Layout And Evolution Of The Capital City In The Framework Of Traditional Chinese Human Habitat

Traditional Chinese human habitat has always focused on the concept of integrity, where the idea of Tian Xia, literally meaning land under the heaven, is naturally rooted. Human Habitat under the Heaven is a reflection of the cultural ideal, living safety and economic necessities of the Chinese nation on a vast‐scale piece of land, as well as a unique creation of an eastern country with grand unification, which embodies the overall understanding and knowledge of living of the people in the national space.The term of Tian Xia does not refer to the whole world but the domain with the same cultural characteristics centered on ancient China and radiating out around. The concept of Tian Xia is raised with cultural criteria standards, a premise in which the human habitat environment under the heaven is developed historically. On this Chinese mother earth with the same cultural characteristics, a grand and dramatic entity space is established, where a sizeable amount of minor spaces are set up based on the general principle and local features. Despite the change of dynasties and disintegration in Chinese historical progression, the long‐established concept of Chunghwa‐the Chinese nation, and Tian Xia find their way ever deeper in the hearts of the people, which in turn determines the eternal trend of harmony and unity.The capital city to a nation is just as the brain to the whole body. An analysis and research into the planning of the capital city in each dynasty gives the gist of the matter for a general study of the human habitat space under the heaven. This paper aims to initiate a study of human habitat space under the heaven by means of analyzing the construction, layout and spatial features of each capital city as far as from the Pre‐Qin period through ancient books and documents, in an attempt to sort out some content significant to the development of the present day and the coming generations. In today’s context of promoting the revival of Chinese culture, such a study made to benefit the current Chinese development is of constructive significance to the present and future.