Hong Village is one of the Huizhou villages with the most representative residential architectures and landscape planning. Besides all the shared features of traditional Huizhou architecture, Hong Village distinguished itself among its neighbors by its unique buffalo-shaped village and water system planning. Its water system planning took advantage of its hilly landscape, and combined the existing waterway with the man-excavated ponds and waterways. This smartly planned water system has been providing every household in the village clean, fresh running water since 500 years ago, a time long before the modern tap water system was invented. Due to its unique water system planning, Hong Village was enlisted as the UNESCO World Heritage in 2000.
The village’s history can date back to as early as 1190 A.D. It was a family village owned by the Wang family. Originally, the only waterway near the village was the XiXi River, which ran from the northwest side of the village to the southeast. The direction of watercourse changed greatly at around 1276 due to a huge mountain flood. This mountain flood caused the river flows from the northwest to the south, which is also the direction today. In the 15th century, the Wang family’s social and economical status remarkably rose due to their success in business. As a result, the family started to put more attention on the fengshui of their family village because they believe that an auspicious planning can bring good luck to the family. They hired the most famous fengshui planner at the time to reshape their village. The fengshui planner came up with a comprehensive plan which dealt with the issues of the using water, drainage system, fireproof methods and irrigation.
What is more interesting, the village formed a crounching buffalo-like shape with the mountain and river around it. The Mount Leigang at the north side of the village is the head of the buffalo; the trees on the mountain are the horns of the buffalo; the dam controlling the water volume from the mountain is the mouth of the buffalo; hundreds of meandering streams are the intestines of the buffalo; the man-excavated Moon Pond at the center of the village is the stomach of the buffalo; the South Lake is the belly of the buffalo, since all waters finally converge to there; four bridges across the XiXi River are like the legs of the crouching buffalo. Overall, the Hong village is just like a relaxing buffalo crouching in the mid of the verdant mountain of Huizhou. The fengshui planner intentionally created this resemblance based on certain ecological, cultural implication. Buffalo is the major farming animal in Hong Village. The loyal, hard-working qualities of buffalo are what the Wang family valued and hope their offspring could pass down. Meanwhile, the villagers thought buffalo symbolized harvest and wealth, and they believed that by building their own village in this shape, it can bring them good luck. Despite the superstitious belief, building the village into a buffalo shape do has some ecological implications. Buffalos are famous for their unique digestive system, in which foods are fully digested through two stomach’s rumination. The Moon Pond and the South Lake can be viewed as the first and the second stomachs of the buffalo, where waters coming from hundreds of “intestines” (internal streams) were purified and precipitated first by the Moon Pond and then converge to the South Lake. Although not totally conform to a actual cow digestive system, the planning of Hong Village can be seen as one of the early exploration on bionics.
The existing landscape of the village was high at the north and low in the south. The planner took advantage of the elevation drop and used it to enhance the velocity of waterflow in the man-made streams in the villages. The average velocity of waterflow was as high as 21.6 meters per minute; this high velocity ensured the freshness and cleanness of the stream water. At the foot of the northern mountain, the fengshui planner designed several flood diversion channel, which can channel the mountain flood smoothly to the village. The most remarkable part of the Hong Village water system is its internal man-made water system. This system consists of a half-moon shaped Moon Pond at the center of the village and hundreds of winding streams that go alone every single streets and alleys of the village. These small streams measure 1260 m in total, 700m out of which are relatively wider streams and 500m out of which are the narrower streams. The wider streams are along the main streets of the village and therefore the water flows more rapidly in them, while the narrower streams are located in minor alleys and the water flows slower. The wider streams are seen as the large intestine of the buffalo while the narrower streams are the small intestine. Other components of the internal man-made water system are 8 wells and 22 fish ponds scattered in different residences. They connect the water system with underground water, which provides another source of water to the village. The underground water can also compensate for the river and stream water when they are dry. At the northwest of the village where the Yangzhan River and XiXi River meet, the planner designed a stone dame to separate the internal water system with the external, which can control the volume of water and ensure the smooth flow of the internal system even at the time when the external rivers has high volumes of water.
There were also many smartly planned gadgets in the waterway that maintain the cleanness and freshness of the water system. There were several water outlets at the south side of the South Lake. These outlets can channel water to the farmland in the south of the village to serve as irrigation water. Every internal stream has a wooden filter at the turns of the stream way that can block the trash in the river and prevent children from falling along the stream. Furthermore, the whole internal water system can be totally drained to clean the watercourse regularly. To drain the whole system actually doesn’t need to use any modern pump at all. All that need to do is to closed the dam at the northwest of the village and open the outlets in the south river. In this way the water is naturally drained up because the source is blocked and water converges to the South Lake and XiXi Lake following the gravity.
