In the Paleolithic Age , men lived on fishery and hunting , and were sheltered in trees and caves . In the Neolithic 
Age , men engaged in raising animals and farming , and settled down by digging caves and by building simple houses with twigs and lumber , thus commencing their architectural activities . During the 3,000 years of the feudalist society , Chinese ancient architecture formulated gradually its unique system , coupled with a considerable progress in urban planning , garden designing , and house construction technique . In 221 B.C. , the First Emperor of the Qin Empire mobilized the resources of the country to do construction works on a massive scale , including A’Fang Palace , the Emperor’s Mausoleum , the Great Wall and the Dujiangyan Water-Conservancy Project . In the Later dynasties , many more massive construction works of lasting fame were carried out .
From the primitive period to the Qin Dynasty (before 200 B.C.) . The architecture in this period is unclear due to shortage of historic literature and tangible evidence . Though scores of ruins of the cities of the ancient states and the ancient palaces in this period have been found , yet these are still awaiting archeological researches .
The Western-Eastern Han Dynasties ( 204 B.C.—220 A.D. ) covered more than four hundred years . It was a thriving period for architecture . There were an abundance of historical records of that period , and many relics were discovered including coffin chambers and tomb aisles , showing traces of the architectural work .
The Wei-Jin-Southen-Northern Dynasties Period (220-589) . In this period the growth of Buddhism Provided a gigantic impetus for the construction of palaces and temples . Technologically, “Greco-Buddhist style”, took the place of the Han style, with decorations and engravings of flowers and trees, birds, beasts and humans. Many remarkable grottoes, Buddhist pagodas and imperial mausoleums were constructed in this period.
The Sui-Tang Dynasties (590-960) . Sui established its capital at Chang’an , and launched large scale civil 
constructions . When Tang succeeded Sui , with its political stability , both Buddhism and Daoism thrived and palaces and temples were constructed actively , marking the prime of the Chinese architectural art . But in the rebellions in the middle Tang Dynasty a greater part of the architectures , particularly , the brick-stone pagodas , were demolished . The stone-arch bridges in Sui and the wood-framed Buddhist temples in the late Tang are the most treasured relics from this period . The architectures in the Tang Dynasty had a robust style and a refined technique , presenting an imposing sight.
The Five Kingdoms-Song-Liao-Jin period (906-1280) . The architecture in the early phase of this period was magnificent and intricate , but since the middle of the Song Dynasty it tended to be slim and fragile . The Song , Liao and Jin Dynasties all stressed constructing palaces . The palaces have been nearly all destroyed . But many temples have remained and spread all over the northern provinces . Particularly , the pagodas and stone steles were constructed with a high standard and with fine workmanship . A book tiled “A Treatise on Architectural Methods” , was written in that period , being an important historical document on architectural changes in various periods .
The Yuan-Ming-Qing Dynasties (1280-1912) . All the thee dynasties established their capital at Beijing . The scale of the imperial palaces and the urban constructions amazed the world . The style of the construction followed the ancient tradition . But the introduction of the Tibetan and Western architectural styles affected the traditional standards . Western style architectures began to appear in the bigger cities .
The Republic of China (1912-1949 ) . In this period , he traditional architectural activity slowed down . In the trade ports , European and American architectures appeared and came in vogue .
