Yuan Dynasty Architecture
When the Mongols conquered China in the 1200's AD, they did not bring in their own architecture, but continued the older Song Dynasty styles. People built many new Buddhist temples.
The Mongol capital Dadu was near Beijing, and it was Yuan architects who did the original city planning for Beijing.
Ming Dynasty architecture
Main Chinese Architecture page
Main China page
To find out more about ancient Chinese architecture, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, by Jessica Rawson and others (1996). Rawson is a curator at the British Museum, and she uses the collection of the British Museum to illustrate this book. Library Journal calls it "easily the best introductory overview of Chinese art to appear in years".
Art in China (Oxford History of Art Series), by Craig Clunas (1997). Not specifically for kids, but a good introduction to the spirit of Chinese art. Warning: this one is not arranged in chronological order. Instead, it has chapters on sculpture, calligraphy, and so on.
