Ritual and Ceremonial Buildings: Altars and Temples of Deities, Sages, and Ancestors (Library of Ancient Chinese Architecture series)

Ritual and Ceremonial Buildings details the formation and historical development of ritual architecture, from the Confucian ritual concept to the sacrificial architecture of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The term “ritual architecture” is applied to buildings and structures constructed for sacrificial purposes, such as altars and temples. In feudal China, altars and temples were built according to strict traditions, and so naturally ritual buildings became an important part of China’s ancient architecture. The first part ofRitual and Ceremonial Buildings traces ritual architecture as it developed from the Confucian philosophy that advocated the governing of the country by rites. In the second part, Sun Dazhang details these buildings with beautiful color photographs and explanatory captions, highlighting the artistic significance of the spectacular altars, temples and halls of ancient China.

As Confucianism became a national philosophy, the sacrificial altars and temples for worship began to fall under the direct control of the government. Their magnificence today can very well be compared with that of imperial palaces, large monasteries, and Taoist temples. This volume most notably highlights the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held sacrificial ceremonies to heaven and prayed for rain and a good harvest. It also discusses the many different types of sacrificial architecture, including temples for the worship of natural gods, temples for the worship of ancestors, and temples for the worship of sages.

Including 119 color photographs, 26 illustrations and figures, and 3 maps, Ritual and Ceremonial Buildings documents the various examples of ritual and ceremonious architecture in ancient China. This volume displays the luxurious internal and external details of numerous halls and temples, presenting to the reader the skilled artistry that characterized ancient Chinese architecture.

Sun Dazhang was born in Tianjin and graduated from the Department of Architecture of Tsinghua University in Beijing. He has worked for the China Research Institute of Building Science, the China Design and Research Institute of Building Standards, and the Design Institute of the Construction Commission of Henan Province. He has been engaged in research on ancient Chinese architecture for over 50 years, and has been in charge of the restoration of ancient buildings, such as the Jingbian Tower in the Shanhaiguan Fortress and the Great Wall at Laolongtou. His notable works include A Narrative History of Ancient Chinese Architecture and A Dictionary for the Understanding of Ancient Chinese Architecture. He is currently a professor and researcher at the Research Institute for Chinese Architectural History at the Chinese Society of Architects. He also wrote Ritual and Ceremonial Buildings, another volume of the Library of Ancient Chinese Architecture series.