China has long captured the Western imagination from the accounts of Marco Polo and Jesuit missionaries, through the literature and poetry of Franz Kafka, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Ezra Pound. Through the centuries, an obsession for Chinese rarities such as porcelain, silk, and lacquer have dominated the collecting habits of Western elites – a small fraction of which can be appreciated on viewing the rich Chinese collections on display at London’s British Museum.

There has been ample Western scholarship on Chinese art, however some of this can be considered problematic for the modern scholar in terms of it’s methodology and approaches. To truly appreciate Chinese art and civilisation for that matter, one needs to adopt a holistic approach through a study of Chinese historical writings and an appreciation of Chinese philosophy and mythology.

In his new book, Confucius’ Courtyard, Xing Ruan takes such an approach as he sets out to explain how the courtyard – that most singular and persistent architectural form – holds the key to understanding Chinese society and culture. His previous books are; Fusheng Jianzhu (Floating Life and Architecture), 2020; Allegorical Architecture, 2006; New China Architecture, 2006; Hand and Mind, 2018 and Topophilia and Topophobia, 2007.

Part architectural history, and part introduction to the cultural and philosophical history of China, his book explores the Chinese view of the world, and reveals the extent to which this is connected to the ancient concept of the courtyard – a subject which appears to have been almost entirely overlooked in China since the middle of the 20th century, and in the West for centuries. The book also provides an introduction to the Confucian idea of zhongyong (‘the Middle Way’), the Chinese moral universe, the virtuous good life and shows how these can only be fully understood through the humble courtyard – a space created on earth, yet open to the heavens above.

In the book, the author embarks on a bold attempt to convey an understanding of Chinese civilization via courtyard architecture. He explains that whilst courtyard architecture disappeared during the classical phase in Europe, Beijing and other Chinese cities continued building courtyard houses as late as the 1950s. This continuum provided the author the impetus for the book. He takes the reader on a journey as he strives to understand the persistence and longevity of this architectural model in China. He sets out to answer why its appeal lasted for so long in China – in what way it helped structure the Chinese world, and consequences to the Chinese way of life. He writes;

‘Over the unbroken history (as conventionally regarded) of more than three millennia, the Chinese had endlessly reworked, rather than continuously reinvented, their way of living. To borrow a buzzword from the current wave of environmentalism, this was a remarkable case of sustainability.’

The book is divided into three parts, Heaven, Heaven and Earth and finally Earth and composed of ten chapters. In the first chapter, we quickly learn that the courtyard house in which Confucius actually lived is nowhere to be found. Whilst evidence of his physical existence is indeed absent, Confucius lives in the hearts and minds of the Chinese people through his words and actions and the book provides an insight to Confucianism as well as other philosophies.

Throughout the book, he makes comparative studies with architecture and philosophies of other cultures and societies and in particular, demonstrates a very good understanding of the development of architecture in Western Europe;

‘In the next 500 years following the Renaissance, while the European bourgeoisie retreated further into the room and their inner world, they in the meantime pursued corporeal comfort to an extreme level of advancement, resulting in not only the supply of running water and concealed plumbing, but also the reclining chaise lounge with soft upholstery, lustrous velvet window drapes and over-heated rooms. Chinese furniture, on the contrary, already boasted supreme design and craftsmanship in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644 CE), but was made of hardwood with austere elegance for an upright sitting posture.’

and also makes some interesting comparisons within East Asia ;

‘The Japanese were not faithful pupils of the Chinese. For they took on only certain Chinese techniques but honed them into supreme craftsmanship, which the Chinese would consider obsessive and beyond the wisdom and morality of the middle ground. This may explain why the modern worlds in both the West and Japan have found their affinities, with much mutual admiration, in the visual arts of painting and architecture. But the frustration from the cultures that privilege visual and material, at China’s indifference to ‘aesthetics’ and stylistic taste is simply futile, if not merely naive, for none of the forms of Chinese arts, painting and calligraphy for example, not to mention courtyard architecture, were ever considered as a form of the visual arts. All, however, was regarded as inexorably literary and was practiced only by those who received considerable cultivation in literature and belonged to the gentry class of scholar-officials.’

The book has been described by Professor Yi-Fu Tuan, University of Wisconsin ‘as a truly magnificent work of scholarship for the understanding of China’.

I would be inclined to agree. Western understanding of Chinese architecture is challenging, this book certainly demystifies the subject. In particular I enjoyed the ample illustrations relating to different periods of history as well as the author’s own architectural drawings and sketches. Confucius’ Courtyard succesfully weaves together architecture, philosophy and cultural history to explore what lies at the very heart of Chinese civilization.

Confucius Courtyard is well researched and written in the style of an erudite Chinese scholar. Ruan’s understanding of ancient Chinese philosophy and architecture permeate his writings. For readers interested in Chinese architecture and philosophy, Confucius’ Courtyard is as an excellent companion.