Dougong (“斗栱”), a type of load-bearing structure found in ancient Chinese architecture, and the arch, a common element in Western buildings, share the same pronunciation in Mandarin but operate on different principles. Walking down the streets of Shanghai, one can see historical buildings with dougong as well as those with arches, an experience shared by international students from Fudan University.
On November 9, 28 students from Fudan’s International Cultural Exchange School (ICES), went on a city tour co-hosted by Shanghai Academy of Chinese Culture and ICES. Using dougong and arch as lenses, participants appreciated both Chinese and Western architecture in Shanghai, engaging in a dialogue that transcended cultural boundaries.
International students from ICES, Fudan University stood in front of Shanghai Science Hall
The first stop of the tour was the Shanghai Science Hall, a French building with a history of over 100 years. The students appreciated the mansard roofs and stained glass, classic French architectural elements used in the hall. Later, they were led to the Banquet Hall of Sinan Mansions, to learn about the use of arches in Western buildings.
“We can even feel the rhythm of architecture here from the varying sizes of the arches on the first and second floors. I think this building best exemplifies the use of arches in Western-style architecture,” WU Zhidong from the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Culture, explained to the students.
Kate Jones, a student from the UK, was impressed by the morning visit, which reminded her of buildings in her hometown. “Because I’m from Europe, it felt similar to a lot of old buildings that I have seen in London, especially those with stained glass,” she said.
The students toured the Banquet Hall of Sinan Mansions
In the afternoon, the students left for the Baoshan Temple, a Buddhist temple featuring the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. The wooden building complex uses the structure of sunmao (“榫卯”), also known as the “mortise and tenon” structure, which requires no glue or nails to interlock wood joints.
“Please look up, everyone,” said Wu, asking the students standing outside the Daxiong Palace to observe the dougong structure under the roof.
As Wu explained, dougong is a component connecting the column and the beam in traditional Chinese architecture, which mainly comprises dou (“斗”), a wooden block, and gong (“栱”), an arch-shaped bracket. As the structure links the upper part of the building with the lower part, it helps passing down the weight of the upper part to pillars. Therefore, several pillars can hold up a great building.
“The dougong we see here is giant, right? It supports this wide eave. It demonstrates the high level of craftsmanship in ancient Chinese wooden structure,” Wu said, emphasizing the value of the dougong in the Shakya ManiHall.
Another iconic building in the temple is the Golden Pagoda, a seven-story wooden pagoda. The students were led to view the statues inside and learn about the sunmao structure, and they were very impressed.
Minakuchi Riku, a Japanese student, was one of them. “I knew that Buddhist buildings in Japan are similar to those in China, and I have visited temples in Kyoto and Nara many times. However, this is my first time seeing Chinese Buddhist architecture in person,” he said. And during the visit, he was amazed by the craftsmanship of dougong and sunmao. I realize that it’s these intricate techniques that make the building incredibly stable,” he commented.
Dougong structures in the Baoshan Temple
The highlight of the afternoon activity was the dougong assembling competition. After an entire afternoon of exploring ancient Chinese architecture, the students were encouraged to work in pairs to build a complete dougong structure using the prepared blocks.
As the competition began, everyone focused on their own models, trying to assemble them both properly and quickly. Within minutes, a cheer of “We made it!” went up from the students — the champion had emerged. Soon, more and more completed models appeared on the tables.
Tay Mingzhen, a student from Malaysia, expressed her enjoyment in this assembly game. During the building process, she felt the ingenuity of the dougong design. “It occurs to me that the Chinese yin-yang philosophy might be relevant. Each component is interlocking with the others, which is why the pieces can fit together. Once they’re joined, the structure becomes stable, reaching a state of harmony — and that’s what I find really fascinating,” she said.
The students were trying to assemble dougong structures
The whole-day visit gave Kate a deeper insight into cultures. She discovered surprising similarities between Chinese architectural styles and those in her own country. “They both require a lot of attention to detail,” she said.
At the same time, she noticed some clear differences between the two. “With the dougong architectural style, it’s also useful to prevent damage in an earthquake. But in England, we don’t really have many earthquakes, so there’s no need for that kind of protection in building structures. So it’s quite interesting how the environment shapes the way of building,” she said.
The activity aimed to enable participants to appreciate the interconnections between cultures while also understanding the distinctiveness of each — just as Kate did. “I hope all of you can cherish your own cultures and appreciate the cultures of others as well, so that the world will be a harmonious one,” LU Qi, vice principal of the Shanghai Academy of Chinese Culture, told the students at the event.
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Writer: LI Tong
Photographer: XU Huiting, WU Zhidong
