The herald., 1922-06-08
Unexpected in Architecture.

Indeed, the unexpected Is The eS
sence of Chinese architecture. On
can never get complete view of
temple or a yamen unless there b
some adjacent hill or tower or eft,
wall from which 10 view it,
On level ground only the outer wal
and the entrance are seen, and whel
these are passed one sees only tn,
first court, with It's more elaborat,
entrance TO the second; and so Oh
through three four, five. six, II may bt
seven cOurtyards, each complete IL
| itself. each with a central building
! through which one passes TO the cOuT1
beyond, each building larger, higher
or more decorative than the last. each
breaking upon the behOlder with Il
fresh surprise.
This is especially true of the i'm
perial palace, which is perhaps the
most effectively arranged group of
buildings In all China. Gateway
after gateway, each gate q palace In
itself, pillared, rooted and buttressed
leads into a wide-lying courtyard.
whose placid expanse dwarfs an
Gent trees around its edges into seem
ing shrubs.
Each court Is a unit Of grandeur
and magnificence In itself. and at the
same time an integral member Of a Sc
ries leading up 10 the marble-ter-
raced courtyard of the great throne
hall.
Although the imperial palace is the
finest architectural ensemble In the
capital. II is in the Temple of Heaven
or, as the Chinese call it, THE
Happy Year Hail." where the en-
peror used to offer annual supplica-
tion to Heaven for prosperous new
year, thar We Gni a single building
ia which the simple dignity of Chi
nese architecture is at its best.
The Happy Year Hall.
This is perhaps the most frequently
pictured of all Chinese buildings.
Every Chinese photographer displays
it in his window; every vender Of
postcards features it; every book on
China reprOduces it; IL Is probably
the one view of things Chinese which
every weSterner who knows anything
at all about China has seen. Yet there
are few buildings which most pictures
fail 50 pitifully TO portray.
In the usual print or photograph ii
is squat, plump and heavy, like
German wedding cake. In reality it is
strong and gracious and mighty, and
when the visitor comes into its pres
ence he comes into the presence of
a great peace.
There il stands on a vast platform,
its base above the tret-tOpS. Above
the platform is a threefoId marble ter
race, white and circular; then red
columns, green-gold friezes, and three
fine, flaring circular roofs. with
shadows and mystery under the caves.
and the roof tiles not crying-yellow.
like those of the imperial palace, but
deep, deep blue.
But II is just in this, its chief mas
terpiece, that Chinese architecture. I'm
Its insistence on the unexpected has
gone farthest aStray. The temple is
In the midst of a huge park; acres Of
lawn and dense groves of ancient
evergreen surround it; there is every
conducive TO the most eff
fective use of distance and vista: vet
the temple approaches are so clouded
and cluttered with cheap. tawdry, de-
cadent gateways that nothing of the
temple is seen until one actually !
upon 1t through the last
gate.
Another Of the unexpected treas
lres of Picking is the dragon screen. |
II Is barely mentioned in some Sf The |
and not mentioned nj all |
In others. 1t is hidden behind n
lillock In the winter palace grounds. |
md nine-tenths of the visitors to Pc
King walk within hundred yards of |
[ and never dream of It's existence
1t is a wall perhaps 20 feet high
md hundred long, faced complete
Y with tile east to represent nine |
ife-size dragons in bas-relief. of va
'ious colors-yellow. purple maroon.
gayly above emerald
'illC,fs, against a pale-blue sky.
D,.uhtlesS, one should not speak
f ''life-slze" dragons; but these
FEATURES Of the screen are the alivest
ragons one may ever hope to see:
hey give rise to the feeling that II
dragon lived he would be exactly
Ike one of these.