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Interpretation of appropriate places: State ceremonies and the imperial main halls of the Tang and Song dynasties |
Mian Guo1,2, Yang Shen2,3() |
1. School of Archaeology and Museology, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China 2. School of Architecture, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China 3. Member of Key Scientific Research Base of Traditional Wooden Architecture (Southeast University), State Administration for Cultural Heritage, Nanjing 210096, China |
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Abstract This paper aims to inquiry on the dialectical relationships between Chinese architecture’s form and function in the horizon of long-term historical evolution, by clarifying how the histories of imperial main halls and state ceremonies relate to and interact with each other during the Tang and Song dynasties. The imperialmain halls are themost archetypical and accomplished ones among traditional Chinese buildings, and their function is primarily ritual rather than practical. Although these magnificent buildings are indisputably considered the crowning achievement of Chinese architectural history, how the built space cooperates with ritual practices did not receive deserved attention. With the thorough reading of voluminous official ritual documents and comprehensive utilization of archaeological discoveries together with visual materials, the research presents a broad understanding of the asynchronous developments of the ground-level architectural arrangement and the ritual configuration across these centuries. Also specifically depicted are details of how architecture engaged in the ritual narration and was used as an apparatus to articulate emperor-courtier relationships.
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Keywords
Ritual function
Architecture and ritual
Chinese architecture
Architectural meaning
Form and function
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Corresponding Author(s):
Yang Shen
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Issue Date: 29 December 2022
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