The development history of ancient buildings in China can be traced back to the early primitive society, when primitive people used natural cliff caves or wooden structures as their nests.
In fact, the origin of architecture itself is earlier than that of human beings, and people are used to linking the origin of architecture with human civilization, so the origin of architecture is inseparable from the birth of human beings. From the recorded time, the origin of architecture in China can be traced back to primitive humans in the Paleolithic Age.
In order to avoid the attack of wild animals, early humans imitated the bird's nest and built shelters in trees. Researchers call this period the "nesting age". At this time, it is also the beginning of the formation of primitive dry fence buildings and the connection of wooden tenons and mortises. At the same time, it has become the most important structural feature of China architecture.
Before the Xia Dynasty, the first dynasty in history, the primitive society passed through the Paleolithic Age, the Mesolithic Age and the Neolithic Age, and the residential buildings gradually developed more maturely, and the primitive nests were mainly in the swamp areas of the Yangtze River basin. Because the local climate is warm and humid, it is suitable for making nests with good ventilation and lighting. The development of primitive nesting has gone through different stages, such as single tree, multiple trees and primitive hedgerow.
There is a long transition between different forms of nesting, and they have a very detailed inheritance relationship. From piling the branches of a single tree into a big nest like a bird, to people accumulating some experience, using multiple adjacent trees and more branches and leaves to build a nest that can carry many people.
Then people bury stumps on the ground to build nests, which is convenient to better adapt to the changes of people's living needs.
The development of architecture:
The Shang Dynasty had mature rammed earth technology and built large-scale palaces and tombs.
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the technology of wooden frame structure was improved day by day, and its main structural methods such as hanging beam and crossing bucket were mature. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, palaces of unprecedented scale were built.
China ancient architecture is famous for its unique materials, exquisite structure and unique plastic arts. It occupies an important position in the history of world architecture, and is called solidified poetry and three-dimensional painting.