a loyal and patriotic spirit, has won for its possessor the
well-deserved plaudit of living and dying a hero. Such was the fate
and such the reward of the subject of this memoir.
Norman Prince was the younger of the two sons of Frederick
Henry and Abigail (Norman) Prince. He was a grandson of Frederick
O. Prince, an eminent citizen of Massachusetts and a Mayor of
Boston, and of George H. Norman, a distinguished citizen of
Newport, Rhode Island. He was born August 31, 1887, at Pride’s
Crossing, Massachusetts, receiving his early education under private
tutors in this country and in Europe and completing his preparation
for college at Groton, where he passed five happy and helpful years.
He was graduated, with honors, at Harvard College in the class of
1908, taking the academic course in three years and receiving a cum
laude with his degree of Bachelor of Arts. Entering the Harvard Law
School immediately after his college graduation, he received the
degree of Bachelor of Laws three years later. He was admitted to the
bar and subsequently began the practice of law in Chicago,
coincidentally devoting much of his time and attention to the study
and practice of aviation at a time when flying was popularly regarded
as a mere sport rather than a practical utility in this country. This was
a diversion from his more serious work at the start, but foreseeing
the ultimate possibilities of aeronautics for practical purposes, and
becoming an enthusiast in its scientific development, he neglected
the practice of his intended profession, and being enabled to provide
the necessary funds for experimenting with various types of flying
machines, he tested their comparative advantages for aerial
navigation. He possessed an exceptionally quick intelligence and
applied himself with zeal and diligence to subjects that interested
him.
From his early boyhood Norman had been passionately fond of
manly outdoor sports, more particularly those connected with
equestrianism. He loved hunting, polo, and kindred activities, and he
thus developed qualities of sportsmanship that proved useful to him
in his later experience in aviation. His courage and enthusiasm
enabled him to undertake aerial flights that appalled less intrepid
amateur navigators, but which were a joy and an inspiration to him
from the beginning. Among his associates in amateur sports he had
the reputation of being absolutely fearless. “I never knew a pluckier
fellow,” said one of his schoolmates, recalling the days of their earlier
companionship.
At the outbreak of hostilities in Europe his love of the strenuous
life, combined with his intensely patriotic instincts and his deep
sympathy with the cause of the Entente Nations,—more particularly
for France,—prompted him to go abroad and offer his services in
their behalf. He adopted this course ardently and spontaneously,
feeling that he was thus performing a duty that he owed to the cause
of Liberty and Righteousness throughout the world.
One of the finest chapters in the history of contemporary life is that
which records the loyalty and patriotic fervor of so many young
Americans, who at the beginning of the World War, before their own
country had abandoned its attitude of neutrality, volunteered for
military service on the side of the Allies, in the fighting ranks of the
foreign legions, especially in the aviation service, which called for
efficiency and courage in individual combat that recalled the heroism
and devotion of the ancient days of chivalry. The inspiring example
of these early American volunteers may be said to have given the
first impulse to the popular uprising which ultimately led to our
country’s active participation in the war.
Having passed many of the earlier years of his youth in France,
Norman saw and appreciated his opportunity to testify to the
sincerity of his love for what he affectionately called his “second
country.” He took passage abroad in December, 1914, four months
after the outbreak of the war, arriving in Paris early in the following
January, when he promptly offered his services to the Government
as a volunteer in the French army to serve until the end of the war
—“jusqu’ au bout,” as he emphatically put it when he took the oath of
allegiance. He began his preliminary training in the military aviation
school at Pau, and on receiving his certificate of proficiency, he
served for a short time in the aerial defense of Paris and was then
sent to the Western battle-front, where, as is told in the subsequent
pages of this memoir, he distinguished himself by his skill and
bravery in many air raids against the enemy, winning at once the
confidence and admiration of his commanders and comrades.
 As Master (pro tem.) of the Pau Draghounds

