Architecture of the Tang Dynasty

The Tang dynasty (618-907) was an age of social, economic and cultural prosperity in China's feudal society. It was also a time of growth for architecture and the arts. The architecture of this period is grand with integral layouts.

The Tang capital city of Changan (today's Xian) and the east capital Luoyang both have huge palaces, gardens, and government offices with well-organized layouts. Changan was the grandest city of the world at that time, and its layout was also the most formatted of all the ancient Chinese capitals. The Daminggong of the emperor palace in Changan, for instance, was very majestic. Its site occupied an area more than three times that of the Forbidden City of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Tang timberwork unified art and structural formation. Dugongs (a system of brackets in Chinese building, wooden square blocks inserted between the top of a column and a crossbeam), pillars and girders combined perfectly for strength and aesthetics. They looked simple, but grand with concise bright colors. The main hall of the Feguangsi Buddhist Temple on the Wutai Mountain in Northern China's Shanxi province is a typical example of this construction.

Brick and stone buildings were also further developed during this time. Most Buddhist Towers were made of these materials, including the Dayanta and Xiaoyanta Tower in Xian, and the Qianlixun Tower in Dali.

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