The Relationship between China's Dwellings and Geographical Environment

China has a long history, a vast territory, diverse natural environment and different socio-economic environment. In the long historical development process, different forms of residential buildings have gradually formed in various places. This traditional residential building is deeply branded with geographical environment and vividly reflects the relationship between man and nature.

First, the geographical environment of residential buildings in northern China.

There are many caves in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in northern China. In Shaanxi, Gansu, Henan, Shanxi and other loess areas, local residents dig horizontal holes in natural earth walls, often connecting several holes, adding bricks and stones in the holes to build caves. Cave dwellings are fire-proof, noise-proof, warm in winter and cool in summer, land-saving, economical and labor-saving, and organically combine nature and life scenes. It is a perfect architectural form adapted to local conditions, which permeates people's love and attachment to the yellow land.

(1) North Courtyard Dwellings (mainly Beijing Siheyuan)-Beijing Dwellings

Siheyuan is a traditional residence in Beijing and even North China. Its basic feature is that houses and courtyards are symmetrically arranged according to the north-south central axis, facing south, and the gate is generally opened in the southeast corner. There is a screen wall inside the door, so outsiders can't see the activities in the yard. The main room is located on the central axis, with side wing and left and right wing. The principal room is the living room of the elders, and the wing room is for the younger generation. This solemn layout also embodies the orthodox and rigorous traditional character of the people in North China. Beijing has a warm temperate and semi-humid continental monsoon climate, with little snow in winter and heavy sandstorm in spring. Therefore, the residential design pays attention to heat preservation, cold protection, wind protection and sand avoidance, and is surrounded by brick walls. The whole yard is surrounded by houses and walls, hard gable roofs, thick walls and roofs.

Beijing quadrangle is the most typical quadrangle in northern China. The quadrangle, which faces south and the gate opens in the southeast corner, is called "Kanzhai follow the door", which is considered auspicious and actually helps to maintain privacy and increase spatial changes. After entering the gate, turn west to the outer court and decorate the guest room, servant room, kitchen and toilet. From the outer court to the north, enter the square and the inner court through a gorgeous hanging door. The main room in the north is called the hall, where the memorial tablet of "Heaven and Earth" is enshrined, family etiquette is held, and distinguished guests are received. The left and right wing rooms are for elders to live in and used as study rooms. The wing rooms on both sides of the yard are junior bedrooms. Each room is connected by a "handwriting gallery". You can sit in the gallery and enjoy the flowers and trees in the courtyard without going through the open air.

The quadrangle in Beijing is famous because it is a residential building, but it contains profound cultural connotation and is the carrier of China traditional culture. The construction of quadrangles pays great attention to geomantic omen. From site selection to determining the specific scale of each building, it must be carried out according to the theory of geomantic omen. Geomantic omen theory is actually an ancient architectural environmentology in China and an important part of China's traditional architectural theory. This geomantic theory has been guiding the architectural activities in ancient China for thousands of years. In addition to the theory of geomantic omen, the decoration, sculpture and painting of quadrangles also reflect folk customs and traditional culture everywhere, showing people's pursuit of happiness, beauty, prosperity and auspiciousness under specific historical conditions. For example, the pattern composed of bats and longevity characters means "longevity", and the pattern with Chinese rose flowers in the vase means "peace in the four seasons". Auspicious words embedded in the door tube and the door head, couplets pasted on eaves columns, and masterpieces of calligraphy and painting hung indoors are all ancient sayings that combine the achievements of sages and philosophers, using ancient and modern famous sentences, or praising the beauty of mountains and rivers, or inscriptions.

Beijing quadrangles are kind and quiet, and the courtyard scale is just right, which brings the distance between the earth and people closer. It is an ideal outdoor living space with a square courtyard, which is beneficial to the sunshine in winter. The northeast climate is cold and the yard is wide. South of Beijing, the sun is very strong in summer, and the yard becomes long and narrow from north to south. There is a heavy sandstorm in the northwest, and the courtyard walls are raised.

(2), Inner Mongolia folk houses

Mongolian yurts are typical tent houses in Inner Mongolia, and felt yurts are the most common. Due to the needs of nomadic life, herders in temperate grasslands of Inner Mongolia live in felt bags that are easy to disassemble and migrate. Mongolian herders traditionally live on aquatic plants and migrate four times a year, which are called "Chunwa, Xiagang, Qiu Ping and Dongyang". Therefore, yurts are the product of mobile grazing in grassland areas.

(3) Folk houses in Ningxia

Ningxia is located in the northwest, far away from the ocean, with less precipitation, large temperature difference, severe cold climate, obvious continental climate characteristics, drought and sandstorm in winter and spring, and prevailing northerly winds, so houses generally do not open north windows. In order to keep warm and cold, a box courtyard is adopted. The house is compact and the roof form is one slope and two slopes coexist.

