What is a courtyard house?

Residential buildings are the epitome of local customs and customs, and are also a concentrated expression of local traditional culture. Due to the different natural environment and cultural conditions in various regions of China, residential buildings in various regions also show a diverse appearance, with courtyard-style buildings being the most common. The so-called Siheyuan refers to an inner courtyard-style residence in the shape of a "mouth" formed by houses on the east, west, south and north sides. The earliest courtyard residential ruins in China were built around the Western Zhou Dynasty and have a history of nearly three thousand years. Siheyuan folk houses are widely distributed in the north and south, and are widely popular among the Han, Naxi and Bai ethnic groups.

The courtyard houses in southern my country are slightly different from those in the north. The south has less land and more people. Due to land constraints and the hot and rainy climate, the courtyards in the south are smaller. Generally made of large stone strips, when viewed from above, the courtyard looks like a well, commonly known as a "patio". It facilitates ventilation and light transmission, provides shade, and can also be used for drainage. The climate in the north is cold and requires sufficient sunshine and lighting, so the courtyard is larger and the doors and windows are taller. Among all kinds of courtyard houses, the Beijing courtyard house is the most representative one.

Beijing’s courtyard-style buildings began to take shape in the Liao Dynasty. They were gradually improved during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and finally became the most distinctive form of living in Beijing. Both ordinary people and dignitaries lived in courtyards, but the size of the buildings differed. Even the Forbidden City, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived, was connected by several small courtyards. A formal Beijing courtyard house generally faces south along an east-west alley, with the main house (north house), the south house (inverted house) and the east and west wing rooms separated in four directions. High walls surround the courtyard, forming a quadrangle with a main door. It is located in the southeast corner of the house, and its Bagua direction is called "Xun". The houses and courtyards are symmetrically arranged along the north-south longitudinal axis and are divided into inner and outer courtyards. Siheyuan is a brick-wood structure building. The purlins, columns, beams (trusses), sills, rafters, doors, windows, partitions, etc. are all made of wood. The wooden house shelves are surrounded by brick walls. The walls are built with ground bricks and broken bricks. Most of the roof tiles are made of blue tiles, with the front and back interlocking, with dripping water installed in front of the eaves, or no tiles are laid, and the whole roof is plastered with green ash, which is called "grey shed".

The gates of quadrangle courtyards are very particular. They can be divided into two categories in terms of architectural form: one is a house-style gate composed of one or several houses; the other is built at the junction of the courtyard wall. Wall style door. According to different levels, the princes and nobles had as many as three or five house-style gates, and stone carved lions, horse tethering posts, stone drums, etc. were also placed at the door. Stepping through the gate, you can see the exquisite screen wall in front of you. The main function of the screen wall is to block the cluttered and dull walls and scenery inside and outside the gate, and to beautify the entrance and exit of the gate, so that people will not have an unobstructed view of the courtyard as soon as they enter the door. The screen wall is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. The lower part is the base, the middle part is the screen wall part, and the upper part of the screen wall is the cap part, which is like the roof and eaves of a room. The screen wall and the gate set off and enhance each other, playing the role of setting off the clouds and supporting the moon and adding the finishing touch at the entrance of the courtyard. Some screen walls are very particular, with exquisite patterns and auspicious words carved on them, which greatly adds to the cultural taste of the courtyard. The hanging flower gate is an important building in the courtyard, and it is also exquisitely decorated. With its dignified and gorgeous image, it has become the watershed between the outer courtyard and the inner house. This door is closed at all times except when there are important ceremonies in the family, such as weddings, funerals, weddings, and weddings. After entering the hanging flower gate, you officially enter the inner courtyard of the courtyard. The inner courtyard is a courtyard surrounded by buildings on four sides: the north room, the east and west wing rooms and the hanging flower gate. The north room faces south. It is the most important room in the house. The base and the size of the house are relatively high, usually three rooms, and large houses have five rooms. Only the middle room of the main room opens to the outside, which is called the main room. The two rooms on both sides only open to the main room, forming suites, forming a pattern of one light and two dark, which conforms to the Chinese Feng Shui standard of "bright hall and dark room". The main room is a place where family members live, entertain relatives, or worship ancestors during festivals. The bedrooms on the east and west sides are for the older generation of gentlemen and wives. There are also distinctions between superior and inferior. Under the system of polygamy, the superior is on the east side and is inhabited by the main wife, while the inferior is on the west side and is inhabited by the side house. There are one or two rooms on both sides of the main room that are relatively small in depth and height. They look like two ears hanging on both sides of the main room, so they are called ear rooms. The east and west wing rooms can have single doors or can be connected to the main room. They are generally used as bedrooms or studies. If there is one ear room on each side and two rooms on both sides, it is called "three positives and two ears". If there are two rooms on each side and four rooms on both sides, it is called "three squares and four ears". Most small-sized courtyard houses are "three squares and two ears", while medium-sized courtyards are mostly "three squares and four ears". On the east and west sides of the inner house, there are three rooms on each side, which open to the courtyard and are called wing rooms.

The east and west wing rooms are occupied by the younger generation. The wing rooms are also light and dark. The middle room is the living room and the two sides are bedrooms. You can also divide the room on the south side and use it as a kitchen or dining room. If the courtyard is large in scale, a wing room can be added on the south side of the wing room. There are usually verandas connecting the main room, side rooms and the hanging flower door. All houses connected by verandas have verandas on the front eaves, and holes are left in the gables at both ends of the verandas, leading to the verandas, called verandas. The hand-painted corridors are all in the shape of a curved ruler, connecting the north room, the east and west wing rooms and the hanging flower doors, connecting the inner house into a whole. The verandah not only has the function of passage, but also enriches the layers and space of the inner house building, giving people the feeling of "how deep the courtyard is."

Siheyuan was built to meet the needs of traditional large families. First, a courtyard is a closed residence with walls on all four sides, but there are no windows on the walls. There is only one courtyard door that connects to the outside world, and the door is usually closed. The family's activities are all within the courtyard wall, showing independence from the outside world. It reflects a traditional closed culture in ancient China. Second, there are strict regulations on house layout and housing arrangements for family members. In terms of layout, the main house is generally higher than the side houses and has a larger area than the side houses; in terms of housing arrangement, the main house is occupied by the elders; the east and west wing rooms are slightly lower and occupied by the younger generations; the grandchildren or servants live in the lower south room. The servants live in the reverse room. This arrangement fully embodies the strict distinction between elder and younger and the family concept of traditional houses. It highlights the status of the head of the family, is a symbol of patriarchy, strengthens the order within the family, and reflects a strong sense of hierarchy. Third, the arrangement of people in the courtyard also fully reflects the inheritance of traditional culture and has a strong human touch. The houses in the courtyard are both independent and interconnected, open and concentrated facing the middle of the courtyard. In the middle of the courtyard is the courtyard. The courtyard is spacious and is the center of the courtyard layout. It is also a place for people to walk, get light, ventilate, enjoy the cool, rest and do housework. Plant trees and flowers in the courtyard and prepare tanks to raise goldfish. In the hot summer, the flowers and trees in the courtyard are sparse, and it is cool and pleasant under the pergola. The family enjoys fragrant tea and chats about home affairs, enjoying themselves harmoniously. They have the happiness of family relationship and the interest of nature.