China is a country with a long history, a rich cultural tradition and an ancient civilization. On this land, our ancestors left us an abundance of splendid, time-honored architectural legacy, which has undergone thousands of years of development to become a distinct part of world architectural history. These features are demonstrated mainly in the following aspects:

1. Wooden Framework

Wooden frameworks for buildings appeared at a very early period of Chinese history. First, rows of wooden pillars are raised from the ground, on which horizontal wooden roof beams and crossbeams are placed. The roof timbers are laid on the beams, so that the weight of the roof is all transmitted to the ground by way of the beams and the upright pillars. The advantages of' this form of structure are as follows: First, the wooden framework bears all the weight of the building, which makes the installation of both the outer and inner walls flexible and able to be placed in accordance with practical needs. For example, the outer walls can be substantial, thick and made of bricks or stones in the north, and thin, made of bamboo and wooden planks in the south. Doors and windows can be installed between the erected pillars, or the pillars can be left open. Inside, the house can be divided into spaces with different purposes using wooden partitions and screens. Second, the wooden framework is shock-resistant, because the parts are linked by mortise-and-tenon joints. So, when subjected to a violent shock such as that from an earthquake, a wooden framework is less likely to break or fall down than a brick or stone one. The wooden pagoda at Fogong Temple in Yingxian County, Shanxi Province, is a 67-m-high wooden structure. In its over 900 years of existence it has been jolted by several earthquakes, but it still stands erect and firm. Third, a wooden framework is easy to construct. Wood is a natural material, not like bricks and tiles which are manufactured. Compared with stones which are also natural materials, wood is much easier to obtain, refine and work on. Covering an area of 720,000 sq m and with nearly 1,000 wooden-framework buildings totaling 1 60,000 sq m, the Forbidden City (the former Imperial Palace) in Beijing, built in its present form in the Ming Dynasty, took 13 years from the preparation of materials to total completion, in which almost ten years' time was for the preparation of materials, and the time for construction on the spot was no more than three to four years.

Of course, wooden structures also have their disadvantages. Their durability is not as good as structures of' brick or stone. Wood is vulnerable to fire and humidity, and attacks by insects. Thus, wooden structures tend to last a shorter time than brick or stone structure. For example, such an important building as the Taihedian (Hall of Supreme Harmony) in the Forbidden City had had to be rebuilt time and again after being destroyed by fire. Besides, wood grows very slowly and cannot be cut on a large scale recklessly.