The "Gan Lan culture" of Chu architecture belongs to the architectural category, which is the main body of ancient southern architectural culture in China, and the representative of the historical turning point in the period of the integration of southern Gan Lan architecture and high-rise architecture originating from northern caves.
It is a building system based on wood structure, which always pays attention to the high coordination with nature, respects nature and embodies the realm of "harmony between man and nature".
In artistic character, he pays special attention to the pursuit of neutral, simple, implicit and deep beauty.
In the selection of materials, wood gives people implicit and deep natural beauty, which is light, tough and easy to process, just in line with the cultural character of Chu people, so it has become the first choice for Chu architecture.
In addition, architecture will always serve people. Chu is located in the Central Plains, with a vast territory and abundant wood resources. On the contrary, it is unthinkable to spend hundreds of years building palace buildings with stones.
So the choice of wood also has its inevitability.
There are many types of architecture in Chu, mainly including palaces, ancestral halls, public houses, pavilions, underground palaces, detached palaces, altars, shrines, police drums, stage and viewing pavilions.
Although their types and functions are different, they always reveal the idea of "harmony between man and nature".
This is based on the spirit of Chu culture, which is highly coordinated with loving and respecting nature. Architecture is embedded in nature as if it were an organic part of nature.
Chu architecture attaches importance to the cultural spirit of harmony between man and nature.
Taking Chu Museum as an example, the museum is quite open, and the space inside and outside the building circulates and permeates, pursuing the closeness with nature; In modeling, the corridor railings on each floor are surrounded by horizontal eaves, so as to weaken the sense of vertical height in body shape and make them look back at the earth from time to time, as if they have incomparable attachment to the earth; The use of local curves on the roof, the ridge and the decoration avoids the dull and cold shape, and it is beautifully embedded in nature, as if it were a part of heaven and earth, which fully embodies people's yearning and reverence for nature.
Chu's architecture pays attention to the concept of high harmony with nature, which is manifested in the location and layout of cities, villages and towns, tombs or houses, and embodies the theory of "Feng Shui" and the distribution of courtyards.
As early as in Wu Zixu, when Wudu and Lucheng (now Chengxiang District of Suzhou) were designed and built, it was recorded in Wu Yue Chun Qiu: "Zi Xu made Xiangtu taste water, like heaven and earth, and built a big city, and the week returned to forty-seven miles.
Eight doors in the ground are like eight doors in the sky; Water is eight doors, and law is eight cleverness.
Build a small town, ten miles a week.
Lingmen III.
Don't open the east, think brighter.
Those who set doors are like Tianmen.
One who sets a snake gate, such as a landlord.
The architectural consciousness of "the connection between heaven and man", "four gods", "yin and yang" and "five elements" is ubiquitous in Chu architecture, which forms the basis of China's ancient geomantic theory.
Geomantic omen, in terms of landscape, pays attention to the harmony and unity of human landscape and natural landscape; In the aspect of environment, special attention is paid to the harmony and unity of artificial environment and natural environment.
Its purpose is to explore nature, conform to nature, use and transform nature sparingly, so as to choose and create the best architectural environment suitable for people's physical and mental health and behavioral needs, and achieve the perfect realm of yin and yang, heaven and man, body and mind.
The buildings in Chu form a "single building" with the "house" as the unit, and then a "courtyard" is formed by the "single building".
The layout of courtyard group is based on "courtyard" and constitutes the whole group according to certain axis relationship, balanced distribution principle and specific needs.
The main way is to spread out layer by layer on the plane, pay attention to the changing scenery and spatial level, reflect the spatial consciousness in the process of time, and pay attention to the expression and experience of implicit beauty.
In terms of architectural style, the humanized design of the roof, wooden components and cornices of Chu architecture and the ingenious combination show the beauty of structure and decoration, and also reflect the idea of harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
The roofs of Chu buildings are generally very large, and the broken line of roof slope has been "inverted" and the subsequent "lifting and folding" practice.
Although the radian is not big, the corners are not upturned, and the momentum is strong, it also initially embodies the idea of "harmony between man and nature".
The herringbone roof shape not only expands the sense of indoor space, but also facilitates drainage.
Similarly, Chu's unique dry-column architectural style. Compared with flat roofs in Europe and caves in northern China at the same time, these practices have more humanized design and the idea of "harmony between man and nature", which is the crystallization of the wisdom of working people in ancient Chu.
Wooden members mainly refer to the cantilever bearing member bucket arch outside columns and beams, and the ancient "bucket arch" is parallel to the cornice.
So far, there are very beautiful arch members in the special-shaped wood members of Chu architecture.
The "fabrication" of wood components mainly refers to the tenon-mortise technology of structural combination, which is completely inserted without nailing one nail and one tenon.
The tenon-mortise structure, which originated from the ancient southern Ganlan architecture, was inherited and developed by Chu architecture, with complete series and advanced technology.
In the process of transition from load-bearing structure to decorative component, the two functions are seamlessly combined from the technical and aesthetic perspectives.
Eventually it became its unique southern style.
In architectural decoration, Chu artists not only attach importance to the unity of man and nature, fully express their freedom of personality, but also actively join the WTO and return to the reality of humanistic rationality.
Taking its sculpture as an example, it is found in the excavated Chu tomb that, for example, the head of a long-necked bird twice as long as its slender legs suddenly grows a pair of leafy and pointed antlers; Cai Feng, cocky and flapping his wings, had to stand on the back of a gorgeous tiger, but a pair of leafy antlers were born on his back. A woman with a snakehead to fill the sky; Holding the soldiers of hosts in both hands is a symbol of strength. Feng Fei, Ming Luan, Long Snake, Running Deer and Bubble Frog are engaged in a three-dimensional melee that only modern humans can carry out. This is a struggle between good and evil on earth ... For the dead underground, these works are farewell wishes for them to soar in the fairyland in the sky, and for people living on the ground, they are encouraged to face and conquer nature.
Most sculptures are practical objects. Making models into images of various animals, painting, making shallow high relief, carving, etc. all show an intriguing artistic charm, full of romantic feelings, and are pleasing to the eye for decoration and display.
It is worth noting that Chu architecture has always been a combination of "harmony between man and nature" and "ritual and patriarchal clan system"
"Harmony between man and nature" pursues nature, while "ritual patriarchal clan system" pays attention to hierarchy and rules, which seems contradictory, but reflected in architecture, the two are not completely separated.
For example, "Taiwan" and "altar" are all ritual buildings, but it is not contradictory to pursue the concept of "harmony between man and nature" in layout.
Generally speaking, the architectural concept of "harmony between man and nature" is the central idea of ancient Chu architecture and the profound embodiment of Chu people's ethics, aesthetics, values and nature.