The village’s custom and water usage rules also played an important role in maintaining the cleanness of the water. There were unwritten rules among the villagers regarding fetching water, using water and disposing water. For example, the water before 8am can only be used for drinking because it is the cleanest water of the day after a night’s precipitation. After 8am, water is allowed to use for laundry and vegetable washing. Water is usually reused and recycled in this process: it is first used for rice and vegetable washing, and then used for watering plants and feeding stock, and then the remaining water goes to the notch in the skywell where it is filtered and transported to the outside water system. Dirty water is not allowed to be disposed to the stream since it requires longer time to filter and purify them. Instead, the villagers disposed dirty water to some clearings and let the soil to filter the water, and then finally became part of the underground water system. Furthermore, the Wang family values the preservation of trees a lot. Trees on Mount Leigang are not allowed to cut at all, and if there were people in the family were found cutting a tree, they will be expelled from family permanently.
I am deeply amazed by the cleverness of people in the 500 years ago after looking into the mechanism of Hong Village’s water system. I am so impressed by how they carefully studied the nature and came up with a series of methods that took the most advantage out of the existing environment without going against the rules and harmony of nature. I guess people in 500 years ago did this partly because they have no other choice—they didn’t have too much technology, and nature is all that they could rely on. They have the strong awareness of taking care of nature because they know if they didn’t do that they cannot live long. Contrary to that, the industrialization made us more and more neglect nature since we believe that technology can achieve anything. It may be no exaggeration to say that modernity made us lazier and more reliant to technology in some ways; we tend to solve a problem by turning to the machines for help without even thinking about if there’s easier natural way. By doing that, we overlooked the original meaning of technology, which is to simplify question rather than complicate it.
However, although the water system and living pattern in Hong Village is highly environmentally friendly, we still could not totally copy and apply it to our current design problems, because many mechanisms may not be applicable to our fast-paced, highly-efficient modern life. Therefore, I guess one inner question of sustainability we should look into today is how to avoid becoming too reliant on technology when we can save energy and do it by nature, while still ensure, or even improve the quality of our life. I believe the answer to this question lies in a better and deeper und
Monday, November 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Huizhou Vernacular Residences: Analysis Diagrams
(click images to enlarge)
Plan and Section of Cheng Zhi Tang (Inherit Ambition Hall)
Plan and Section of Cheng Zhi Tang (Inherit Ambition Hall)
Huizhou Vernacular Residences
Local Environment
Huizhou is located in the sinuous mountain area of southeast China. The climate in this area has a big temperature difference in winter and summer, and the average humidity is very high throughout the year.
The villages in Huizhou usually are situated with their backs and sides embraced by overlapping ranges of verdant mountains and their front facing east towards meandering streams. This setting is considered auspicious according to fengshui, for that this topographic configuration shelters the village from the cold winter winds blowing from the northwest and also facilitates good drainage, while providing an orderly arrangement allows individual dwellings to access to fresh air and warmth of the winter sun.
Social and Historical Background
Since Ming dynasty, Huizhou has been famous for its merchants. They are shrewd, smart and hard-working people, amassing profit from trade and pawnshops. Due to the limitations of the transportation and lack of arable land in their hometown area, Huizhou merchants usually led a sojourning life by doing business in the wealthy cities of the fertile lower Yangtze valley. Always far away from home, Huizhou merchants came to appreciate fine homes, and invest lots of money on refining their ideal home environment. Their life experience in the outside world enabled them to bring cosmopolitan values and patterns back to their tranquil rural villages where they build house as their own retirement sanctuaries. Huizhou merchants especially value the importance of education and respect to ancestors. As a result, the best locations in a village were usually given to schools and ancestor’s hall.
Major Features of Huizhou Residences
High perimeter walls
Limited by the rugged local terrain, Huizhou residences are usually in multistoried compact forms. Buildings are completely enveloped by high fortress-like outer walls. These brick perimeter walls are coated with white plaster and usually does not have any windows or opening to the interior building space except for a highly decorated symmetric front entrance. The high perimeter walls disguise the scale and magnificence of the dwellings inside. Therefore, when you look at a Huizhou residence from outside, it just looks like a big white box full of mystery and the unknown. The outer walls are designed in this way in order to provide security and privacy of the family members—women, children and the elderly—who were left alone by their sojourning husbands and elder brothers.
The large faceless perimeter walls are capped with stepped gables called “horse head walls”, because the rhythmic zig-zag shape of the stepped gables looks like the head of a horse. Horse head walls are stepped at different elevations and serve as a fireproof defensive function that protects the massive load-bearing timber frameworks.
The stepped silhouette of dark horse head gables and the crisp whiteness of the perimeter walls add simplicity, quietness and solemnity to the Huizhou residences. They are also the signature features of Huizhou architecture.
Tianjing (skywell)
The dwelling plan is punctuated with several tianjings or skywells, relatively narrow rectangular voids that open the interior to light, air and rain. Its ground is slightly recessed below the surrounding area, and the perimeter of the tianjing usually has a shallow indented catchment area for collecting rainwater as well as draining any surplus water outside the dwelling. These catchment areas are connected to a drainage system that leads to the larger exterior canal channel. The numbers of tianjings in a traditional Huizhou residence varies according to the size of the house, but the most common form of Huizhou residences has two tianjings—a front tianjing and rear tianjing.
