Very little of the architecture from China's rich cultural past has survived; it either decayed itself due to the impermanence of the building methods employed at the time, fell victim to the ravages of war or natural disasters (floods, fires, earthquakes, etc.), or was demolished in order to make way for newer structures. Most of what we know of Chinese architecture from its earliest beginnings up to the Ming (CE 1368–1644) Dynasty stems from artistic rendering of this early architecture in painted scrolls which abounded during the Tang (CE 618–907) Dynasty, though some evidence comes to us from the tombs of both royals and non-royals, especially the tombs constructed during the period of the Sixteen Kingdoms, or Sixteen States, in the 4th and 5th centuries, Current Era (CE), as well as other scattered sources.

The most prominent – and famous – exception is the Great Wall of China, whose construction is believed to have commenced in the 3rd Century BCE, but there are lesser-known examples dating much farther back, such as the Neolithic Period (BCE 10,000–2,000) village near Banpo, in Yunnan Province on China's southern border, or the ruins of Liangzhu city near Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province. At Banpo, two types of mud dwellings were discovered, one round and one rectangular. At Liangzhu, besides finding a number of cultural artifacts, archaeologists excavated the city's fortress walls, whose base are of stone, with yellow clay comprising the upper body.

There have also been many lesser finds – and new discoveries continue, or course, as new, massive construction projects continue to be executed throughout China – of well-preserved archaeological sites and artifacts that offer clues into the architecture and the building "technology" of this extensive earlier period. From these various sources we know that early Chinese architects used regularly spaced wooden columns to support the roof rather than rely on walls for this function (walls merely "clothed" the skeletal roof-and-column structure) while walls and floors were made of stamped earth. These early Chinese people built with stones, then with simple mud brick, eventually mastering the art of fired bricks. Lime kilns used in the fabrication of fired bricks have been excavated in various parts of China.  

The earliest roofed buildings in China may date back as far as the Shang (CE 1700–1027) or the Zhou (CE 1027–221) Dynasties, though no incontrovertible evidence exists. It was first during the Han Dynasties (BCE 202–CE 220) that the quintessential tiered Chinese roof as we know it today, with its overhanging, curved eaves, took shape. In Chinese culture, the curved line served to ward off evil, represented by the straight line. The sides of this quintessential Chinese roof were covered with colored, glazed tiles, and over time this artwork became increasingly ornate.

Architectural techniques developed significantly from the Three Kingdoms (CE 220–280) Dynasty through the Northern (CE 386–588) and Southern (CE 420–588) Dynasties. The quality of bricks and tiles was continually improved, and their use became widespread, though restricted mainly to formal structures, including palaces, fortification walls, and Buddhist pagodas, but also included houses for persons of rank, as Chinese society became increasing hierarchical, or socially stratified. The Sixteen-Kingdoms Style Brick Tomb, excavated by archaeologists in Kuqa County of Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwestern China, is an example of the advancements in brick-making and brick-laying techniques already at this early stage in the development of brick masonry in Chinese architecture. This tomb, though believed to be constructed during the Sixteen Kingdoms, or Sixteen States (CE 300–440) period, which was characterized by non-Chinese rule, is built in Han Chinese style.

During the Sui (CE 581–617) and Tang (CE 618–907) Dynasties, known as China's Golden Age because its political stability led to economic prosperity, which in turn brought with it a rise in all art forms from handicrafts (eg., ceramics and metalwork) to representational painting and calligraphic arts, but also to music as well as poetry, the sophistication of brick-making improved steadily, and the system of bracketing which underpins the quintessential Chinese roof became more and more complex, just as did the workmanship and lavishness of glazed colored tiles. The art of sculpture reached new levels of expression during the period, with an emphasis on voluptiousness and sensuality, both in religious and in secular motifs, the latter bearing witness to the fact that economic prosperity empowered greater numbers of people during China's Golden Age.x Indeed, so successful were the achievements of the Sui-Tang Period that its influence was felt on neighboring cultures: Both Japan and Korea emulated the Chinese recipe for success during the Sui-Tang Period.