Architecture and Time

Throughout the daily life of the ages, architecture has always been a silent ruler.

在古往今来的日常生活里，建筑一直是沉默的统治者。

In the eyes of the world, architecture resists time and remains unchanging. In contemporary cities, too many such buildings refuse to integrate into the urban fabric, stand at odds with their surroundings, and aspire to become monuments unto themselves. The author of this book argues that time and space cannot be separated; only by reflecting one's authentic life experience onto them can one truly enter the constructed worlds of the past.

This book includes an introduction and an afterword, comprising 21 essays that are connected by time as both title and thread. Drawing on years of observation, knowledge, and research insights, the author situates the examination and reflection on architecture within the context of time. Through a series of "lenses," the book weaves together the walls of the Forbidden City and the muqarnas arches of the Alhambra, the architectural marvel and calamity of the Yongning Temple Pagoda in Northern Wei Luoyang, the splendor and decay of modern-day New York, Emperor Huizong's vanished Mount Genyue, and Le Corbusier's Radiant City that sought to "abolish all boundaries"... Whether ancient cities, modern Chinese stories, or contemporary life, each piece merely marks the beginning of its designated time frame. Looking backward or gazing forward, the author hopes that this journey through time will inspire readers to reflect more meaningfully on the living spaces they inhabit.

在世人看来，建筑是反时间的，一成不变。当代城市中有太多这样的建筑，拒绝融入城市肌理，与周边环境格格不入，意图成为自己的纪念碑。本书作者认为，时空并不可分，个体只有将本真的生活经验映照其上，才能真正进入逝去的建构的世界。

本书含引言与后记，共21篇文章，以时间为标题与线索，串联成整体。作者基于多年见闻通识和研究心得，将对建筑的审视与反思置于时间的语境中。书中以一个个"镜头"串起了紫禁城的墙和阿尔罕布拉宫的突角拱，北魏洛阳永宁寺塔的建筑奇迹和灾祸，对照现代化大都市纽约的繁华与堕落，宋徽宗的看不见的艮岳，柯布西耶将"取消一切边界"的光辉城市......无论上古的城市、近代中国的故事还是现代社会的生活，都仅是设定了各篇文章所指时间段落的开端。无论回望过去还是拭目前瞻，作者希望，一次时光漫游会让读者对身处的生活空间产生更多有益的思考。