Tianjings have both architectural and social significance. Architecturally, tianjings are the centers of each of their dominated area. The front tianjing and rear tianjing respectively represent the center of the front part and the back part of the house. A big spacious hall is usually facing the tianjing, and this hall has the most important role in the overall building. It is sometimes the main living room, the dining room or the ancestors’ hall where an altar and the portraits of ancestors are displayed. Other rooms are arranged around tianjings according to the order of their importance. The elder people’s bedrooms are usually placed on the second floor above the central hall, facing the tianjing, while the younger people’s bedroom and the guest rooms are placed at the sides of the central bedrooms. For other less important spaces such as kitchen, bathroom, barn house and storage room, there is a single story utility structure adjacent to the main building. This one story addition part has its own external side entrance connecting to the exterior. It is designed so because in traditional Chinese families, servants were usually not allowed to enter the building from the main entrance.
In the densely compact Huizhou residences, tianjings are the only place in the building that one can feel the outside changes in the nature. A small rectangular pool or large water vats are usually placed in the center of the tianjing. They served as rainwater collectors for domestic use as well as reservoirs in case of fire. The space tianjing creates is somewhat like the central courtyard garden in the four-fided courtyard residences in Beijing. However, tianjing is different from a central courtyard garden in that, its ground is typically paved with inlaid dressed stone while courtyard gardens have soil on the ground which can directly plant plants. However, even without soil and as many plants as the garden in Beijing residences, tianjing still creats an elegant microcosm of nature with potted plants and fishes in the pools. Compared with the courtyard gardens in Beijing courtyard residences, tianjing creates a beauty that is more subtle, controlled and elegant, which is somewhat like the concept of Japanese zen garden.
In a larger residence there may have as many as nine tianjings, such as the case in the most famous Huizhou residence, Chen Zhi Tang (Hall of Inheriting Ambition). Besides the central tianjings which serve as the same central layout purpose as in small scale residences, there are small tianjings scatter around the sides of the house. These small tianjings sometimes include a pool of water that is connected to the drainage system outside, and surrounding overhanging benches which provide an area for relaxation and contemplation. Small tianjing sometimes may simply be a square of clearing with nothing in it, or a small clearing area with a big potted plant. The different ways tianjing spaces are untilized reflect different personalities of this relative space .
On the third level, the roofs have the intersecting layers of clay tiles. Each of the four roof slopes surrounding the tianjing leads water into the tianjing where it falls to the ground, in the process affirming the local fengshui maxim “si shui gui tang” or “the four waters return to the hall.” Like a tall container of water, the house metaphorically express that wealth will accumulate in the residence and not be dissipated by flowing outward.
Tianjings are also activity hubs of the family. The front tianjing are sometimes used as large banquet and ceremony space, while the rear tianjing is a more private family gathering space where children played, woman worked, and old family members enjoy the warm sunlight.
Decoration
Stone, brick and wood carvings are three kinds of major decorations in Huizhou residences. Stone and brick carvings are typically seen in the entrance spandrels, partition walls and screens. Wood carvings can be found in the supporting beams of building. Since the buildings are all wooden structure, the richly carved wooden beams served dual functions of supporting and decoration. The contents of the carving usually include some Chinese traditional tales with auspicious meanings.
The partition door panels and windows are also skillfully crafted. They not only enhance the ornamentation of the building but also control the flow of air and light into the enclosed spaces. Also worth mentioning is that these intricately carved wooden doors can be removed in order to integrate the interior and exterior spaces, which enhances the versatility of the interior space.
The central corridor around the tianjing on the second floor is not directly exposed to the central opening space, but closed by carved lattice windows. This design provides multiple options to the residents in controlling the sunlight, wind and rain at a time when glass windows were very rare. Even in the winter time when the windows are totally closed in order to resist the cold, the small apertures in the windows can allow the exchange of fresh air and sunlight.
Huizhou is located in the sinuous mountain area of southeast China. The climate in this area has a big temperature difference in winter and summer, and the average humidity is very high throughout the year.
The villages in Huizhou usually are situated with their backs and sides embraced by overlapping ranges of verdant mountains and their front facing east towards meandering streams. This setting is considered auspicious according to fengshui, for that this topographic configuration shelters the village from the cold winter winds blowing from the northwest and also facilitates good drainage, while providing an orderly arrangement allows individual dwellings to access to fresh air and warmth of the winter sun.Social and Historical Background
Since Ming dynasty, Huizhou has been famous for its merchants. They are shrewd, smart and hard-working people, amassing profit from trade and pawnshops. Due to the limitations of the transportation and lack of arable land in their hometown area, Huizhou merchants usually led a sojourning life by doing business in the wealthy cities of the fertile lower Yangtze valley. Always far away from home, Huizhou merchants came to appreciate fine homes, and invest lots of money on refining their ideal home environment. Their life experience in the outside world enabled them to bring cosmopolitan values and patterns back to their tranquil rural villages where they build house as their own retirement sanctuaries. Huizhou merchants especially value the importance of education and respect to ancestors. As a result, the best locations in a village were usually given to schools and ancestor’s hall.
