"Architecture is a history book of stones" and is also an artistic work left by the ancients. Architecture also contains philosophy, politics, religion, literature and art, lifestyle and other spiritual and material cultural contents. Ancient buildings all over the country are not only the precious excellent cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, but also an indispensable part of our sightseeing and rich cultural life today. How do we understand and appreciate ancient buildings when traveling? This requires us to have certain relevant knowledge. This course mainly introduces the general characteristics of Chinese ancient buildings in the form of pictures, explaining various ancient buildings such as palaces, gardens, temples, academies, ancestral halls, guild halls, residential buildings, etc. In short, after studying this course, we can understand and appreciate ancient buildings. This is a popular course for the whole society. People in science, engineering, agriculture and medicine can learn it without papers. Although ancient architecture belongs to the discipline of architecture, this course focuses on popularity, knowledge and interest, and basically does not involve professional and technical issues of architecture.

No special expertise is required to study this course.

Liu Su: "Ancient Chinese Architectural Art", Beijing, China Architectural Industry Press, October 2016. (Video Textbook) 
Liu Su: "Civilization Built-Chinese Traditional Culture and Traditional Architecture", Beijing, Tsinghua University Publishing House, 2014. 
Liu Dunzhen: "History of Ancient Chinese Architecture", Beijing, China Architecture Industry Press, 1990. 
Liang Sicheng: "Image History of Chinese Architecture", Tianjin, Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House, 2001.