Thanks so much guys smile

Jay, I think if I'm ever able to arrange a trip to China, it will have to include several gardens and old buildings, and my girlfriend will probably rue the day tape-measures were ever invented. (I can just see it now: "Andy, stop measuring and rejoin the tour group, you're embarrassing me." "But dear..." "I don't know this man.")

That Yin Yu Tang exhibit looks stunning. I haven't been to MA in ages but will have to remember it next time I'm in the area. Maybe there are others closer to where I live (Memphis), I'll have to check around. We have a wonderful Asian garden here at the Botanic Gardens that I've been to several times, to enjoy and study it, but I'm not aware of many traditional buildings.

I'll also start trying to pick up some basic Chinese phrases and characters. Please let me know if you and your student have any translated materials you could shoot my way, I would love to read them. (Actually, if you have any copies of the Yingzao Fashi, translated or not, that would be a great help, as well; I've only been able to find parts.)

One of the (many) things I'm trying to learn right now is Asian roofing, and in particular, the deep eaves and verandas that so often come with them. When combined with balustrades and posts, they create such a wonderful frame for viewing the natural scenery beyond, e.g.:





But I find it very difficult to figure out (and reproduce in SketchUp) the actual dimensions necessary to achieve this effect, just from images alone: my posts and balustrades are too thick and visually "heavy" and pull one's eye from the view instead of just demarcating the viewing plane, my eaves are not deep enough and leave the top of the viewing frame "open", the roof of my veranda is too low and does not create that dark, deep-set cozy feeling from which to look out into nature, etc.

Hence the need for building manuals like the Yingzao Fashi. They really did know their stuff, I'm so glad there are efforts to preserve all that knowledge. And I've read that they developed a system of units for measurement and standardized ratios of this length to that length for many of these pieces, I just can't seem to find the specifics.