COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE OF CHINA AND WESTERN EUROPE DURING THE MIDDLE AGES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to study the temple architecture of China and Western Europe during the Middle Ages in order to build a table of affinities and differences. Object of research: religious buildings of China and Western Europe of the Middle Ages. Subject of research: similarities and differences of architectural structures of two religions. The article describes that one of the factors in the development of China's unique culture was the country's long-term territorial isolation from the world, which provided an opportunity for original development. Today, taking into account globalization in the socio-cultural life of society, there is a problem of self-identification of polar world cultures, in order to preserve the idea of ​​the world structure of individual nations. It is spiritual and philosophical life that fundamentally affects the architectural structure of temple complexes, changing and developing it according to religious canons. For this purpose, an in-depth analysis of the differences in temple architecture was made on the example of a separate time period – the Middle Ages, in order to identify fundamental differences in culture, self-identification, and theoretical and practical approaches to the formation of temple complexes. All distinctions and affinities were systematized according to criteria and formed into a table. The conclusions state that the main differences between the medieval temple architecture of China and Western Europe lie in the opposite worldview through the prism of culture and attitude to the surrounding environment. It is thanks to these moments that the structural diversity of the architecture of the temples is reflected. Based on this, the conclusion table 1 was built, in which the evaluation according to various criteria is demonstrated. Due to China's isolation from world architectural trends and adherence to its own philosophical ideas, its architecture has become original and unique. And the system of tectonic structures is a unique and authentic manifestation of the spirit of Chinese natural philosophy. The conclusions of this study can be used in the study of the degree of stylistic globalization in modern Chinese architecture.