A Contemporary Interpretation Of Chinese Architectural Traditions Under The Perspective Of Hermeneutics

Although the traditional interpretation of architecture has been paid more and more attention by architects,the consensus about what is China’s architectural tradition and how to interpret the architectural tradition has not yet been reached.This paper aims to interpret the Chinese ancient architectural culture in contemporary context.Drawing on the theories of hermeneutic circle in both China and Western countries,this paper reveals the hermeneutic connotations of the Chinese architectural tradition,that is a kind of the cultural values underlying the national psychology.In order to have an overall mastery of these values of architectural tradition,on the basis examining the real examples of architecture in both ancient and contemporary China,the paper converts the traditional values into a way of thinking that is in line with the times from five perspectives(prototype,symbol,space structre,spirit of place and living philosophy)and by means of five languages(form,symbol,space,materials and environment),so that the Chinese architectural tradition will be expressed in a new way in contemporary context.