牌楼：屹立于世的中华名片Decorated Archway: Where Chinese Culture Stands Tall A decorated archway, also called a memorial archway, is a unique architectural style belonging to China. For thousands of years, the decorated archway has been spotted not only in China, but also in several foreign countries as this piece of Chinese culture has caught many a builder's imagination. （位于景山公园内的牌楼 摄影：齐锐） The decorated archway has a long history. In the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an city was divided into a number of residential areas by roads that criss-crossed through the city. These residential areas were called "fang" and at the entrance of each "fang" stood a decorated archway. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the decorated archway evolved, with innovative construction technologies being used to enhance its appearance. A multi-layered archway, which looked more magnificent, also became the norm. The fang gradually began to be called the decorated archway and apart from serving decorative purposes, it was used in celebration and commemoration ceremonies. The southern and northern regions adopted distinctive styles. While the southern decorated archway was mainly made of stone carved in elegant shapes, the northern decorated archways were built in the royal court and were more diversified and grand. （位于前门大街的“五牌楼” 摄影：齐锐） Beijing is the city with the largest number of decorated archways representing the archway style in the north. A walk through the streets is like going back in time with archways from various periods visible to everyone. On the Zhengyangmen Avenue stands the tallest and the most majestic wooden decorated archway in Beijing, which is commonly known as the "five archways". In front of Dongyue Temple, there is a colorful glazed decorated archway which was built in Ming Dynasty. In the imperial college, there is a large Qing Dynasty decorated archway, the only decorated archway specially set up in an educational institute in China. In addition, in the Summer Palace, Zhongshan Park and other places, archways from different periods can be seen. Tangyue decorated archway group is the representative of ancient Huizhou architecture in Ming and Qing Dynasties and also represents southern style of decorated archways. The group is located in Anhui Province, which consists of seven decorated archways. Each one has a moving story and is the embodiment of Huizhou culture. 1867年，中华牌楼第一次亮相巴黎世博会 (资料图) As a building with unique Chinese characteristics, the decorated archway's popularity has crossed continents. The decorated archway first appeared as early as 1867 in the Paris World Expo and then in many world expositions. Used in the facade of Chinese pavilions, the decorated archway has long held the world’s attention. Decorated archways can also been seen in Chinatowns all over the world. In London's Chinatown, there is a decorated archway with "Peaceful China" and "Prosperous Britain" inscribed on the front and the back, which symbolizes the friendship between China and Britain. The decorated archway was built in 2016 and was unveiled in a grand ceremony. Now it is a new landmark of London's Chinatown. For thousands of years, the decorated archway has stood witness to the development and changes in history. Some of them have been preserved, while some were lost to time. But every time a decorated archway is installed, it boasts of the rich cultural heritage, folk customs and architectural art of China. 来源：中国网 长按识别二维码可关注该微信公众平台