Architectural characteristics of Beijing Hutong houses
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Siheyuan is a traditional residential form in Beijing. Typical courtyards are made of blue bricks and gray tiles, with jade steps and red couplets. The walls are polished with bricks and seams, and the craftsmanship is exquisite. The reason why it is called "Siheyuan" is because this kind of residential building has houses in the east, south, west and north directions, which are enclosed together to form a courtyard.
Siheyuan ranges in size from large to small. But its basic architectural form is the same, and it is composed of the basic unit of a courtyard. This basic unit, called a Yijin Siheyuan, is a courtyard surrounded by houses on four sides. Among the houses on the four sides, the north room is the main room, the east and west sides are the wing rooms, and the south room is called the reverse room. The main room and side rooms of a courtyard are generally connected by a chaoshou veranda, which is both a passage for people to walk and a place for people to rest. By analogy, two courtyards constitute a two-entry quadrangle, three courtyards constitute a three-entry quadrangle, and the palace residence can have as many as seven or nine-entry courtyards. In addition to the main courtyard on the middle road, there are also east-west courtyards on both sides, with overlapping courtyards, front corridors and back buildings. There are courtyards inside the courtyard and gardens outside the courtyard. The courtyards and gardens are connected. It is the so-called "deep courtyard", such as Prince Kung's Mansion, which is listed as a national key cultural relics protection unit. , Fujun Prince’s Mansion, etc.
Siheyuan is also widely used in residential buildings all over the country. Among them, the courtyards in Beijing are very typical in their regular shape, while the courtyards in other regions have different characteristics due to differences in climate environment, amount of land, building materials, and construction levels. First of all, the central courtyard of a Beijing courtyard is basically a square in plan view. The courtyard of courtyard houses in Shanxi and Shaanxi is a vertical rectangle that is long from north to south and narrow from east to west. However, the courtyards of courtyards in Sichuan and other places are mostly long from east to west. A horizontal rectangle with narrow north and south sides. Secondly, the houses in the east, west, south and north directions of a Beijing courtyard are independent of each other. The east and west wing rooms are not connected to the main house and the reverse building itself. What connects these houses is only the verandah at the corner, and the main house and wing rooms are not connected to each other. , Huaizuo and other houses are all one-story bungalows. In many quadrangle courtyards in the south, most of the houses on the four sides are buildings, and the houses are connected at the four corners of the courtyard. The houses on the east, west, south and north sides do not exist independently. In addition, the courtyard in Beijing is a real courtyard, which is spacious and open, with abundant sunlight and a wide view, while the southern courtyard is very small and is called a "patio".
Siheyuan-style residences have a history of more than 2,000 years in our country. Its prototype was produced in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The architectural ruins of the Western Zhou Dynasty in Qishan Fengchu are rectangular in plan. The central axis is the doorway, front hall, and back room from south to north. There are corridors connecting the front hall and the back room. Both sides of the courtyard are It is a neat courtyard with wing rooms connected front to back and two courtyards in the middle. This is the earliest courtyard courtyard discovered so far. By the Han Dynasty, the development of this kind of four-in-one courtyard was very common. The courtyards on the Eastern Han Dynasty portrait bricks unearthed in Chengdu clearly show the layout of a quadrangle. Wubao-style quadrangle courtyards can also be seen in Han Ming vessels. The historical data on courtyard-style residences in the Sui, Tang, and Song Dynasties are even richer. This form of residence can be seen in paintings, murals, and silk paintings. The typical courtyard layout can be seen in the large residences in the Song Dynasty painting "Wen Ji Returns to the Han" and in the small and medium-sized residences in Wang Ximeng's "Thousands of Miles of Rivers and Mountains".
The large-scale construction of courtyard houses in Beijing can be traced back to the Yuan Dynasty. The capital of the Yuan Dynasty was Beijing, which had epoch-making significance for Beijing's urban construction. The construction of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty included large-scale residential buildings, and courtyard houses were a basic form of residential buildings. According to the "History of the Yuan Dynasty: The Benji of Shizu", in the second month of Renxu in the 22nd year of the Yuan Dynasty (1285), Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, "ordered the residents of the old city to move to the capital in order to provide them with high incomes and jobs (note: rich People and those who are officials in the court are given priority, and the land is still divided into eight acres. Those who have more than eight acres of land and are unable to build a house are not allowed to pretend to be the emperor and let the people build a house."
