建筑学专业英语视频翻译.docx

建筑学专业英语视频翻译.docx

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建筑学专业英语视频翻译

Averylongtimeago,farawayinChina,avillagerlivingalongthebanksoftheYellowRiverbuiltasimplemudhuttoshelterhisfamily. Thousandsofyearslaterintheyear1420,theempire’sbestcraftsmenputthefinaltouchesontheultimatemasterpieceofChinesearchitecture---theTempleofHeaven.

“Chinesebuildingsevolvedfromsimplesheltersintocomplexmagnificentstructureswithgreatswoopingroofs,statelycolumns,andrichdetail.”

Betweenthissimplemudhutandthisamazinglycomplexstructure---itseverydetailfullwithcosmologicalsymbolism---isataleofemperors,monks,scholarsandgeniuscraftsmen---astorywhichexplainsanarchitecturaltraditionofgreatbeautyandflexibility. Andtostartthisstoryatthebeginning,wehavetoleapbacktwomillennia,towhenthebrillianttyrantQinShihuangbecomesthefirstemperorofaunifiedChina.

In1938,anAmericanfighterpilotflyingoveraremotepartofChina,spottedgiantpyramid-likestructuresbelow. Inhisexcitementhetookaphotoanddeclaredtotheworldthathehaddiscoveredalostcivilization. Whathediscovered,however,weren’tpyramids,butmassivetombmounds. AndthegrandestofthemallwasthetombofthemanwhounifiedChina.

“OurstorybeginswiththetombofQinShihuangthefirstemperorofChina,wholived200yearsbeforeChrist.”

Abrilliantwarriorandtactician,heannihilatedallhisrivalstatesandcreatedtheimperialsystemwhichsurviveduntiltheyear1904. Andthegrandeurofhistombmatchedthatofhisambitions:

Formorethanthirtyyearsheused700,000workers---probablymoremanpowerthanthepharaohshadassembledtobuiltthepyramids---tore-constructhiskingdomintheprivateundergroundworldofhistomb,withpalacesandcourtsforahundredofficials,roomscontainingcountlessgems,riversofmercuryandcandleswhichwouldneverburnout.Theysatyoucan’ttakeitwithyou,butQinShihuangsuretried.

“Histombwasguardedbyhundredsofterracottawarriors,butjustasfascinatingweretheclaymodelhousesthatwerefoundinsidehistomb.”

Becauseoftheirbeliefthatpeoplehadtoprovidefortheirancestorsindeath,theearlyChineseburiedtheirdeceasedwithclaymodelsofthestructurestheydependedoninlife-granaries,houses,watchtowersandthelike. These2000year-oldmodelsaretheonlysurvivingexamplesofearlyChinesewoodenarchitecture,andfromthemwecanseehowhouseswereconstructedaroundthetimeofthefirstemperor. Thesemodelsshowatypeofwoodenhousethatincrediblycanstillbeseentoday.

SowhydidtheancientChinesebuildinwoodratherthanstone,liketheancientEuropeans?

 TheavailabilityofwoodintheextensiveforestsofearlyChinawasnodoubtamajorfactor. TheancientChinesedidknowhowtobuildwithstone,andhowtousethearch…andtheyusedthearchextensivelyfortombs,gatesandbridges. Howevertheyrejectedthestonearchforbuildinghouses,templesandpalaces.

Toseewhywecanagainfindcluefromthetombofthefiestemperor. Archaeologistsrecentlyexcavatedfromthetomba2000year-oldswordthatisstillsharpasarazor.Thereasonitisstillsharpisbecauseitiscoatedwithchrome-afactthatmaynotseemtooamazinguntilyourealizethatchromiumwasn’tinventeduntil1938-thesameyearthetombswerespottedbythatAmericanpilot.

ThismeansisthattheancientChinesedevelopedincrediblemetal-workingskillsveryearlyintheirhistory,andsotheyhadmetalwoodworkingtoolsataveryearlydate.

Stonecanbeusedtofashionandworkstone,asearlyBritonsmusthavedonetobuildStonehenge.Butirontoolswerenecessaryforwoodcarvingandjoinery.Andwithsuchtools,howeverprimitive,woodconstructionwasmucheasierthanconstructioninstone.

Westernculturesbegantheirarchitecturewithoutirontools.Sotheystartedinstoneandbrickandcontinuedbuildingwiththesematerials.TheChinese,ontheotherhand,beganbuildingwithwoodandcontinuedtodosofor6000years,startingwiththebasicChinesehousewhichwasfirstdevelopedonthefloodplainoftheyellowriver.

Inareaspronetoflooding,thisstructurewasraisedonpilings.InthecentralyellowrivervalleyofChinaitrestedonsolidplatform. 

Stonebasesforeachcolumn,twicethediameterofthecolumn,wereplacedonthisplatform,thenthecolumnraisedontopofthis.

So,theelevationofaChinesebuildinghasthreeelements:

thepodiumunderneath,thecolumnsinbetweenandbigroofrestingontopofthecolumns.Fourcolumnsformwhatiscalledabay;groupsofbaysthenformthedifferenttypesofbuildings.FromtheearliesttimestheChineseseparatedthesupportingfromtheenclosingelementsofabuilding.Thismeanttheinteriorcolumnssupportedtheroofweightcompletely,whilethewallswerejustforprivacyandprotectionfromtheelements.

