S1 IH (Teacher’s Guide)
Traditional Chinese and Western Historical Buildings
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Traditional Chinese and Western Historical Buildings –
Teacher’s Guide
Periods
1-4
I.
Content
Remark
Location and fung shui
Types
of
traditional  The video on the Ping
Chinese buildings
Shan Heritage Trail could
be shown
 Teachers may arrange
field trip to Ping Shan
Heritage Trail
Functions of traditional  Teachers may use
Traditional Chinese Chinese buildings
PowerPoint to present the
Buildings
photos in the worksheet.
 Teachers may arrange a
visit to the exhibition on
village education in the
gallery at Tak Wah Park
in Tsuen Wan
Extended topic: Special Teachers may use
features of traditional PowerPoint to present the
Chinese buildings
features of the buildings
 Veranda, windows,
 Teachers may use
roof and adaptation to
PowerPoint to present the
local weather
photos in the worksheet.
 Ancient Greek
 Teachers may refer to the
Western Historical
architectural style
website of the Antiquities
Buildings
 Flying buttresses
and Monuments Office
 Cross-shaped buildings  Teachers may arrange a
 Fireplaces
visit to the Central and
Western Heritage Trail
Traditional Chinese Buildings
Learning objectives:
1.
2.
To understand the relationship between fung shui and the natural environment;
To distinguish different types of traditional Chinese buildings;
3.
To be aware of the functions of traditional Chinese buildings as well as the
associated traditional Chinese values; and
To identify special features of traditional Chinese buildings and their functions.
4.
Suggestions on teaching:
A. Location and fung shui
1.
To arouse students’ awareness of the influence of fung shui in Hong Kong,
controversies over the development in rural area between rural residents and the
government/developers could be cited. Students could also be introduced to the
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paradox that even elites in the IT sector in the western world pay special
2.
attention to fung shui experts in order to preserve their new found wealth.
Students could be reminded of the relationship between fung shui and the natural
environment after finishing the worksheet on “Location and fung shui”. Further
discussion could be conducted on superstition and fung shui.
B. Types of traditional Chinese buildings
1.
2.
The video on the Ping Shan Heritage Trail could be shown to introduce students
to traditional Chinese buildings in Hong Kong.
Students could be reminded of the influence of fung shui in the villages.
C. Functions of traditional Chinese buildings
Walled village
1. After finishing the worksheet, students could be asked to reflect on the
relationship between fung shui, gods, natural environment, personal and group
efforts, and psychological factors.
2. Students could also be reminded of the lack of privacy within the community.
Ancestral Hall
1.
2.
Students could be invited to share their experiences of paying respect to their
ancestors. Photos of their ancestral halls/worship could be shown in class if
available.
After finishing the worksheet, students could be requested to reflect on the
importance of ancestral worship to the stability of traditional Chinese society.
Study Hall
1. Students could be reminded of the significance of imperial examination as shown
in certain TV series. They could compare the pressure of the imperial
examination on candidates with that of public examinations in Hong Kong.
2. Students could see the exhibition on village education in the gallery at Tak Wah
Park in Tsuen Wan for further information.
D. Extended topic: Special features of traditional Chinese buildings
1.
2.
Students could be introduced to the special features of traditional Chinese
buildings in the PowerPoint file.
Students could be reminded of the functions of these features with respect to the
natural environment as well as the values being signified.
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II. Western Historical Buildings
Learning objectives:
1.
2.
3.
To understand that some historical buildings in Hong Kong are built in the
western style;
To identify the special features of western historical buildings in Hong Kong and
their functions;
To understand that the structure of these western historical buildings was adapted
to suit the local environment.
Suggestions on teaching:
1.
To arouse students' interest, teacher may ask students to give some examples of
western historical buildings in Hong Kong. For example:
 Museum of Tea Ware (Flagstaff House)
 Legislative Council Building (Old Supreme Court)
 Court of Final Appeal (Former French Mission Building)
 St. John's Cathedral


Government House
Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences (Old Pathological Institute)