At the beginning of his active service in France Norman conceived

the idea of bringing the American aviators, together with some of
those of the foreign legions, into a single squadron, not only that the
Americans might thus be associated in closer comradeship, but also
that their achievements might become more distinctive and thus
redound to the glory of their native country as well as to that of the
Allies. This laudable purpose, which was inspired wholly by
Norman’s initiative, was realized by the organization of the American
aviators into a body which was at first known as the Escadrille
Américaine and which subsequently became the famous Lafayette
Flying Squadron. Originally carrying the Tri-color, this Squadron was
permitted to carry the Stars and Stripes after the entrance of the
United States into the war. It thus became the proud distinction of
this Squadron that it was accorded the honor of carrying the first
American flag that appeared on any of the battlefields of the World
War. These aviators soon became famous for their skill and daring in
their aerial raids over the German lines, and they were repeatedly
cited in army orders, individually and collectively, for their fine
courage and unflagging spirit of self-sacrifice. In one of these official
orders General Pétain, Commander-in-Chief of the French Armies
on the Western front at the time, took occasion to say that this
American Squadron had aroused the profound admiration of the
commanders under whose direction it had fought, as well as of all
the French aerial squadrons fighting beside it and aspiring to rival it
in valor and achievement. It was for his fine individual conduct on
this famous battle-front that Norman won successively the Croix de
Guerre, the Médaille Militaire, and the Croix de la Légion d’Honneur.
Coincidentally, he successively achieved the ranks of sergeant,
adjutant, and lieutenant. He had up to this time engaged in 122
aerial engagements with the enemy ’planes and was officially
credited with five Boches brought down in battle, not to mention four
others not officially recorded. Few of his comrades had rendered
more active service. He was as ambitious as he was intrepid and
resourceful.
On the morning of Thursday, October 12, Norman and other
members of his Squadron were assigned to convoy a French
bombarding fleet in an aerial raid on Oberndorf, a German arms and
munition center located in the Vosges near the plains of Alsace.
While circling over the town, they came in close contact with a
formidable array of German aircraft, and a terrific encounter ensued
in which shot, shell-fire, and skillful manœuvering disabled many of
the machines on both sides. It was at the conclusion of this battle in
the air that Norman’s Nieuport machine struck an aerial cable while
he was endeavoring to make a landing in the dark within the French
lines near Luxeuil. In this collision his machine was overturned and
wrecked and he was thrown violently to the ground. On being
rescued by his comrades, it was found that both his legs were
broken and, as was subsequently found, he had sustained a fracture
of the skull. He was carried to the neighboring hospital at Gerardmer,
where for a time he manifested the undaunted courage that he had
always shown under adverse conditions, cheerfully requesting the
attending surgeons who were setting the bones of his broken legs to
be careful not to make one shorter than the other! The skull fracture
was not discovered until later, and it was as a result of this latter
injury that Norman died from cerebral hemorrhage on the following
Sunday morning, October 15. His comrades gathered around his
bedside when he became finally unconscious, in the vain hope of
detecting symptoms of renewed vitality, but he passed away
peacefully as in a sleep. Those of his near relatives who had been
summoned from Paris arrived at his bedside too late to find him
alive.
 With his Favorite Plane

The dead hero was given all the honors of a military funeral, which
was held in the Luxeuil aviation field, where the body rested on a
caisson draped with the American and French flags. The services,
which were conducted by a French regimental chaplain, were
attended by a large representation of the Allied military divisions,
including French and English officers of high rank, as well as a full
representation of the American Escadrille and pilots from the
neighboring aviation camps. During the funeral, instead of the
customary firing of cannon as a salutation to the dead, a squadron of
aeroplanes circled in midair over the field in honor of the departed
aviator, showering down myriads of flowers. The body was borne to
a neighboring chapel, there to rest until the end of the war, in
accordance with the military regulations governing the temporary
disposition of the remains of those dying at the battle-fronts.
A memorial service, held on the following Sunday in the American
Church in Paris, was described by those present as one of the most
impressive ever witnessed in that sanctuary. The American colony
came in full numbers to testify their admiration and appreciation of
their fellow-countryman’s valor and sacrifice. The President of the
French Republic, the heads of the executive and legislative branches
of the Government, the Army and Navy and the Diplomatic Corps
were represented by their most distinguished members, and the
emblems of mourning contributed to a scene that was as beautiful as
it was significant and memorable.
This is but the bare outline of the biography of a rare spirit whose
loyalty to his ideals and the high chivalry of whose devotion to the
cause of Liberty, Civilization, and Humanity have made his name
one to be remembered and his memory cherished with those of his
patriotic comrades and fellow-countrymen who fell for the same
cause “in the sunny morn and flower of their young years.”
It deserves to be noted here that in all of Norman’s spoken or
written messages, telling of his experiences in France, there is
nowhere to be found a note of doubt or discouragement or a word
denoting any lack of confidence in the ultimate triumph of the cause
for which he was fighting. The Allies might meet repeated reverses,
and tremendous sacrifices of blood and treasure might have to be
made, before a decisive victory could be achieved, but he never
doubted the final outcome of the war. His faith in this respect was as
firm and unflinching as were his courage and natural optimism in all
human affairs. His sense of consecration was unceasingly vibrant.
He deeply regretted that his own country was not yet actively
enlisted on the side of the Allies and that he was not permitted from
the beginning to represent his Government as well as his country in
the fighting lines, but this disappointment did not diminish his
enthusiasm as an American volunteer soldier giving his services for
a cause that he believed to be that of his country and of the world. In
one of his letters he wrote enthusiastically:

“Everything goes well. Before the end of this war we shall

have aeroplanes with at least 800 or 1000 horsepower flying
from Soissons to Petrograd, setting fire to the four corners of
Berlin.”

