Nguyễn An (Chinese 阮安; 1381 - 1453), known in Chinese as Ruan An (

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese fo ...

) or Juan An ( Wade-Giles), was a

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

architect and

hydraulics Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counte ...

specialist between the first and fifth decades of the 15th century. According to some sources, he was a key architect in designing, planning and constructing of the

Forbidden City The Forbidden City () is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing. It is surrounded by numerous opulent imperial gardens and temples including the Zhongshan Park, the sacrifi ...

during the Ming dynasty. Born in Vietnam, he was taken as tribute to China and later became a eunuch and architect in service to the Chinese emperors. He, along with other architects, such as master designers and planners Cai Xin (蔡信),

Kuai Xiang Kuai Xiang (; 1377–1451) was a Chinese architect and engineer widely known as designer of the Forbidden City and originator of the Xiangshan carpenters. He was born in Xukou (Xiangshan), Wu County, Suzhou, during the Ming dynasty. When the Yon ...

(蒯祥), Chen Gui (陳珪), and Wu Zhong (吳中), was a builder of the

in Beijing. Under the reign of the

Zhengtong Emperor Emperor Yingzong of Ming (; 29 November 1427 – 23 February 1464), personal name Zhu Qizhen (), was the sixth and eighth Emperor of the Ming dynasty. He ascended the throne as the Zhengtong Emperor () in 1435, but was forced to abdicate in ...

, Nguyen An also had a role in the reconstruction of the wall of Beijing. He was also a

specialist, and was involved in at least three hydraulic projects and had a flawless record. He died in 1453.

References

Chinese people of Vietnamese descent Ming dynasty eunuchs 1381 births 1453 deaths 15th-century Chinese architects Vietnamese architects Year of birth unknown {{Vietnam-bio-stub

See also

References