The residences of the Ming Dynasty followed the form of the courtyard houses of the Yuan Dynasty. However, the Ming Dynasty made strict regulations on the system, scale, and color of residential buildings for people from all walks of life. For example, in the 26th year of Hongwu's customs, officials were not allowed to build houses with hills and corners, double eaves, heavy chess sets, or painted caissons; the common people's houses could only have three rooms and five shelves, and they were not allowed to use Dougong or colorful decorations.
The residential buildings in Beijing during the Qing Dynasty inherited and developed the courtyard house. In particular, palace-style houses have been developed to the extreme. This kind of courtyard inherits the characteristics of ancient palace architecture in terms of regulation and layout. It is a large and medium-sized courtyard with two, three or even multiple courtyards, which is grand and luxurious. At present, the main remains in Beijing are courtyard houses from the Qing Dynasty.
The reason why courtyard houses have been developed and perfected in Beijing and become a representative residential building is closely related to Beijing’s natural environment and social culture. Beijing is located in North China, so the main function of residential buildings is to solve the problems of cold protection and heat preservation in winter. North China has strong winds, with cold winds coming from the northwest in winter and southeast winds in summer. Siheyuan faces south with the door opening to the south, so it can avoid the biting cold wind in winter and enjoy the coolness in the wind in summer. At the same time, the courtyards of Beijing courtyards are relatively spacious, which is conducive to receiving more sunlight in winter and conducive to ventilation in summer. The center of the old Beijing courtyard. One or several large fish tanks are often placed. This is also because Beijing is relatively short of water. First, it is for viewing, second, it can regulate the air, and third, it has the function of fire prevention.
Since the large-scale construction of Dadu in the Yuan Dynasty. This forms the urban layout of Beijing with a chessboard structure, with streets in the north and south and lanes in the east and west. The main functions of the streets are transportation and trade. The lanes are what we call hutongs, which are passages connecting homes. A standard Beijing courtyard should be a rectangular courtyard that is slightly longer from north to south and faces south. It is arranged exactly between the east-west alleys, with the main door opening to the alley south of the house. The influence of Confucian culture on ordering elders and younger ones and distinguishing between superior and inferior is also reflected in the internal layout of the courtyard: the main room with the best location in the inner house is for the older generation of masters and wives, while the east and west wing rooms are occupied by the younger generations, and the rear and The house is mainly for women or maids who have not left the house.
Privacy is also an important factor that must be considered when building a courtyard. The Beijing area has always been a battleground for various ruling groups in history. Amid regime changes and social unrest, Beijingers chose the Siheyuan as a peaceful home away from the world. Except for the main door that communicates with the outside world, there are generally no windows in the courtyard. Only the south room has small windows high above the ground for lighting. Therefore, as long as the door is closed, a small closed environment will be formed in the courtyard. This relatively closed environment gives the reserved Chinese people a strong sense of security.
The architectural concept and cultural connotation of the courtyard constitute the spirit of the courtyard. The architectural concept of the courtyard house comes from the patriarchal system and the architectural Feng Shui theory that have been formed in our country for thousands of years.
The patriarchal system in ancient my country is centered on the family and distinguishes relatives according to the distance of blood. It is reflected in the form of living, that is, living together as a family, and then forming a courtyard in the form of a courtyard. It clearly embodies the ancient Society has an orderly hierarchy of elders and younger ones, distinctions between top and bottom, and distinctions between inside and outside. Not only that, the courtyard house also has the important function of maintaining cohesion within the clan, strengthening family ties, and reflecting the different statuses of clan members.
The construction and design of traditional courtyard houses are mainly based on Feng Shui. For example, a standard courtyard house is a rectangular courtyard that faces south and is long from north to south and short from east to west, and the gate is opened in the southeast corner of the house. These are the "Kanzhai Xunmen" often referred to in the Bagua directions. "Kan" is due north and occupies the water level. Building a house in this direction can avoid fires. "Xun" is in the southeast direction and occupies the wind position. Opening the door here is for smooth and safe entry and exit.