The death of his comrade Victor Chapman touched him deeply.

“Poor Victor!” he wrote. “He was killed while fighting a German
aeroplane that was attacking Lufberry and me. A sad but glorious
death, facing the enemy in a great cause and to save a friend!”
Norman Prince’s heroic sacrifice is finely described in the ode
written in memory of the American volunteers fighting for France, by
Alan Seeger, the young American soldier-poet, who finally gave his
own life for the cause of the Allies on the battlefield of Belloy-en-
Santerre;

“Yet sought they neither recompense nor praise,

Nor to be mentioned in another breath
Than their blue-coated comrades, whose great days
It was their pride to share—aye, share even to the death!
Nay, rather, France, to you they rendered thanks
(Seeing that they came for honor, not for gain),
Who opening to them your glorious ranks
Gave them that grand occasion to excel—
That chance to live the life most free from stain
And that rare privilege of dying well.”
 II
HIS OWN STORY

Some of Norman’s experiences in the French aviation service

were of an exceptionally thrilling character, showing the peculiar
perils of aerial warfare. At the time of his last home visit on a short
furlough, he was invited to relate some of these at the Tavern Club in
Boston. His story, as modestly and frankly told by him on that
occasion, is best given in his own words:

“I sailed for Europe in the latter part of the year 1914 in

order to do what I could to help the cause which I believed,
and still believe, to be that of my own country, as well as that
of the Allied Nations.
“Reaching France I offered my services to that Government
as an aviator. They were promptly accepted and I contracted
an engagement to serve France until she had achieved
victory. Seven other Americans enlisted with me at the same
time as aviators, and we proceeded from our dépôt, where we
were clothed, to the flying school at Pau in the south of
France in the Pyrenees, where conditions for flying are
exceptionally good, there being hardly any wind in that region.
The school at Pau at the time was the largest flying school in
the world. While we were there about three hundred young
men were in training, and at last accounts, there were over
five hundred pupils practicing in aviation, using at least two
hundred modern machines. We remained there a month. As a
rule it takes about forty-eight days to turn out a military
aviator, qualified and fitted to obtain the civil and military
licenses required. In order to obtain the latter it is necessary
to make a successful flight of about four hundred miles across
country. I had already acquired a fair knowledge of the
science of aviation at home and had made numerous flights in
different machines, so that the training at Pau came
comparatively easy to me, but it was necessary for me to
become thoroughly acquainted with all the rules governing the
French military aviation service, as well as to make myself
familiar with the French machines in order to meet the full
requirements of the training. When we were through this
school we received our brevets militaires and we had ridden
every kind of air craft used in the French Army.
“All licensed aviators, as turned out, are sent to the reserve
station for aviators near Paris. In our case, after spending a
week or two there, we were found fit for more active service,
and we were suddenly sent to the front in the north of France,
arriving there in time for the May attacks near Arras and
Artois. Our perilous experiences in aerial warfare were soon
to begin. After one reconnoitering tour we were sent out to
bombard munition dépôts, railway centers, and aviation fields
in the rear of the enemy’s lines, from ten to forty kilometres
distant from our base. I have a vivid remembrance of my first
bombarding expedition. The action took place at a point not
far within the enemy’s lines. I was sent with two or three
members of my squadron to bombard a station where
ammunition was being unloaded. It takes about forty minutes
for a machine heavily loaded with bombs to get to a sufficient
height to cross the lines. The minimum height at which we
crossed was about seven thousand feet. I saw my comrades
cross ahead of me and noted they were being heavily shelled
by the enemy. Accordingly, I decided to go a little higher
before crossing. When I found I had only sufficient gasoline
left to make my bombardment and return to my base, I started
over. I was soon to experience what I may call my baptism of
fire. The impression made upon me by the terrible racket and
the spectacle of shells aimed at me and exploding near by
made me shiver for a moment. Though I was confident and
unafraid, my limbs began to tremble. Still I kept straight on my
course. I would not have changed it for the world. My legs
were so wobbly from nervous excitement that I tried to hide