Inacountryplaguedbypowerfulearthquakes,theChinesedidn’tbuildsolidwalls,whichcouldbecrackedandrentapartbyanupheavaloftheearth’scrust,butrathertheybuiltflexiblestructureswithoutusingglueornails.Thesestructurescouldridetheheavingearthlikeaboat,shiftingandsettlingback,withtheplatformactingalmostlikearaft.

Heavyroofswithtilesweresupportedbycolumnsbuiltofwhitefirwhichwasfourtimesstrongerthansteel,andsixtimesmoreflexiblethanconcrete.

Itwasthebeginningofanarchitectureofgreatbeauty,eleganceandpracticality.

ThefirstfeatureofaChinesebuildingthatusuallyimpressesavisitoristheelegant,sweepingandseeminglygiganticroof.

Westernarchitecture,withitsspiresandGreekcolumns-andmorerecentlyskyscrapers–usuallyemphasizesthevertical.Andsincetheintroductionofconcrete,steelandglass,modernWesternarchitecturehasremainedaverticalarchitectureofwalls,facades,andinvisibleroofs.

Chinesearchitectureoffersadelightfulcontrast.Themostexpressiveelementistheroof,withitsgreatcurvingslope,andtheemphasisisonthehorizontal.Theapproachingpedestriancanseethewholeroof,evenashebeginstoenterthebuilding.

WhileEuropeansbuilttheirroofsusingatrusssystemincorporatingdiagonalbeams,theChineseusedapostandbeamsystem;therearenodiagonals.Thesteppedshapeallowedforthecurvatureoftheroof.

Usingthissystemroofscouldbeexpandedtocreatebuildingsofimpressivescale. 

TheheightofabuildinghasneverequaledstatusinChina.Intheyear1747,theemperorQianlongcommissionedEuropeanmissionariestodesignasummerpalacein"themannerofEuropeanBarbarians".Theemperorhadthembuildatwo-storyfacadeinfrontoftraditionalone-storyChinesehalls,becausetheemperorhadnowish'toliveintheair'likeEuropeanswho,astheemperorcommented'mustbeverypoverty-strickenandlackland'toliveinsuchafashion. 

Insteadofheight,therankandimportanceofChinesebuildingisdeterminedbytheroofdesign.Onecanseethatthistemplewaspatronizedbytheimperialfamilybytheyellowdiamondontheroof.Elaborateroofornamentsalsodenotetheimportanceofabuilding.Thepartthatlookslikethetailofafishateitherendofthemainridgeisknownastheridge-devouringbeast:

themythicalsonoftheSeadragon,abletowhipupwavesandcreaterain.Theseornamentswereinfactsymbolicfireextinguishers. 

Alongtheslopingridgetheremightalsobeastringofsmalleranimals:

nineforimperialbuildings,withthenumberofanimalsdecreasingastheimportanceofthebuildingdecreases.Oftenfoundsittingonthecorneristhisevilprinceridingonahen,whichrepresentsalegendarytyrantwhowascrueltohispeople.Heisfatedtosuffertheelementsforalleternity. 

Notjustheavywithsymbolicmeaning,theactualphysicalweightofaChineseroofisenormous-aroundfourtimestheweightofatraditionalwesterntiledroof.Roofswerecoveredwithheavyglazedtiles-typicallygray,butsometimesalsoquitecolorful;blue,green,andintheForbiddenCity,theyareglazedanimperialyellow.Thecolumnsthatholdtheseenormousroofshadtobestout.Asprotectionfromweatherandtermites,thepillarswereoftenpaintedwithlacqueroranoilandhempmixturewhichhadbrickdustmixedintoit;fromthiscamethecustomofpaintingthecolumnsaboldredcolor,whichlaterofcoursebecamesymbolicofgoodfortune. 

Theheavytiledroofswouldseemtorequireadenseforestofcolumnstosupportthem.ButtheChinesesecretofsupportingaheavyroofononlyafewcolumnsisingenious.Thecolumnsbearthisenormousweightroofswiththeassistanceofbrackets. 

"Inwesternarchitecture,muchofthecomplexityofabuildingisinitsfoundation.IntheEast,it'sinacomplicatedpyramidalsystemofbracketsandcrossbeamsdesignedtoholdaheavytiledroof,andwhichgiveititscharacteristiccurvesshape.Thisingenioussystemiscalledduogong,anditselementsarefundamentallyquitesimple.It'smadeupofbracketswhichsitontopofcolumns,andintowhicharefittedcrossbeams. 

Theyhavethreeparts-theDuo,ablock,likeacapital,placedatthetopofacolumn.Thegong,abracketplacedacrossthetopofthedeng,andthespacersbetweenthem,calledthesheng."

Thedegreeofcomplexityiswonderful,withbracketslockingtogetherlikeaChinesepuzzlewithoutanynailsorglue.WiththeseduogongtheChinesecouldextendtheroofoverhand,withouthavingtobuildingmoreandmorecolumnsinside. 

Toextendtheoverhangevenfurther,theChinesedevisedacleversolution.Theroofoverhangisoneendofakindofsee-saw.Itsweightiscounterbalancedbytheweightofthecenteroftheroof,attheotherendofthesee-saw,onthefulcrumofjustonecolumn.Thisdevice,