LA MAISON CHINOISE - CONSTRUIRE ET HABITER EN CHINE A LA FIN DE L'EPOQUE IMPERIALE - ILLUSTRATIONS,

The aim of this work is to show how the system of construction and spatial planning unique to ancient China goes hand in hand with a certain way of inhabiting and living "domestically." Of course, many aspects of Chinese houses have already been studied and commented upon, but the goal of this study is to show and explain how, in house architecture and spatial planning, all elements fit together to form a coherent technical system; how matters of carpentry, building layout, interior and exterior decoration, and the design of courtyards and roadways are interconnected; and how “great architecture” and “vernacular” architecture dovetail. The existing bibliography, obviously voluminous, remains highly technical, or monographic. It therefore seemed opportune to take stock of this subject and show how all of its various aspects interconnect.

Antoine Gournay is a senior lecturer in Far Eastern Art and Archaeology at Université Paris-IV.

Antoine Gournay est professeur d'archéologie et histoire de l'art de l'Extrême-Orient à
l'université de Paris-Sorbonne.