Material and Color Scheme in the Qing Dynasty: Summer Palace and Chengde Imperial Summer Resort

Abstract

This paper aims at investigating the influence of construction project management and its application of colorsand materials of imperial gardens in the Qing dynasty, Summer Palace and Chengde Imperial Summer Resort. Red, yellow,blue and white are the common colors in the imperial gardens of Qing dynasty. The contract of color is very stronglyused. Also, by analyzing the features of materials in the imperial gardens in the Qing dynasty, application of materials hada great influence on the using of building colors. Different materials used the corresponding colors. The regulatory systemcontroled the color and materials in the imperial buildings and structures. Additionally, there are three main influences ofconstruction management system on the imperial gardens. First, the hierarchy of buildings affected the colors and materials. The ruling class in the Qing Dynasty chose colors and materials for the imperial buildings which the general peoplecould not use. The second influence was the management authority. Because the government regulated and designatedmanagers in charge of construction, they had to conduct building activities following the requirements of the government. The third influence was the construction practice routine which regulated each type of building to use its correspondingcolors and materials. The type of building determined the colors and materials in the building.