The architectural style of the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China is composed of three parallel old-fashioned urban streets, Kuan Alley, Narrow Alley and Jing Alley, and the courtyard complex between them. After reconstruction, it has a literary and artistic atmosphere, and its status is equivalent to that of Tianzifang in Shanghai and Nanluogu Alley in Beijing.

Meaning, the whole area is not too small, and is more tourist-friendly than Nanluogu Alley. The alley is mainly filled with various creative shops, small bars, and Chengdu snacks. You can eat San Pao Pao and Dan Dan Noodles there, although I don’t know how to make them.

Whether it is authentic or not, but it is quite interesting to eat Chengdu snacks in that environment.

The Ming and Qing Dynasties were the last stage of development of the ancient Chinese architectural system.

During this period, although ancient Chinese architecture was increasingly finalized in the technology and shape of individual buildings, it achieved remarkable achievements in the combination of building groups and the creation of spatial atmosphere.

The greatest achievement of Ming and Qing architecture was in the field of gardens.

Private gardens in the south of the Yangtze River in the Ming Dynasty and royal gardens in the north in the Qing Dynasty are the most artistic ancient architectural complexes.

China has built a large number of palaces in all dynasties, but only the palaces of the Ming and Qing Dynasties - the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Forbidden City in Shenyang have been preserved to this day and have become priceless treasures of Chinese culture.

The existing ancient cities and residential buildings in the north and south were basically built during this period.

Beijing City and Nanjing City in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are the most outstanding representatives of the cities in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The courtyard houses in Beijing and the folk houses in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are the most successful examples of Chinese folk houses.

Both altars and temples and imperial mausoleums were important buildings in ancient times. Currently, Beijing still has relatively complete preservation of the country’s highest-level altars and temples used in the Ming and Qing dynasties to worship heaven and earth, the land and emperors’ ancestors.

The most outstanding representative among them is the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, which still impresses people with its magical art of connecting heaven and earth.

The imperial mausoleums of the Ming Dynasty were unique on the basis of inheriting the shape of the previous generation, and the Qing Dynasty basically inherited the Ming Dynasty system.

The Ming Tombs have the most outstanding artistic achievements among the imperial tombs of the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Previous architectural history researchers often belittled Ming and Qing architecture due to the decline in artistry of individual buildings during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In fact, Ming and Qing architecture not only made outstanding achievements in the artistry of creating group spaces, but also made progress in architectural technology.

The architecture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties highlighted the direct combination of beams, columns, and purlins, reducing the role of the intermediate layer of brackets.

This not only simplifies the structure, but also saves a lot of wood, thereby achieving the effect of obtaining more building space with less material.

Ming and Qing architecture also used extensive use of masonry, which promoted the development of masonry structures.

During this period, the beamless temples that commonly appeared in China were a concrete manifestation of this progress.

In short, the architectural art of the Ming and Qing Dynasties did not go downhill blindly. It was like the sunset that was about to disappear on the horizon, but it was still radiant.

Ming and Qing Architecture The harsh rule of the Yuan Dynasty was finally overthrown, and the Han people returned to power in China.

But the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, who wanted to restore the majesty of the Han and Tang Dynasties, did not bring another glory to China - the decline of the feudal system was irreversible.

In the Ming Dynasty, centralization reached its extreme, the prime minister was abolished, and the emperor became the head of the bureaucracy.

Spy politics have also developed to the extreme, and spy organizations such as Dongxi Factory and Jinyiwei are very developed.

Feudal rulers vigorously promoted Confucianism, but at this time Confucianism had long lost the vitality of the pre-Qin period, and its negative factors became increasingly apparent.

With the development of productivity, the improvement of handicrafts and production technology, and the expansion of domestic and foreign markets, capitalism sprouted in China.

But in the face of the powerful force of Confucianism, this bud never sprouted.

During this period, China's scientific and technological development reached its final peak - modern Western culture began to be introduced into China. Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi jointly translated "Elements of Geometry", Li Shizhen compiled "Compendium of Materia Medica", and Song Yingxing wrote "Tiangong Kaiwu"

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The harsh exploitation of farmers in the late Ming Dynasty caused a large-scale peasant uprising that overthrew the Ming Dynasty.

The rulers of the Qing Dynasty went south to seize the fruits of the revolution and continued the monarchical dictatorship of the Ming Dynasty.

They discriminated against the Han people and implemented a policy of ethnic assimilation towards the Han people. However, they were gentle and high-handed at the same time, encouraged the thoughts of slaves who were obsessed with profit, and established a literary inquisition, which hindered academic development.

After experiencing the short-lived "Kangxi and Qianlong Dynasties", the country's power took a sharp turn. The bows, arrows and spears of the Eight Banners were ultimately no match for the powerful ships and cannons of the foreigners. China's thousands of years of feudal society was forced to end and entered a semi-feudal and semi-disaster-ridden state.

colonial society.

In terms of architecture, the Ming and Qing Dynasties reached the last peak of traditional Chinese architecture, showing an image of simple shapes and complicated details.

Due to the reduced proportions of the brackets, the reduced depth of the eaves, the slender proportions of the columns, the rise, side legs, and curling are no longer used, the proportions of the beams and squares are heavy, and the soft lines of the roof disappear, thus the official-style architecture presents a restrained but steady and rigorous style.

The architectural form is refined and the symbolism is enhanced.

Official-style buildings have been completely finalized and standardized. In the Qing Dynasty, the government promulgated the "Regulations on Engineering Practice of the Ministry of Industry", and among the private sector, there were "Formal Construction" and "Garden Management".

Due to the improvement of brick-making technology, the number of houses built with bricks increased sharply during this period, and city walls were basically clad with bricks, and brick-built "beamless halls" also appeared in large-scale buildings.

Due to the development of architecture in various regions, regional characteristics have begun to become apparent.

In terms of garden art, the gardens of the Qing Dynasty had relatively high achievements.

Urban Construction 1. Imperial Capital Beijing 2. General Cities During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the number of cities increased rapidly and the urban structure became more complex. Various handicrafts, commerce, foreign trade, military strongholds, and transportation hubs emerged all over the country.

Similar cities and towns, such as Jingdezhen, Yangzhou, Weihaiwei, Xiamen, etc. At this time, large and small cities all had brick cities and moats, provincial capitals, prefectures, and counties, all with their own rules.