History and culture of quadrangles in Beijing

Siheyuan is a traditional architectural form in China, also called Siheyuan. Its pattern is that there are houses in the east, west, south and north of the courtyard, so it is called quadrangle.

Siheyuan has a history of more than 3,000 years in China, and there are many sub-districts, among which Beijing Siheyuan is the most famous.

Ordinary people can only live in ordinary quadrangles, and the squire Fu family usually lives in two quadrangles (or more).

Siheyuan began in Liao Dynasty, and after Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, it formed the Siheyuan we see now.

According to legend, Kublai Khan, the most famous Beijing quadrangle in the Yuan Dynasty, entered the Central Plains, took a fancy to Yanjing, a treasure trove of geomantic omen, and moved its capital to Yanjing. However, the Yuan Dynasty wanted to consolidate its rule and ease the contradiction between Mongolian and Han nationalities, so it appointed some wise men and scholars of the Han nationality to build quadrangles in different fields.

Due to historical reasons, the old quadrangles have basically disappeared from people's sight, and only the former residences of celebrities and cultural relics can be preserved.

For example, the former residences of Lu Xun, Qi Baishi, Lao She and Guo Moruo that we see today are all representative former residences of celebrities.

Of course, if you want to feel the charm of quadrangles, you can also go to Beijing's Yueweizhuang Courtyard Hotel, Qintangfu Inn No.7 Courtyard, Liuhe Xiang Courtyard Hotel, Yuan Hede Courtyard Hotel and so on.

The architecture of quadrangles pays attention to geomantic omen, and the decoration, sculpture and painting all reflect the local folk culture. The structure of quadrangles is more complicated, and simple courtyards have their own emphasis. The construction of quadrangles combines Feng Shui and five lines of gossip, and each pattern has its own uniqueness. Take the common quadrangle in old Beijing as an example. The main house faces south, and the foundation of the house is higher than other main houses. Both sides and wings are supplemented by children's houses; The rooms below are mainly used for sundries, and a few are also used as kitchens. There is also a separate courtyard room next to it for livestock and forage.

Siheyuan, as a residential building and official residence, occupies an important position in the history of China folk culture. Because this kind of house was mostly handed down as a mansion when the Yuan Dynasty was established, it was improved and built in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and there are still many unique architectural community styles in the world, which has played an extremely important role in inheriting traditional folk culture and carrying forward the traditional history and culture of the Chinese nation ~