Major Features of Huizhou Residences
High perimeter walls
Limited by the rugged local terrain, Huizhou residences are usually in multistoried compact forms. Buildings are completely enveloped by high fortress-like outer walls. These brick perimeter walls are coated with white plaster and usually does not have any windows or opening to the interior building space except for a highly decorated symmetric front entrance. The high perimeter walls disguise the scale and magnificence of the dwellings inside. Therefore, when you look at a Huizhou residence from outside, it just looks like a big white box full of mystery and the unknown. The outer walls are designed in this way in order to provide security and privacy of the family members—women, children and the elderly—who were left alone by their sojourning husbands and elder brothers.The large faceless perimeter walls are capped with stepped gables called “horse head walls”, because the rhythmic zig-zag shape of the stepped gables looks like the head of a horse. Horse head walls are stepped at different elevations and serve as a fireproof defensive function that protects the massive load-bearing timber frameworks.
The stepped silhouette of dark horse head gables and the crisp whiteness of the perimeter walls add simplicity, quietness and solemnity to the Huizhou residences. They are also the signature features of Huizhou architecture.
Tianjing (skywell)
The dwelling plan is punctuated with several tianjings or skywells, relatively narrow rectangular voids that open the interior to light, air and rain. Its ground is slightly recessed below the surrounding area, and the perimeter of the tianjing usually has a shallow indented catchment area for collecting rainwater as well as draining any surplus water outside the dwelling. These catchment areas are connected to a drainage system that leads to the larger exterior canal channel. The numbers of tianjings in a traditional Huizhou residence varies according to the size of the house, but the most common form of Huizhou residences has two tianjings—a front tianjing and rear tianjing.
Tianjings have both architectural and social significance. Architecturally, tianjings are the centers of each of their dominated area. The front tianjing and rear tianjing respectively represent the center of the front part and the back part of the house. A big spacious hall is usually facing the tianjing, and this hall has the most important role in the overall building. It is sometimes the main living room, the dining room or the ancestors’ hall where an altar and the portraits of ancestors are displayed. Other rooms are arranged around tianjings according to the order of their importance. The elder people’s bedrooms are usually placed on the second floor above the central hall, facing the tianjing, while the younger people’s bedroom and the guest rooms are placed at the sides of the central bedrooms. For other less important spaces such as kitchen, bathroom, barn house and storage room, there is a single story utility structure adjacent to the main building. This one story addition part has its own external side entrance connecting to the exterior. It is designed so because in traditional Chinese families, servants were usually not allowed to enter the building from the main entrance.
In the densely compact Huizhou residences, tianjings are the only place in the building that one can feel the outside changes in the nature. A small rectangular pool or large water vats are usually placed in the center of the tianjing. They served as rainwater collectors for domestic use as well as reservoirs in case of fire. The space tianjing creates is somewhat like the central courtyard garden in the four-fided courtyard residences in Beijing. However, tianjing is different from a central courtyard garden in that, its ground is typically paved with inlaid dressed stone while courtyard gardens have soil on the ground which can directly plant plants. However, even without soil and as many plants as the garden in Beijing residences, tianjing still creats an elegant microcosm of nature with potted plants and fishes in the pools. Compared with the courtyard gardens in Beijing courtyard residences, tianjing creates a beauty that is more subtle, controlled and elegant, which is somewhat like the concept of Japanese zen garden.
In a larger residence there may have as many as nine tianjings, such as the case in the most famous Huizhou residence, Chen Zhi Tang (Hall of Inheriting Ambition). Besides the central tianjings which serve as the same central layout purpose as in small scale residences, there are small tianjings scatter around the sides of the house. These small tianjings sometimes include a pool of water that is connected to the drainage system outside, and surrounding overhanging benches which provide an area for relaxation and contemplation. Small tianjing sometimes may simply be a square of clearing with nothing in it, or a small clearing area with a big potted plant. The different ways tianjing spaces are untilized reflect different personalities of this relative space .On the third level, the roofs have the intersecting layers of clay tiles. Each of the four roof slopes surrounding the tianjing leads water into the tianjing where it falls to the ground, in the process affirming the local fengshui maxim “si shui gui tang” or “the four waters return to the hall.” Like a tall container of water, the house metaphorically express that wealth will accumulate in the residence and not be dissipated by flowing outward.
Tianjings are also activity hubs of the family. The front tianjing are sometimes used as large banquet and ceremony space, while the rear tianjing is a more private family gathering space where children played, woman worked, and old family members enjoy the warm sunlight.Decoration
Stone, brick and wood carvings are three kinds of major decorations in Huizhou residences. Stone and brick carvings are typically seen in the entrance spandrels, partition walls and screens. Wood carvings can be found in the supporting beams of building. Since the buildings are all wooden structure, the richly carved wooden beams served dual functions of supporting and decoration. The contents of the carving usually include some Chinese traditional tales with auspicious meanings.The partition door panels and windows are also skillfully crafted. They not only enhance the ornamentation of the building but also control the flow of air and light into the enclosed spaces. Also worth mentioning is that these intricately carved wooden doors can be removed in order to integrate the interior and exterior spaces, which enhances the versatility of the interior space.