(4) Folk houses in northern Shaanxi (caves in the northwest)

Cave dwelling is a common living form in northern Shaanxi and even the whole Loess Plateau. It is divided into cliff kiln, ground prevention kiln and masonry kiln. Cliff kiln is a small kiln dug in the vertical plane of loess, with holes connected or several floors up and down; Pit kiln is to dig a deep pit in the soil layer, so that the artificial cliff surface can dig caves on it; Masonry kiln is a one-story or two-story arch house built with bricks, stones or adobe on the ground. The climate of the Loess Plateau is relatively dry, and the loess has the characteristics of uniform texture, good cementation and straightness, with loose soil and easy excavation. Therefore, local people creatively dig holes according to local conditions, which not only saves building materials, but also has the advantages of being warm in winter and cool in summer. In recent years, because pit caves are difficult to defend against floods, with the improvement of economic conditions, some places have abandoned the construction of pit caves and built brick-wood houses on the ground.

Cave dwelling is a special kind of "building". Instead of "addition", "subtraction" is used to remove some things in nature and form usable space. It is prevalent in the Loess Plateau in the northwest of China. The loess, which is as deep as 100 meters, is extremely difficult to penetrate water and has a strong verticality, which provides a good premise for the development of caves. At the same time, the natural conditions in northwest China, such as dry climate, cold winter and less wood, have also created opportunities for the development and continuation of caves that are warm in winter and cool in summer, very economical and do not need wood.

(5) Folk houses in Shanxi and Shandong.

The Taihang Mountain area in Shanxi is similar to the hilly area in Jiaodong, Shandong Province, with a single courtyard and a gatehouse with sloping roofs on both sides. Because mountains are high and stones are common, according to the traditional principle of using local materials for building materials. So there are more houses with masonry structure. Brick carvings and other decorations are also common in Shanxi folk houses. The latitudes of the two places are similar, but the precipitation is different, so the roof slope is slightly different. The former has a higher terrain, and the Taihang Mountain in the southeast blocks the ocean airflow, with little precipitation (< 700 mm/year); The latter has a wide valley, low mountains and sea, more precipitation (> 700mm/ year) and steep roof slope, which is convenient for drainage.

(6) Residents in southern Shaanxi

There are gullies, river banks and flat dams in southern Shaanxi. According to the terrain, raw materials and other conditions, residents have built various residential buildings. Traditional houses include stone houses, bamboo houses, diaojiao buildings, three-way houses and quadrangles.

Stone houses: Most of them are built in mountainous areas, and Zhenba, Ankang and Xixiang mountainous areas are very common. As the name implies, stone houses are made of stones. Usually, the back wall is close to the cliff, and the three sides are made of stone, and the roof wooden frame is covered with oilleaf slate. Stone houses are weatherproof and rainproof, and the cost is low.

Bamboo log cabin: the walls are logs, with doors and windows. The roof is made of bamboo on wooden beams, and then covered with bamboo strips and Polygonum leaves. Someone put wood on the beam, covered it with dense bamboo, and then pasted it with gypsum to form a top floor with a fireplace for baking and storing food. Bamboo and wood houses are mostly built in Mabian and mountainous depressions, and are common in mountainous areas such as Nanzheng, Ningqiang and Chenggu.

Diaojiaolou: Most of them are built in market towns along the Yangtze River. The diaojiao building is supported by wooden stakes or stones, the shelves are paved with floors, and the walls are painted with wooden boards or bamboo rafts. Tile or thatch the roof. The window of the diaojiao building faces the river, so it is also called Wangjiang Building. Diaojiaolou is the development of ancient nesting.

Sanhe Courtyard and Siheyuan: It is more common in Pingba Town. Sanheyuan has three main rooms, with a hall in the middle and 2-3 wing rooms in the east and west. The eaves in front of the main house extend outward and can be used for eating and resting. The wing is smaller than the main room, with walls at both ends and the middle of the wall facing south. Siheyuan is composed of a main room, a wing and a gatehouse, with a courtyard in the middle, which is more exquisite than Sanhe Courtyard. Sanhe and Siheyuan are mainly made of adobe, masonry and wood, with doors facing south. Avoid facing the west. With the development of local economy, there are more and more rural brick houses and urban buildings.

Second, China southern residential and geographical environment

(A), Jiangsu folk houses

Jiangsu folk houses are represented by Suzhou. Suzhou, known as "Venice of the East", has dense water networks and flat terrain, and houses are built on water. Doors, steps and bypasses are all located at the water's edge. Houses are naturally integrated with water, roads and bridges, with many buildings and brick structures. Blue bricks and tiles, with exquisite architectural style, have formed a delicate, delicate and warm folk culture in the south of the Yangtze River. Because of the hot and humid climate, many courtyards have thin walls and roofs, and some have wide porches or spacious halls in order to facilitate ventilation and avoid heat and rain.