Hutongs and courtyard houses are the main residential styles in Beijing and an important part of Beijing culture. They typically embody the values and lifestyle that have been formed in Beijing over a long period of time. That is, being closed-minded, content with the status quo, forbearing, focusing on family and neighborhood relationships, etc.
Traditional Beijingers are relatively closed-minded, and the courtyard house is a box. The ideal home for Beijingers is a "detached house". Once the door is closed, it immediately enters the state of "everyone sweeps the snow in front of their own door and doesn't care about the frost on other people's tiles." Traditional Beijingers are relatively content with the status quo and do not care about the material things in life. Not too demanding.
Radish, cabbage, and pickled tofu can satisfy: Traditional Beijingers attach great importance to family, and courtyards are suitable for large families to live together. Even small courtyards can meet the basic requirements of three or even four generations living under one roof. The hall and courtyard are places for family gatherings. ; Traditional Beijingers attach great importance to neighborhood relations and believe that "distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors." Therefore, at weddings and funerals, they have to "follow" a few "members" and express happiness or annoyance.
Today, we protect the Siheyuan as a cultural relic, not only to protect its shape, but more importantly, to continue and develop the essence of the Siheyuan’s cultural connotation and architectural concepts that are worthy of promotion and inheritance. Although the patriarchal system that dominated China for thousands of years completely collapsed after the mid-20th century, architectural Feng Shui has also been integrated and replaced by modern technology. However, some excellent living concepts such as "harmonious living" and "healthy living" embodied in buildings such as courtyards still need to be inherited and carried forward.
The concepts of orderly ordering of elders and children and maintaining family ties advocated by courtyard houses can be carried forward and developed as the basis for the concept of harmonious living in modern society. Today, with the continuous improvement of living conditions, people are living in high-rise buildings, and these reinforced concrete jungles seem cold and lacking in family affection. Not only is there a lack of communication between neighbors, but there is also a lack of cohesion among family members who are slightly distant. Faced with In this case, people deep in their hearts hope to have a relaxing place for communication.
In a positive sense, the feng shui deliberately practiced in the courtyard house coincides with the harmonious relationship between man and nature, which is conducive to creating a healthy living environment. In the past, most courtyard houses were owned by one family. Large families could use exquisite hanging flower doors, new gardens, and rockery pools to create a quiet and elegant atmosphere for the entire courtyard. Small families would also build a ceiling in the courtyard and plant some loofahs, grapes, and some auspicious flowers and plants. Therefore, the ancients used the term "ceiling, fish tank, pomegranate tree, husband, fat dog, and fat girl" to describe this comfortable life. .
Although the quadrangle is a very livable form of housing, in today's Beijing, due to the large number of people and the lack of land, it is no longer possible to build quadrangle-style residences on a large scale, but some architects still find it difficult to abandon the quadrangle. complex, so some symbols and concepts of the courtyard are still integrated into modern architecture. One form that borrows the symbol of the courtyard is the aerial courtyard. Several real estate projects with sky courtyards have appeared in Beijing, such as SOHO Modern City located on the extension of Chang'an Avenue, Pangu Grand View next to the Olympic Village, and Haowei Garden located south of Heping West Street on the North Third Ring Road. Another form that borrows the symbol of the courtyard is the inner-courtyard villa. Inner-courtyard villas are different from Western-style villas and traditional courtyard houses. The main reason is that the design of modern villas adopts the feature of courtyard rooms outside and courtyard inside, making this kind of villa more restrained and private. For example, the house types in Yijun, Beijing, include some flat-floor quadrangle courtyards, single-family triplex courtyards, and duplex triplex courtyards with courtyards as the space. The doors and windows are designed with square windows. Purple House adopts a Chinese-style appearance, with setbacks on the second and third floors to enhance the privacy of residents, as well as sunken courtyards. In addition to the above-mentioned luxury residences, the architectural concept of courtyard houses is also reflected in some ordinary residences. For example, some multi-story buildings adopt an enclosed planning layout, with a courtyard-style public space in the middle for residents to relax and communicate.
Therefore, for the cultural heritage of the Siheyuan, we must pay equal attention to protection and innovation, protect the existing physical buildings, that is, the shape of the Siheyuan, and at the same time develop the spirit of the Siheyuan and incorporate the excellent living concepts embodied in the Siheyuan. Use it to create more Chinese-style houses that adapt to modern life.