ქალაქთმშენებლობის ტრადიციების ფორმირება ჩინეთში. FORMATION OF URBAN PLANNING TRADITIONS IN CHINA

Abstract

It is widely accepted that China is one of the oldest and richest centers of civilization in the world. Consequently, the history of its cities also dates back to distant past. Archeological excavations revealed that in the Neolithic Period (III-II millennium B.C) there were already cities in the Huangkhe river basin, which were bordered by the wall, had their infrastructure and all necessary components of the city. During this period traditions of the city-building in China and their specific characteristics were formed, which took finished forms in later times. Presented paper focuses on traditions of building ancient historical cities, on their architectural and planning principles, the role of Chinese philosophical-religious doctrines – Taoism and Confucianism as well as Buddhism – penetrated from India, in the formation of separate laws of urban planning are emphasized. In this context, it should be noted that the mentioned rules were formulated in special works, of which the treatise of “ Chow Lee” (on Chinese it means “the rituals of Chow”, in other translation – “Bureaucratic laws of Chow”) stands out. It outlines the principals of urban planning: with indication of street sizes, squares, administrative and residential buildings, the locations of the parks. According to legal norms, when selecting a location for a specific city, first of all detailed topographic and hydrological researchs were carried out, also clarifying issue of water supplies. At the same time the sunny place which was surrounded by mountains and safe from wind was preferable. The relief features of the chosen site must have been in good agreement with the location of celestial bodies, magnetic fields, cosmic forces and symbols. Particular attention was paid to the juxtaposition of geometric symbols, most often – the circle and the square (the circle symbolized the masculine beginning, the sky, and the square – the feminine beginning, the earth). Only on the basis of satisfactory results the area was considered suitable for construction. Traditionally, China’s ancient historic cities had a square shape with a strict geometric layout. The city was divided into square blocks of equal size, like a chessboard. The buildings were located in the natural landscape in such a way that it was possible to receive the maximum amount of positive energy, while the negative – to reverse. The composition of the city was subject to strict symmetry along the central axis – from north to south. Following the example of China, cities were being built in neighboring Asian countries, especially in Korea and Japan.