Algorithmic architecture in twelfth–century China: The Yingzao Fashi

Abstract

The Yingzao fashi (Building standards) was written by Li Jie (d. 1110), court architect during the late Northern Song dynasty (960–1127), and published in 1103. Li evidently meant to educate government officials who commissioned buildings and to set standards for the builders who built them. He set out rules for designing foundations, masonry buildings, wood–frame buildings (da muzuo, or structural carpentry), finish carpentry (xiao muzuo), and painted decoration. He also defined terms and provided methods for estimating materials and labor. The book includes numerous drawings, but these reflect a much later style—probably Ming (1368–1644) or Qing (1644–1911)—and so can be used as references for the Song only with caution.