2.
3.
Western Market
Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Central Police Station
Victoria Prison
Fringe Club and the Foreign Correspondents' Club (Old Dairy Farm
Building)
 Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Terminus Clock Tower
 Hong Kong Observatory
 Former Marine Police Headquarters Building
 Hong Kong University Main Building, etc.
Teacher may refer to the website of the Antiquities and Monuments Office,
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/Museum/Monument/indexc.html for further
information.
To study these western historical buildings, the lessons will focus on

the adaptations made in relation to the climate and environment of Hong
Kong;

the similarities between the western historical buildings in Hong Kong and
the architectural design they are based on.
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Suggestions on questions:
Questions 1 and 2
 The design of the Flagstaff House resembles the Queen's House in the United
Kingdom.
 The veranda around the building and wooden blinds on the windows block out
direct sunlight and provide better insulation. These designs are adaptations to
the local sub-tropical climate.
Questions 3 and 4
 Another feature that reflects the adaptation to the local sub-tropical climate is the
roof. The Government House changed from a flat-roof to a Chinese-style roof.
The latter sheds rain more easily and provides better insulation.
Questions 5 and 6
 Questions 5 and 6 provide other examples of adaptation to local climate. Steep
rooftops prevent accumulation of rainwater. Double-layered roofs provide
better insulation and protect the building from summer heat.
Question 7
 Western historical buildings in Hong Kong are modeled on western architecture
at design. The Legislative Council Building is one of the examples. It follows
ancient Greek architectural style. The archways and columns resemble those of
the Parthenon in Greece.
Question 8
 Flying buttresses provide another similarity. A buttress is a support -- usually
brick or stone -- built against a wall to support or reinforce it. A flying buttress
is a free-standing buttress attached to the main structure by an arch or a half-arch.
The purpose of the flying buttress is to help support the building from the outside.
Without flying buttresses, the walls will begin to lean outward and will finally
collapse.
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By making use of flying buttresses, wall surfaces can be reduced. More
windows can therefore be built allowing light to enter the building. The flying
buttress also allows builders to create taller and visually lighter structures that
reach toward the heaven.
Questions 9 and 10
 The exterior of a building provides another point of comparison. The aerial
view of St. John's Cathedral shows that it is in the shape of a cross.
 The Cathedral is a cross-shaped building that symbolizes Christ's death on the
cross.
Question 11
 This question requires students to write a short story. The stained glass
windows commemorate those who lost their lives at sea in the two world wars.
On the left hand side is a seaman, a foreigner. On the right hand side is a
Chinese woman, probably a fisherman. In the middle is Jesus Christ. Students
may create their own versions of the stories.
Question 12
 Students may choose this question on creativity.
They may design stained glass
windows to express stories in the Bible.
Questions 13 and 14
 Fireplaces are very common in buildings in the United Kingdom because of the
cold winter. But they can also be found in western historical buildings in Hong
Kong. Why? For one reason, it is a building feature that the British are used to.
For another, a fireplace has a practical function. It provides warmth in winter.
Teacher may also encourage students to visit western historical buildings in Hong
Kong. Students may go on the Central and Western Heritage Trail. The western
historical buildings mentioned in the worksheets can be found along the Central Route
of the Trail. Students may further explore other historical buildings as well.
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Reference material:
Greek Revival
Pediment, archways, symmetrical shape and columns are typical features of Greek
Revival buildings.
Palladian window
A Palladian window is a large window that is divided into three parts. The center
section is larger than the two side sections, and is usually arched. Renaissance
architecture and other buildings in classical styles often have Palladian windows.
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Gothic Architecture
The 12th through the 16th century was a time of great cathedrals and exciting
innovations in Western architecture.
Cathedrals adopt the plan of a Christian cross: a central nave and two lateral aisles,
the arms of the cross, and an apse that hosts the choir.
The most notable elements of these constructions are: pointed arch supported by
buttresses which distribute pressure of the vault onto the columns and pillars in the
interior and over flying buttresses in the exterior. The weight of the roof is
supported by the arches rather than the walls. This means that walls can be lighter
and thinner with large stained glass windows.
Notre Dame of Paris shows certain typical aspects of a cathedral: a Latin cross, an
apse, towers, the height and flying buttresses.
vault
Source: Jane Vadnal
pointed arch
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Traditional Chinese and Western Historical Buildings
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