Ancient ideas behind Olympic buildings

The configuration of a Siheyuan house is a square, a manifestation of the “square earth”. The groups of houses in the Siheyuans form a closed courtyard,and the doors and windows of each house open towards the courtyard, embodying the “round heaven”.

Generally, the gate of a Siheyuan house opens in a southeast direction, which is a vigorous direction according to Fengshui theory; it is believed to have a mysterious power to make the householder full of vitality and boost their business.

The Philosophy of Harmony

The Water Cube adopts a series of energy-saving technologies to uphold the mantle of a ‘Green Olympics’. Made from a special plastic film, the Water Cube is renowned for its environmental protection ideas, using the suns energy for heating and the fact that it can collect 10,000 tons of water a year through recycling rainwater. It embodies another Chinese philosophy—the harmony.

The idea of harmony played an important role in traditional Chinese culture; most of the ancient schools including Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism and Mohism had profound explanations surrounding it.

Harmony is the core of Confucianism. Confucians thought that supreme harmony was the most perfect condition of harmony, which involved four sections: first, the harmony of nature – Ancient people believed that nature was in harmony before humans came into being and if it’s condition wasn’t continually damaged then the harmony would continue; secondly, the harmony between humans and nature; thirdly, the harmony between humans and society and fourthly, the harmony of humans, namely, their physical and spiritual harmony. This theory was inherited and developed by Confucius, Mencius, and Zhuxi.

Anther theory about harmony evolved from Confucianism, that “harmony but not in being the same” meaning that different ideas and views can coexist in harmony. That is why Confucians argue that problems between different countries need to be handled with different ideas.

New buildings like the Bird’s Nest and Water Cube are symbols of Beijing’s future, while Hutongs and Siheyuans are the mark of ancient China. To blend them in perfect harmony makes Beijing a charming city to visit.