The central corridor around the tianjing on the second floor is not directly exposed to the central opening space, but closed by carved lattice windows. This design provides multiple options to the residents in controlling the sunlight, wind and rain at a time when glass windows were very rare. Even in the winter time when the windows are totally closed in order to resist the cold, the small apertures in the windows can allow the exchange of fresh air and sunlight.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Four Major Categories of Chinese Vernacular Architecture
The following is my own categorizing of the various forms of Chinese vernacular residences.
I. Central Plain Courtyard Style
This category of vernacular residences usually situated in a relative mild and plain climate and landscape, which enables it to develop into a strong social order belief/philosophy. This philosophy is most obviously embodied in the layout of the architectures. Some common features of the layouts include: symmetric distribution of buildings along a central axis, rigorous rectangular courtyard with enclosed sidewalls, a sequential progression in the height of buildings, the distribution of the room purpose according to certain social order and fengshui.
This category includes residences of:
1. Courtyard Houses in Beijing
2. Shanxi Residences
3. Red-brick Dwellings in Quanzhou
4. Houses of Bai Nationality
The slight difference within this category is shown in decoration and local materials.
II. River/Lake Area Style
This category includes reidences of:
1. Huizhou Residential Buildings, Anhui Province
2. Jiangnan Canal Houses, Jiangsu Province & Zhejiang Province
3. Lijiang Residential Buildings, Yunnan Province
III. Defense Style in the Mountainous Areas
1. Earthen Buildings in Fujian Province
2. Fortified Compound in Southern Jiangxi Province
3. U-Shaped Fortified Compounds of the Hakka people
4. Kaiping Fortified Buildings, Guangdong Province
5. Tibetan Fortified Manor House
These houses all share a common trait in their high, tough and austere exterior which mainly serves for the defense purpose. Specific forms and materials vary according to local material and culture.
IV. Local Environment-Oriented Style
1. Cave Dwellings in Shaanxi Province
2. Flagstone Buildings in Guizhou Province
3. Korean Residential Buildings, Northeastern China
4. Mongolian Yurts
5. Uygurs Residential Buidings, Xinjiang Province
6. Houses on Stilts, Southwestern China
I. Central Plain Courtyard Style
This category of vernacular residences usually situated in a relative mild and plain climate and landscape, which enables it to develop into a strong social order belief/philosophy. This philosophy is most obviously embodied in the layout of the architectures. Some common features of the layouts include: symmetric distribution of buildings along a central axis, rigorous rectangular courtyard with enclosed sidewalls, a sequential progression in the height of buildings, the distribution of the room purpose according to certain social order and fengshui.
This category includes residences of:
1. Courtyard Houses in Beijing
2. Shanxi Residences
3. Red-brick Dwellings in Quanzhou
4. Houses of Bai Nationality
The slight difference within this category is shown in decoration and local materials.
II. River/Lake Area Style
This category includes reidences of:
1. Huizhou Residential Buildings, Anhui Province
2. Jiangnan Canal Houses, Jiangsu Province & Zhejiang Province
3. Lijiang Residential Buildings, Yunnan Province
III. Defense Style in the Mountainous Areas
1. Earthen Buildings in Fujian Province
2. Fortified Compound in Southern Jiangxi Province
3. U-Shaped Fortified Compounds of the Hakka people
4. Kaiping Fortified Buildings, Guangdong Province
5. Tibetan Fortified Manor House
These houses all share a common trait in their high, tough and austere exterior which mainly serves for the defense purpose. Specific forms and materials vary according to local material and culture.
IV. Local Environment-Oriented Style
1. Cave Dwellings in Shaanxi Province
2. Flagstone Buildings in Guizhou Province
3. Korean Residential Buildings, Northeastern China
4. Mongolian Yurts
5. Uygurs Residential Buidings, Xinjiang Province
6. Houses on Stilts, Southwestern China
Major Architectural Forms of Chinese Residences, pt.I
Start to read Traditional Chinese Residences by Qijun Wang . Wang is an expert in Chinese vernacular architecture, he did a lot of on-site research on various Chinese traditional residence forms. I've read his book A Pictorial Analysis on Chinese Traditional Residences during this past summer.
I'll start to summarize the major architectural forms Wang talked about in his book in this and the following blog entries.
The Courtyard Houses of Beijing
The courtyard Houses of Beijing can be seem as the most representative type of Chinese traditional courtyard houses. It has a special emphasis on the buildings' layout. The layout follows the philosophy of symmetry along a central axis, showing the orderly atmosphere of the family, which embodies the traditional Chinese ethics of respect for elders.
Here's a birdview of the Beijing Courtyard House, from which we could clearly see the layout and arrangements of architectures.
