The characteristics of ancient architecture in northern China?

Northern China residential and geographic environment

China has a long history, a vast territory, a variety of natural environments, socio-economic environments are not the same. In the long process of historical development, and gradually formed a different form of residential architecture, this traditional residential architecture y marked by the geographical environment, vividly reflecting the relationship between man and nature.

Beijing Folk Houses The courtyard is a traditional residence in Beijing and even in North China. Its basic feature is the symmetrical arrangement of houses and courtyards along the north-south axis, facing south, with the main door generally open at the southeast corner and a shadow wall built inside the door, so that outsiders cannot see the activities inside the courtyard. The main room is located on the central axis, flanked by the ear room and the left and right compartments. The main room is the living room of the elders, and the compartments are for the younger generation to live in. This solemn layout also reflects the orthodox and strict traditional character of the people in North China. Beijing is a warm temperate, semi-moist continental monsoon climate, winter cold and less snow, spring drought and more sand, therefore, the residential design focuses on heat preservation and cold avoidance of wind and sand, the periphery of the brick wall, the entire compound is surrounded by houses and walls, hard mountain roof, walls and roofs are relatively thick.

Neimenggu residential yurt is a typical Inner Mongolia tent type of residence, to felt bag most common. Inner Mongolia temperate grassland herders, due to the need for nomadic life, the hometown to easy to dismantle and move the felt bag as a residence. Traditionally, Mongolian herdsmen live by water and grass, the annual migration of four times, there are "spring puddle, summer post, autumn flat, winter" said, therefore, the yurt is the grasslands area of the product of mobile grazing.

Ningxia residential Ningxia is located in the northwest far from the sea, less precipitation, temperature difference, cold climate, continental climate characteristics are obvious, winter and spring drought, sandy winds, prevailing northerly winds, so the residence is generally not open north window. In order to keep warm and prevent cold, take the form of room courtyard, and the house is compact, the roof form for one side of the slope and two sides of the slope coexist.

Northern Shaanxi residential kiln type housing is more common in northern Shaanxi and even throughout the Loess Plateau region of residential forms. Divided into cliff kiln, ground defense kiln and masonry kiln. By the cliff kiln is in the loess vertical surface of the small kiln, constant hole connected or up and down several layers; pit kiln is in the soil digging a deep pit, resulting in an artificial cliff face and then in the kiln on which the excavation; masonry kiln is in the ground with bricks, stone or adobe construction of a one-storey or two-storey arched coupon type houses. Loess Plateau area climate is more arid, and loess texture uniformity, with cementation and uprightness of the characteristics of good, loose soil is easy to dig, so the local people to adapt to local conditions and creative digging holes and living, not only saving building materials, but also has the advantages of warm in winter and cool in summer. Because of the pit type kiln is difficult to defend against flooding, and with the improvement of economic conditions, in recent years, some places have given up the pit type kiln construction, and one after another in the ground camping brick structure houses and live.

Shanxi and Shandong residential Shanxi Taihang Mountain area and Shandong Jiaodong hills around the two places in a similar form of residential, single-door courtyard, with a doorway, both sides of the sloping roof. Because of the mountain high stone material is common, in accordance with the traditional principle of building materials from local materials. Therefore, more masonry homes. Shanxi residential also see more brick carvings and other decorations. The latitude of the two places is similar but there are differences in precipitation, so the roof slope is slightly different, the former due to the high terrain, southeast of the northeast-southwest direction of the Taihang Mountains blocking the ocean currents, precipitation is not much (<700 mm/year); the latter wide valley and low hills from the sea near the precipitation is more (>700 mm/year), in order to facilitate the drainage of the roof slope is steeper.