Study On The Constructions Of Stone Work Of The Official Buildings In Early Ming Dynasty

The official building system of early Ming Dynasty inherited the Tang and Song dynasties and started the Ming and Qing dynasties.A large amount of material and concise style were the distinctive characteristics of the times.The official stonework of early Ming Dynasty origined from the south of the Yangtze river(Jiangnan)around Nanjing,spread widely and remained a lot with the regime change and altenate capitals(Nanjing,Fengyang and Beijing).Besides the objective environmental element,the demand of stonework construction was the results of the changed idea about materials,and the achievement of the stonework corresponded to the nourishment of the architectural culture,the mature of construction crafts,the progress of technology,etc.Based on the survey,mapping and the literature of the stonework of early Ming Dynasty,this dissertation tries to innovate in the following aspects by taking the official stonework from Hongwu to Yongle Period(1368-1424)as the main research object.(1)In the view of space,there are two logical levels.One is that it is the first time to study systematically on the official stonework in the imperial construction in the capitals and the royal construction out of the capitals.It cleared the developing venation of the official stonework in early Ming Dynasty,and summarized the characteristics and connections among the different districts.The other level is placing the official stonework of early Ming Dynasty in the Jiangnan culture,discussing the geographic factors.(2)In the view of time,it not only focuses on the stonework changes of the first sixty years in early Ming Dynasty,but also puts the official stonework of this period into the longer timeline.Both the craftsman system and the physical present in early Ming Dynasty were the continuation of the Jiangnan craftwork for its origins in Nanjing.Jiangnan was also an important spread area of “Ying Zao Fa Shi”.Comparing the official stonework of early Ming Dynasty with “Ying Zao Fa Shi”,it tries to objectively evaluate the degree of the inheritance and the development of " Ying Zao Fa Shi " in the official stonework in the early Ming Dynasty.(3)Reaserch on the whole process of stone techniques.The existing research mainly focused on the stonework itself,and lacked attention to the procedures of stone techniques including quarrying,transporting,lifting,etc.The dissertation strives to scientifically expand the stone processing,performance and style under the influence of various stone sources,material scales,soft and hard characters from stone types,stone extraction,and other aspects.(4)The development of the official stonework in early Ming Dynasty was a social phenomenon.The social factors behind the development of stonework are the entry points that lead the in-depth study of this dissertation,and they are also important research contents.The paper has combed the clues related to the historical events,the system of officers and craftsmen,and the personnel transfer in the early Ming Dynasty.The official building stone works in the early Ming Dynasty were vividly placed in the historical environment at the time,trying to maximize the excavation.The authenticity of history explores the motives behind the stonework phenomenon.(5)Based on the first-hand survey,mapping data and literature review,the dissertation contains a large number of chart statistics for the statistical summary about the stonework itself and the relevant information.Quantitative statistics aim for a qualitative summary,avoiding a prior or excessive subjective inference.The dissertation includes two parts.Because of the discrepancy of history and geography,the stonework in different regions was made of various stone materials,the scale and patterns were not same.The stone sculptures in Fengyang were more complicated than those in other regions,simplicity was not the only displine through the whole Ming Dynasty;there was similarity and distinction between Nanjing and Beijing;the stonework in Qinghai and Wudang absorbed the characteristics both in the southern and northern capitals.The four chapters in the first part were organized by three capitals(Fengyang,Nanjing and Beijing)and the other regions,emphasizing the research on the official stonework itself,analysing the characteristics and development of the official stonework in the early Ming Dynasty.The second part discussed the special subjects,including the relationship between the official stonework in early Ming Dynasty and “Ying Zao Fa Shi”,the technical level and advanced skill about the stonework,the historical,geographic and cultural factors that contributed to the achievement of the official stonework in early Ming Dynasty;analyzing and evaluating its value and significance in both early Ming Dynasty and current time.