Qixian County Residences, Shanxi Province
Qixian County, like Beijing, is also in the Central Plain of China. In history, people in Qixian County has been traditionally engaged in business, which provided them enough funds to build highly polished architecture. Architecture in Qixian County can be regarded as the best representative of vernacular architectures in Shanxi Province. They usually has the following features: 1) High surronding walls of 4 or 5 stories' high. These walls are usually made of bricks and are windowless, which serves as a strong defense purpose. 2) Main buildings have pent roofs, allowing rainwater to flow towards the courtyeard. 3) The rectangular courtyards are long from north to south while narrow from east to west, and the gate is often positioned in the southeast corner. Shanxi traditional residences are usually more highly decorated compared with the Beijing courtyards. They uses a lot of exquisite carving, which is different from the color painting decorations of Beijing courtyards.
Cave Dwellings, Shaanxi Province
The local nature environment is dry, windy and has a lot of adobe. This natural environment gives rise to the form and color of the vernacular dwellings of Shaanxi Province. There are 3 types of Shaanxi Cave dwellings. The first is constructed by digging horizontally into the loess cliff'; the second is built by digging into the ground to make a large courtyard and then digging caves in the walls around it; the third is an earth-sheltered brick house on the ground in the shape of a cave dwelling.
Southern Anhui Province Residential Buildings
The biggest feature of Southern Anhui residential buildings are white wall, black roof tiles and step gables. Its black and white tone blend harmoniously with the local nature of green mountains and blue ponds. The Southern Anhui residential buildings have a lot of emphasis on the planning of the overall village. They employed a lot of ideas of Fengshui in the village planning and also showed the strong sense of the order in family and society in traditional China.
Residential Buildings in the Southern Region of Rivers and Lakes, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province (Jiangzhe Area)
The form of the residential buildings in Jiangzhe Area is very similar to that in Southern Anhui Province, with black and white colors. The local landscape of lakes and rivers makes residential buildings in that area pay more attention to its relation with water. Water as circulation path, water for daily use, water as natural dividors, etc. The architecture and planning of Jiangzhe Area are sometimes compared to "Oriental Vienice" by Chinese.
I'll start to summarize the major architectural forms Wang talked about in his book in this and the following blog entries.
The Courtyard Houses of Beijing
The courtyard Houses of Beijing can be seem as the most representative type of Chinese traditional courtyard houses. It has a special emphasis on the buildings' layout. The layout follows the philosophy of symmetry along a central axis, showing the orderly atmosphere of the family, which embodies the traditional Chinese ethics of respect for elders.Here's a birdview of the Beijing Courtyard House, from which we could clearly see the layout and arrangements of architectures.
Qixian County Residences, Shanxi Province
Qixian County, like Beijing, is also in the Central Plain of China. In history, people in Qixian County has been traditionally engaged in business, which provided them enough funds to build highly polished architecture. Architecture in Qixian County can be regarded as the best representative of vernacular architectures in Shanxi Province. They usually has the following features: 1) High surronding walls of 4 or 5 stories' high. These walls are usually made of bricks and are windowless, which serves as a strong defense purpose. 2) Main buildings have pent roofs, allowing rainwater to flow towards the courtyeard. 3) The rectangular courtyards are long from north to south while narrow from east to west, and the gate is often positioned in the southeast corner. Shanxi traditional residences are usually more highly decorated compared with the Beijing courtyards. They uses a lot of exquisite carving, which is different from the color painting decorations of Beijing courtyards.
Cave Dwellings, Shaanxi Province
The local nature environment is dry, windy and has a lot of adobe. This natural environment gives rise to the form and color of the vernacular dwellings of Shaanxi Province. There are 3 types of Shaanxi Cave dwellings. The first is constructed by digging horizontally into the loess cliff'; the second is built by digging into the ground to make a large courtyard and then digging caves in the walls around it; the third is an earth-sheltered brick house on the ground in the shape of a cave dwelling.
Southern Anhui Province Residential Buildings
The biggest feature of Southern Anhui residential buildings are white wall, black roof tiles and step gables. Its black and white tone blend harmoniously with the local nature of green mountains and blue ponds. The Southern Anhui residential buildings have a lot of emphasis on the planning of the overall village. They employed a lot of ideas of Fengshui in the village planning and also showed the strong sense of the order in family and society in traditional China.
Residential Buildings in the Southern Region of Rivers and Lakes, Jiangsu Province and Zhejiang Province (Jiangzhe Area)
The form of the residential buildings in Jiangzhe Area is very similar to that in Southern Anhui Province, with black and white colors. The local landscape of lakes and rivers makes residential buildings in that area pay more attention to its relation with water. Water as circulation path, water for daily use, water as natural dividors, etc. The architecture and planning of Jiangzhe Area are sometimes compared to "Oriental Vienice" by Chinese.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Major Architectral forms of Chinese residences pt.II
6. Red-brick Dwellings in Quanzhou
The red-brick dwellings in Quanzhou are built with red bricks and tiles, which are its local materials. The main form of the residences is quadrangle, and retains many characteristics of the residences in the Central Plain. The Quanzhou dwellings uses a lot of stone carvings as decoration.
