Deck 4: The Traditional Architecture of China and Japan

Question 1

Chinese religious traditions were based on animism, which refers to:

A) sacred animated movements.
B) a reverence for natural features such as trees, rocks, and hills.
C) the worship of sacred animals.
D) a reverence for all living things.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Answer 1

a reverence for natural features such as trees, rocks, and hills.

Question 2

The Daoist title I Ching translates to:

A) Book of Changes.
B) First Book.
C) Book of Things Chinese.
D) Book of Personal Insight.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Answer 2

Book of Changes.

Question 3

Buddhist temple complexes were built with a hall for venerating images of the Buddha and a separate ________, or tower, erected over relics symbolic of the Buddha's presence.

A) pagoda
B) jian
C) katsuogi
D) minka
E) tatami

Answer 3

pagoda

Question 4

The Chinese modular unit is called the:

A) feng shui.
B) yin.
C) jian.
D) yang.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 5

Pagoda bracket sets are:

A) symmetrical supports positioned like book-ends.
B) interlocking supports.
C) bases for finials.
D) used to support a roof overhang.
E) interlocking supports that both allow a roof to overhang.

Question 6

Of the following, the one that was NOT a Qing painting style was:

A) hexi.
B) zuzian.
C) xuanzi.
D) Suzhou.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 7

Feng shui involves adjusting a building to:

A) particular features of a site and its microclimate.
B) local building materials.
C) local building regulations.
D) particular local customs.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 8

The Kao Gong Ji is a:

A) philosophy of life.
B) palette of colors.
C) system of bracket sets.
D) treatise on city planning.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 9

Which of the following is true about the Imperial and Forbidden cities of Beijing?

A) The Outer City and the Inner City were located in between the Imperial and Forbidden cities.
B) One could see the entire route to the city center from all points of the Imperial City.
C) At the heart of the Forbidden City was the Hall of the Sacred Mother.
D) The plan of the Imperial and Forbidden cities was interpreted as a supreme expression of Buddhist teachings.
E) An alternating sequence of gates and courts led to the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City.

Question 10

The schematic plan for an ancient Chinese city typically incorporated:

A) a river for providing drinking water.
B) a grid that divided the city into blocks.
C) a pyramidal shrine in the center.
D) a sacred mountain at the edge of the city.
E) a cluster of markets in the city center.

Question 11

In Beijing's Forbidden City, the emperor received visitors in the:

A) Imperial Garden.
B) Hall of Supreme Harmony.
C) Hall of Mental Cultivation.
D) State Meeting Hall.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 12

Which of the following is true of a typical Beijing house in the fifteenth century?

A) Entrance gates lacked any family crests and colorful decoration.
B) The walls in front of a house facing the street were low.
C) The construction restricted any subdivision of interior spaces.
D) Broad overhanging eaves sheltered verandas that limited internal space to the interior.
E) The entrance from the street was off axis.

Question 13

Chinese residential construction using brick or adobe made possible:

A) low-relief sculpture on exterior walls.
B) underfloor flues to provide heat.
C) fortified masonry walls.
D) protected rooms such as ancient Greek cellas.
E) All of the answers are correct.

Question 14

A distinctive feature of tulou houses in Hajing county is their:

A) hexagonal shape.
B) oval shape.
C) diamond shape.
D) circular shape.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 15

In eighteenth-century China, picturesque gardens were planned using:

A) Daoist principals.
B) multiple, intersecting axes.
C) Taihu principles.
D) rigid angular geometries.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 16

The Ise Shrine is distinctive for being:

A) the oldest Shinto shrine in Japan.
B) a replica based on a recently discovered codex.
C) rebuilt every twenty years.
D) the earliest example of concrete construction in Japan.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 17

Ise Shrine roofs include katsuogi, which are:

A) bundles of thatch.
B) tapered wooden logs.
C) cross-gable end rafters.
D) acroteria-like crowning wood sculptures.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 18

Japan has an unusually rich array of wooden folk houses called:

A) kodo.
B) katsuogi.
C) donjon.
D) tatami.
E) minka.

Question 19

The central core of Egret's Castle is the:

A) donjon.
B) summer palace.
C) log fort.
D) imperial villa.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 20

The essence of Zen Buddhism is:

A) enlightenment achieved through meditation.
B) reverence for picturesque landscape.
C) ancestor worship.
D) a concern for family values.
E) ancestor worship and a concern for family values.

Question 21

At the Imperial Villa in Kyoto, the distinction between interior and exterior space is:

A) emphasized by strategically located gardens.
B) made obvious by color coding.
C) made enigmatic by the repetition of materials.
D) blurred through the use of moveable partitions.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 22

The Katsura Imperial Villa in Kyoto provides a splendid example of a country retreat built in the Shoin style that:

A) was based on elements different from older mansions of the nobility.
B) was based on elements from the Chinese Forbidden City.
C) embodied concepts from the Khmer tradition.
D) embodied concepts from the Zen tradition.
E) was based on elements from Greek architecture.

Question 23

In Japanese houses, treasured objects are displayed using tokonoma, which refers to:

A) a gnarled piece of driftwood.
B) an alcove in the vestibule.
C) a delineated pool of water.
D) a concave mirror.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 24

The plan of the Katsura Imperial Villa is best described as:

A) compact.
B) concentric.
C) linear.
D) pinwheel-like.
E) None of the answers is correct.

Question 25

Discuss Chinese architectural principles as laid out in the Yingzao-fashi.

Question 26

Discuss Chinese city-planning principles as exemplified by the Forbidden City of Beijing.

Question 27

Discuss the planning of the Ise Shrine and the precedents for its forms and elements.

Question 28

Compare and contrast Chinese and Japanese house types.