Question

Describe the town planning in ancient China.

Answer 1

City Town Planning: City planning in ancient China began with the urbanization of the Huang He valley in the latter part of the die Neolithic Age. Urban planning in ancient China followed strict traditional rules of layout and design based on specific religious (e.g. feng shui) and scientific (i.e. astronomical) ideas and principles. The objective was to create favourable and auspicious conditions that would bring balance and harmony between man, government, heaven, and earth.

4	9	2
3	5	7
8	1	6

The city of Chengzhou, built during the rule of the Zhou dynasty, represents an ideal city layout. The city was laid out in the form of a square, further subdivided into nine squares. Broad, parallel roads, running north to south, were intercepted at right angles by roads The square running east to west, dividing the city into wards. Palaces, houses, temples, markets, etc. were built within these blocks, each reserved for a specific group of buildings, for e.g., the Inner City with the central palace and government buildings was built in the center (square 5 in the diagram). The Outer City was built around it. The audience hail (square 1), the temples (squares 3 and 7), and the market buildings (square 9) were built within the Inner City. In large cities, rectangular defensive walls with gates were built around the Inner City as well as the Outer City. Some of the larger cities were surrounded by moats.