Characteristics of ancient houses in southern Fujian

The ancient houses in southern Fujian are mainly "official-style houses", so they are also called "Imperial Palace". In many areas, it is also known as "Red Brick House". It is shaped like a palace and is magnificent. It is a typical example of ancient Chinese dwellings. Its main features are a front courtyard and a rear courtyard, facing south, with three or five bays plus double guard houses, red brick and white stone walls, hard gable roof and double-curved dovetail ridge.

From the perspective of architectural form, Minnan folk houses do not have a very flamboyant and stylized form, but they have a relatively special expression in the decoration and beautification of masonry walls. When we identify the elements of architecture, we mainly talk about it from four aspects, namely spatiality, practicality, materiality and aesthetics. From an aesthetic point of view, the red brick walls in southern Fujian reflect the regional style characteristics, forming the so-called southern Fujian style. The formation of this style is due to many factors. Although we can no longer trace its origins, We know from the entire history of Chinese architecture that the folk houses in southern Fujian, especially the masonry construction and wall decorations and color patterns, are unique in the history of Chinese architecture. Therefore, some scholars believe that the folk houses in this area belong to the "red brick culture". district".