Is there a book dedicated to the cornices of traditional Chinese architecture?

Flying eaves, one of the forms of eaves of traditional Chinese architecture, mostly refers to the eaves of the eaves, especially the eaves of the corners of the roof upturned upwards, if the momentum of flying, it is commonly used in the corners of the roofs of pavilions, platforms, floors, pavilions, palaces, temples and other buildings, the four corners are warped, shaped like birds spreading their wings, light and lively, so they are often called eaves warping corners. The eaves are one of the important manifestations of the national style of Chinese architecture, through the special treatment and creation of the eaves, not only expand the lighting surface, is conducive to the drainage of rainwater, but also adds the dynamic sense of the building upward, as if it is a kind of air to lift the eaves upward, and the layers of cornices in the building complex are to create a spectacular momentum and the unique flying and brisk charm of ancient Chinese architecture.

Different from Western stone buildings, ancient Chinese wooden buildings use dougong as the "basic vocabulary", the so-called dougong, which is the overlapping bent wood that holds up the eaves, which can expand the longitudinal force horizontally, so as to construct a variety of cornices. As the "main sentence pattern" of ancient Chinese architecture, there are many types of cornices, or low-hanging, or straight, or uplifting, and their different forms create different artistic effects, or light, or simple, or majestic, pavilions, platforms, floors, pavilions should use cornices to mark their own identity and express their emotions. The height and length of the eaves often become the difficulty and key points of architectural design, as the so-called "increase one point is too long, subtract one point is too short", its design must be just right in order to appear light and not frivolous, simple but not mechanical, majestic but not rigid.

Cornices are an important part of roof modeling in traditional Chinese architecture. In traditional Chinese architecture, the roof shape is the most prominent, and the roof accounts for a large proportion of a single building, generally reaching about half of the height of the façade. The combination of beams and frames of ancient wooden structures can naturally form a curve at the top of the slope, not only the slope is a curve, but also the ridge and the end of the eaves can also be curves, and at the corner of the eaves turn, you can also make a raised cornice.

The huge volume of the roof formed by the combination of beams and frames, and the soft curves of the sloping roof, the main ridge and the upturned eaves, make the roof the most prominent formal feature of Chinese architecture.

For the basic point, you can see "Twenty Lectures on Ancient Chinese Architecture", written by Lou Qingxi, and only excellent ones are sold at present.

Amateur? I've read these books, and the content is not bad, quite suitable for amateurs.

Chinese Traditional Architectural Culture" Lou Qingxi - China Tourism Press.

Some typical structures of classical Chinese architecture, and a small amount of architectural appreciation.

Illustrated Chinese Architectural Art" Ma Xianjie, Lv Hongbo, Yu Hongkun, Yan Yufang (eds.) - Shanghai Joint Publishing House.

An appreciation of architectural examples from various periods in China.

Frozen History: The Story of World Architecture, edited by Li Yanming (ed.), Beijing Publishing House.

An introduction to the main building types and styles from ancient times to the present in the world, followed by some typical buildings and famous buildings in the world.

History of Chinese Architecture", Pan Xi Valley, China Architecture & Building Press.

History of Ancient Chinese Architecture", Pan Xi Valley, China Architecture & Building Press.

History of Chinese Architecture" - Baihuan Literature and Art Publishing House.

Ancient Chinese Architecture" – New World Press, Yale University Press.

World Architectural Art" Xiao Mo - Wuhan.

Huazhong University of Science and Technology Press.

This book systematically explains the basic characteristics, historical evolution and cultural connotation of architectural art. On this basis, the author also makes an incisive analysis of the famous architectural works of art in the history of Chinese and foreign architecture with rich and exquisite ** and vivid language, so that readers can not only get the pleasure of artistic aesthetics, but also deeply appreciate their Chinese and historical implications.

The Story of Architecture

By Jonathan Gramsci.

Luo Yin, translated by Zhang Lan – Beijing.

Life, Reading, and New Knowledge.

The author of this book introduces the 3,000-year-old architectural history of mankind to the majority of readers in a simple way, leading everyone to travel from the ancient buildings of the two river basins to the modern architectural masterpieces. The author visits almost every building mentioned in the book, which makes his argument lively and thought-provoking.