7. Earthen Buildings in Fujian Province
Earthen Buildings in Fujian Province has a lot of different shapes, such as square, round, swastika-shaped and half-moon-shaped. Among all of these shapes, round earthen building is the most common one. A earthen building is usually a large, enclosed and fortified earth building, rectangular or circular in configuration, with very thick load-bearing rammed earth walls between three and five stories high and housing up to 80 families. Smaller interior buildings are often enclosed by these huge peripheral walls which can contain halls, storehouses, wells and living areas, the whole structure resembling a small fortified city.
This unique building structure is formed due to certain historical and social condition. During 12th Century to 19th Century, armed bandits plagued southern China. Local residents of Fujian built up high-walled buildings for a defense purpose.
8. Fortified Compound in Southern Jiangxi Province
The Fortified Compounds in Southern Jiangxi Province are very similar to the square Earthen Buildings in Fujian, but usually have corner towers. The materials of the Fortified Compound in Jiangxi are also slightly different: it usually has gray or white exterior walls and black tiles, which is close to the outlook of the vernacular residences in Jiangzhe area.
9. The U-shaped Compounds of the Hakka, Guangdong Province
The U-shaped Compounds of the Hakka are rammed earth buildings which contains scores to over a hundred rooms. One feature of the Hakka U-Shaped compounds is that its wall is extremely solid and enduring, which is even hard to hammer a nail into them. The walls are as thick as 30 cm and were built with a mixture of lime, mud, sand and proper quantity of sticky rice and brown sugar. The materials for building the walls are all very common in Guangdong Province. Just like the Fujiang Earthen Buildings, the U-Shaped Compounds of the Hakka is also a product of the needs of living, defense and production of a special historic period.
10. Fortified Buildings in Kaiping, Guangdong Province
The Fortified Buildings in Kaiping is a perfect hybrid of conventional Chinese residences with courtyards and fortified buildings, and western architectural characteristics. During 19th Century, a lot of Chinese in Guangdong Province immigrated to western countries to seek a living. After they made enough money abroad, they usually invest them on building their own family house in their hometown. As a result, they also brings a lot of western art and architectural styles and elements to the local buildings.
11. Flagstone Buildings in Guizhou Province
Guizhou Province is located in the hilly terrain of Yun-Gui Plateau. Flagstone buildings take the materials from the rocky mountains, and are built in a wooden structure wrapped in stone walls and a stone roof. The roofing of the flagstone buildings is especially unique: it is roofed with 2 cm thick stone plates serving as tiles.
12. Residential Buildings of the Koreans
The Korean Nationality in northeast China has a very characteristic residential form that well suits its cold climate. Most residents have a hipped thatch roof and wide ridges. The interior of the building has a very special air circulation path, which ensures the heat of the interior.
The red-brick dwellings in Quanzhou are built with red bricks and tiles, which are its local materials. The main form of the residences is quadrangle, and retains many characteristics of the residences in the Central Plain. The Quanzhou dwellings uses a lot of stone carvings as decoration.7. Earthen Buildings in Fujian Province
This unique building structure is formed due to certain historical and social condition. During 12th Century to 19th Century, armed bandits plagued southern China. Local residents of Fujian built up high-walled buildings for a defense purpose.
8. Fortified Compound in Southern Jiangxi Province
The Fortified Compounds in Southern Jiangxi Province are very similar to the square Earthen Buildings in Fujian, but usually have corner towers. The materials of the Fortified Compound in Jiangxi are also slightly different: it usually has gray or white exterior walls and black tiles, which is close to the outlook of the vernacular residences in Jiangzhe area.9. The U-shaped Compounds of the Hakka, Guangdong Province
The U-shaped Compounds of the Hakka are rammed earth buildings which contains scores to over a hundred rooms. One feature of the Hakka U-Shaped compounds is that its wall is extremely solid and enduring, which is even hard to hammer a nail into them. The walls are as thick as 30 cm and were built with a mixture of lime, mud, sand and proper quantity of sticky rice and brown sugar. The materials for building the walls are all very common in Guangdong Province. Just like the Fujiang Earthen Buildings, the U-Shaped Compounds of the Hakka is also a product of the needs of living, defense and production of a special historic period.
10. Fortified Buildings in Kaiping, Guangdong Province
The Fortified Buildings in Kaiping is a perfect hybrid of conventional Chinese residences with courtyards and fortified buildings, and western architectural characteristics. During 19th Century, a lot of Chinese in Guangdong Province immigrated to western countries to seek a living. After they made enough money abroad, they usually invest them on building their own family house in their hometown. As a result, they also brings a lot of western art and architectural styles and elements to the local buildings.
11. Flagstone Buildings in Guizhou Province
Guizhou Province is located in the hilly terrain of Yun-Gui Plateau. Flagstone buildings take the materials from the rocky mountains, and are built in a wooden structure wrapped in stone walls and a stone roof. The roofing of the flagstone buildings is especially unique: it is roofed with 2 cm thick stone plates serving as tiles.
