Hui Zou
School of Architecture, College of Design, Construction & Planning
A new lecture topic, "Architectural Encounters along the Silk Road," for Architectural History 1 for majors (ARC 1701-Section 4249)
As the first history course for architectural majors, this course examines architectural intentions from antiquity through the Middle Ages in human history by demonstrating the interaction between form and idea in architecture. The primary objective is to help students develop their own historical perspective for interpreting buildings. This course includes both Western and Eastern civilizations so that students may procure a comparative perspective to better understand cultural aspects of architecture. To face the reality that more and more American architects are practicing architecture in the Eastern contexts, I am introducing a new lecture topic, “Architectural Encounters along the Silk Road.” This topic will provide a historical reference for today’s international architectural practice in seeking the poetical approach of ethical cultural encounters. The discussion will start from the Buddhist grotto art in Dunhuang, located in northwestern China. These Buddhist cave frescos, created during the 5th-13th centuries, recorded the cultural encounter and fusion of India, China and Central Asia in the eastern section of the traditional Silk Road. Many of the murals depicted buildings, gardens and landscapes, which composed the Buddhist Pure Land. These images provide precious sources for understanding the architecture and gardens of the Sui and Tang dynasties in Chinese history.