(2) Shanghai Folk Houses

Located at the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is one of the cradles of modern national industry. Developed economy, good residential quality, mostly brick houses, novel and elegant style. The architectural style fully shows the influence of humanistic factors and has the shadow of "Shanghai style" culture.

(3) Fujian folk houses

The empty earth building in southwest Fujian is a special rural residence. Tulou is square and round, shaped like a pet bunker. Its outer wall is compacted with soil, lime, sand and glutinous rice, and its thickness is 1 m, which can reach 5 layers. From the outside to the inside, the roof falls off layer by layer, with the main building in the middle. The total number of rooms can reach more than 300, and there are dozens or even dozens of households living on the first floor. Fujian is a "mountain country" along the southeast coast, with mountains and hills accounting for more than 80% of the land area. The terrain is complex, and the phenomenon of banditry is serious in history. After the Han people in the Central Plains moved here, they built earth buildings to guard against thieves, and hundreds of people of the same family lived here, so they were like earth buildings in a fortress with outstanding defense functions. In addition, Fujian is located in the southeast coastal seismic zone, with a warm and rainy climate. This solid earth building can not only prevent earthquakes and damp, but also keep warm and insulate, killing two birds with one stone.

(4) Yunnan folk houses

Ganlan Bamboo House is the main living form of Dai, Wa, Miao, Jingpo, Hani and Bulang ethnic minorities in southern Yunnan. The climate in southern Yunnan is hot, humid and rainy, and the lower part of the bamboo building is overhead, which is used as a rice milling room, storage room and utility room to facilitate ventilation and moisture insulation. There is a wide corridor and terrace in front of the upstairs, followed by the hall and bedroom; The roof lies on the mountain, with steep slopes and far eaves, which can provide shade and rain protection.

The colorful traditional houses in China reflect the characteristics of China's vast territory and rich natural conditions, and it is also a vivid embodiment of the working people's transformation and utilization of nature to adapt to the environment. When giving lectures, we might as well quote "local residents on stamps" to let students know about local folk culture with distinctive features, which will help students to further understand the regional differentiation of geographical environment and the relationship between environment and human beings.

(5) Southern patio dwellings (mainly Huizhou dwellings)

The "patio" is actually a yard, only smaller. The south of China is hot, rainy and humid, with a narrow population, sun protection and ventilation, dense layout and many buildings. The quadrangle is centered on a horizontal rectangular courtyard, surrounded by buildings on four sides or on the left, right and back, with less sunshine. The main room is the front patio of the hall, which is completely open, and the narrow and high patio plays a role in pulling the wind. All the houses are drained to the patio, and the surrounding area is raised with the gable of Matou to prevent the fire from spreading. The wall is stepped on the roof, the brick wall is plastered, the tiles are blue and white, and it is beautiful and elegant, which is a major modeling feature of southern architecture. Huizhou is the most typical place of quadrangles, which is located in the southeast of China, the south of Anhui and the northwest of Jiangxi.

Characteristics of Huizhou folk houses;

1, the importance of village location. It conforms to the conditions of good weather, favorable geographical position and harmonious people, and achieves the state of "the unity of heaven and man". Villages are mostly built by mountains and rivers, and they are in harmony with the mountains and rivers. Houses often face streets and alleys. The whole village gives people a sense of tranquility, elegance and simplicity.

2, plane layout and space processing. The layout of residential buildings is compact and free, connected with buildings, and the plane is symmetrically arranged along the axis. Mincheng is mostly a building, with Guitang patio in Surabaya as the unit, forming a family activity center. The number of patios ranges from 2 to 3, from 10 to 36 at most. Residential houses are generally three bedrooms, and larger houses have five bedrooms. With the passage of time and the growth of population, the number of units can be increased, which is in line with the custom of Huizhou people living under the same roof for generations. The outstanding features of the architectural image are: white walls and blue tiles, horse-head gables, brick-carved gatehouses, door covers, wooden frames and wooden doors and windows. Inside, there are high walls around the wooden frame, and the front is mostly surrounded by horizontal high walls. The gables on both sides are stepped horse-headed walls, with ups and downs and black and white reflections, which increase the sense of hierarchy and rhythm of the space. Square, such as "a seal", is the unique style of Huizhou folk houses. In front of, behind or beside the house, there are gardens, stone tables and benches, water wells and fish ponds, fruit trees and flowers, and even mountain springs, which are in harmony with nature. Almost all the gates are covered with doorways or gatehouses, and exquisite brick carving has become an important feature of Huizhou folk houses.