12. Residential Buildings of the Koreans
The Korean Nationality in northeast China has a very characteristic residential form that well suits its cold climate. Most residents have a hipped thatch roof and wide ridges. The interior of the building has a very special air circulation path, which ensures the heat of the interior.Thursday, October 22, 2009
Major Architectral forms of Chinese residences pt.III
13. Mongolian Yurts
Mongolian Yurts is a temporary building structure that fits the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolian herdsmen. It covers a circular area with a vault at the top. It usually fronts the east where the sun rises, thus preventing the west wind from blowing into the yurt. Meanwhile, the streamline of the yurt reduces the force of the wind from any direction. It only takes less than half an hour for Mongolian herdsmen to set up a yurt.
14. Uygurs Residential Buildings
Uygur is a nationality in Xinjiang Province, northwestern China, which is same to the Uygur ethnic group in central Asia countries. The residential buildings of the Uygurs has extra thick walls which prenvent the high temperature difference during day and night. The buildings has no side window, but only front windows and skylights as a way to prevent temperature difference. The area has rare rains, so the structure and material of Uygurs residential buildings are wooden frame with adobe walls. The interior of the buildings are splendidly decorated with plasters and plywood relief works.
15. Houses on Stils (Overhanging Houses) in Yunnan Province
The humid, hot climate of Yunnan Province makes the local people lift their houses from the damp ground. They usually use local materials such as bamboo and wood to build the stilts structure. Another purpose of lifting up the building is to protect residents against beasts. Overhanging Houses usually has roof with large eaves to block the strong solar radiation of that area. The interior of the building does not have good lighting, but has very good ventilation.
16. Lijiang Residential Building
Lijiang Residential Buildings are built by the Naxi nationality, and its style is a combination of central plain, Bai nationality and Tibet. The local landscape of Lijiang has streams running across the city. The Naxi people maximize the use of water by unique planning techniques.
17. Houses of Bai Nationality
There are two typical forms of Bai Houses: one is a courtyard with two storied buildings on three sides and a screen wall on the other; the other is a rectangular five-courtyard houses. The arrangement and layout methos of Bai Houses is pretty similar to that of the central plain architectures such as Beijing Courtyards. The major feature that distinguishes Bai Houses from central plain courtyards is its colorful and exquisite exterior decorations. The Houses of Bai are also built in a way that suits the local windy climate anf frequent earthquakes.
18. Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses
The typical style of Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is a 3 or 4 storied high houses built with thick enclosing walls. The windows of the houses are usually open toward the central courtyard. The windows and doors openning outside are usually very small and narrow. This design served for two purpose: denfense and keeping out the cold wind.
The interior plan of the Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is also very interesting. The first floor is used for storage, the second floor for living, and the third floor for religious worship and grain storage. This relects the Tibetan people's social and religious pattern.
Mongolian Yurts is a temporary building structure that fits the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolian herdsmen. It covers a circular area with a vault at the top. It usually fronts the east where the sun rises, thus preventing the west wind from blowing into the yurt. Meanwhile, the streamline of the yurt reduces the force of the wind from any direction. It only takes less than half an hour for Mongolian herdsmen to set up a yurt.
14. Uygurs Residential Buildings
Uygur is a nationality in Xinjiang Province, northwestern China, which is same to the Uygur ethnic group in central Asia countries. The residential buildings of the Uygurs has extra thick walls which prenvent the high temperature difference during day and night. The buildings has no side window, but only front windows and skylights as a way to prevent temperature difference. The area has rare rains, so the structure and material of Uygurs residential buildings are wooden frame with adobe walls. The interior of the buildings are splendidly decorated with plasters and plywood relief works.
15. Houses on Stils (Overhanging Houses) in Yunnan Province
The humid, hot climate of Yunnan Province makes the local people lift their houses from the damp ground. They usually use local materials such as bamboo and wood to build the stilts structure. Another purpose of lifting up the building is to protect residents against beasts. Overhanging Houses usually has roof with large eaves to block the strong solar radiation of that area. The interior of the building does not have good lighting, but has very good ventilation.16. Lijiang Residential Building
Lijiang Residential Buildings are built by the Naxi nationality, and its style is a combination of central plain, Bai nationality and Tibet. The local landscape of Lijiang has streams running across the city. The Naxi people maximize the use of water by unique planning techniques.
17. Houses of Bai Nationality
There are two typical forms of Bai Houses: one is a courtyard with two storied buildings on three sides and a screen wall on the other; the other is a rectangular five-courtyard houses. The arrangement and layout methos of Bai Houses is pretty similar to that of the central plain architectures such as Beijing Courtyards. The major feature that distinguishes Bai Houses from central plain courtyards is its colorful and exquisite exterior decorations. The Houses of Bai are also built in a way that suits the local windy climate anf frequent earthquakes.
18. Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses
The typical style of Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is a 3 or 4 storied high houses built with thick enclosing walls. The windows of the houses are usually open toward the central courtyard. The windows and doors openning outside are usually very small and narrow. This design served for two purpose: denfense and keeping out the cold wind.
The interior plan of the Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is also very interesting. The first floor is used for storage, the second floor for living, and the third floor for religious worship and grain storage. This relects the Tibetan people's social and religious pattern.
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