Courtyard houses 大杂院
Courtyard houses of north China, with Beijing's Siheyuan (courtyard with houses on all sides), being the highest level and most typical, are the outstanding representatives of traditional residences of China's Han nationality. Beijing-s  Siheyuan, seated in the north of the compound and facing south, mostly consist of inner and outer yards. The Outer yard is horizontal and long; the main door opens to the southeast corner, conducive to maintaining the privacy of the residence and increasing spatial change.
After entering the main door and turning westward into the outer yard, one finds there are guest rooms, servant's room, a kitchen and toilet. Going northward from the Outer yard through an exquisitely shaped and quite beautiful floral-pendant gate, one enters the square, spacious main yard. The principal room in the north is the largest, erected with the tablets of "heaven, earth, monarch, kinsfolk and teacher", which is for holding family ceremonies and receiving distinguished guest.
The left and right sides of the principal room are linked to aisles inhabited by family elders. In front of the aisle there is a small corner yard which is very quiet and is often used as a study- Both sides of the main yard have a wing room serving as living rooms for the younger generations. Both the principal room and the wing rooms face the yards which have front Porches. Verandahs are used to link the floral-pendant gate and the three houses, so that one can move along or sit in them to enjoy the flowers and trees in the courtyard. Behind the principal room, sometimes, there is a long row of "Hou Zhao Fang (back illuminated room)" serving either as a living room or utility room.
Beijing's Siheyuan is cordial and quiet with a strong flavor of life. The courtyard is square and vast and of a suitable size. The courtyard is planted with flowers and set up with rocks, providing an ideal space for outdoor life, and making it seem to be an open-air large living room, drawing heaven and earth closer to people's hearts and therefore most favored by them. The verandah divides the courtyard into several big and small spaces, which, however, are divided but not distant from each other; instead, they penetrate each other and increase the levels, setting off the void and the solid and the contrast of shadow They also make the courtyard better conform to the standards of daily life. Family members can have an exchange of views here, creating a cordial temperament and interest in life.
In fact, the centripetal and cohesive atmosphere displayed by Beijing's Siheyuan, with strict rules and forms, is precisely a typical expression of the character of most Chinese residences. The courtyard's pattern of being closed to the outside and open to the inside can be regarded as a wise integration of two kinds of contradictory psychology: On the one hand, the self-sufficient feudal families needed to maintain a certain separation from the Outside world; on the other hand, the Psychology deeply-rooted in the mode of agricultural production makes the Chinese particularly like to get closer to nature. They often want to see the heaven, earth, flowers, grass and trees in their own homes.
Turning to residences in the northern region in addition to Beijing, the level of large residences of Shanxi's merchants is very high, their scale even surpassing that of Beijing, and they have more wooden sculpture adornments. These include the large courtyard of the Qiaos', large courtyard of the Qus' in Qixian County; large courtyard of the Wangs' in Lingshi, large courtyard of the Caos' in Taigu and the residences of Dingcun Village in Xiangfen.
The square courtyards of an appropriate size of Beijing's Siheyuan are helpful to-take in sunshine in winter. In areas south of Beijing, the setting sun in summer is quite strong, so the courtyards there become narrow and long on the north-south side, so as to reduce the Sunshine. In Gansu, Qinghai and other northwest regions, where a sand-laden wind is very strong, the height of courtyard walls is increased, and the residences are called "Zhuang Ke (Village nest)". The northeast region is extensive, but the weather is cold, so that, in order to take in as much sunshine as possible, the courtyard is broad and large, and there are many open areas inside the courtyard walls.
北方四合院
北方院落民居以北京四合院水平最高，也最为典型，是中国汉族传统民居的优秀代表。北京四合院座北朝南，多有外、内二院。外院横长，大门开在前左角即东南角，称"青龙门"，认为是吉利的。实际上，宅门不设在中轴线上也有利于保持民居的私秘性和增加空间的变化。进入大门迎面有砖影壁一座，与大门组成一个小小的过渡空间。由此西转进入外院。在外院有客房，男仆房、厨房和厕所。由外院向北通过一座造型玲珑，相当华丽的垂花门进入方阔的内院，即为全宅主院。北面正房称堂，最大，供奉"天地君亲师"牌位，举行家庭礼仪，接待尊贵宾客。正房左右接出耳房，居住家庭长辈。耳房前有小小角院，十分安静，也常用作书房。正房前主院两侧各有厢房，是后辈居室。正房、厢房朝向院子都有前廊，用"抄手游廊"把垂花门和三座房屋的前廊连接起来，廊边常设坐凳栏干，可以沿廊走通，不必经过露天，或在廊内坐赏院中花树。正房以后有时有一长排"后照房"，或作居室，或为杂屋。
北京四合院亲切宁静，有浓厚的生活气息，庭院方阔，尺度合宜，院中莳花置石，一般种植海棠树，列石榴盆景，以大缸养金鱼，寓意吉利，是十分理想的室外生活空间，好比是一座露天的大起居室，把天地拉近人心，最为人们所钟情。遇婚丧大事可在院内临时搭建大棚，以待宾客。抄手游廊把庭院分成几个大小空间，但分而不隔，互相渗透，增加了层次的虚实映衬和光影对比，也使得庭院更符合人的日常生活尺度，家庭成员在这里得到交流，创造了亲切的生活情趣。
实际上，格律精严的北京四合院所显现的向心凝聚的气氛，也正是中国大多数民居性格的典型表现。院落的对外封闭，对内开敞的格局，也可以说是两种矛盾心理明智的融合：一方面，自给自足的封建家庭需要保持与外部世界的某种隔绝，以避免自然和社会的不测，常保生活的宁静与私密；另一方面，根源于农业生产方式的一种深刻心态，又使得中国人特别乐于亲近自然，愿意在家中时时看到天、地、花草和树木。
北京四合院庭院方正，规模适中，利于冬季多纳阳光；北京以南地区夏季西晒严重，院子变成南北窄长，以减少阳光；西北甘肃青海一带风砂很大，院墙加高，称为"庄窠"；东北土地辽阔而气候寒冷，为更多接纳阳光，院子常十分宽大，宅墙内空地甚多。
北方地区民居除北京外，山西商人的大宅水平也很高，规模甚至超过北京，木雕等装饰也更多，如祁县乔家大院、渠家大院、灵石王家大院、大谷曹家大院和襄汾丁村民居等。
北京四合院庭院方正，规模适中，利于冬季多纳阳光北京以南地区夏季夕晒严重，院子变成南北窄长，以减少阳光；西北甘肃、青海一带风沙很大，院墙加高，称为"庄窠"：东北土地辽阔而气候寒冷，为更多接纳阳光，院子常十分宽大，宅墙内空地甚多。
|
|
