Dictionaries offer final word on buildings

The three dictionaries Wang Qijun compiled－ An Illustrated Dictionary of Chinese Architecture, An Illustrated Dictionary of Chinese Gardensand An Illustrated Dictionary of Western Architecture. The three dictionaries act like a mysterious pair of glasses through which readers can not only understand ancient Chinese architecture and gardens, but also expand their international perspective, and have a glimpse of global architectural culture, critics say. What is striking about the three dictionaries is that they have more than 3,000 hand-painted color illustrations which give a comprehensive picture of relevant buildings. Born in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, in 1954, Wang is hailed as one of the 60 most influential Chinese painters after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949 in a 60-volume Chinese art documentary, Classics and Immortality, sponsored by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee in 2010.