What is the traditional geographical layout of the Jin merchant compound

The Jin merchant's mansion looks like a castle, three sides of the street, surrounded by a closed brick wall, more than three feet high, on the daughter wall and the mouth of the probe. The main gate is facing east in the west, with a roof, and the middle gate is a cave-like doorway. Inside the gate for a stone paved tunnel, both sides of the wall with a parapet enclosure, the end of the remote place is the ancestral hall, for the temple-style structure. In the compound of the various branches of the courtyard are "house all" layout, the house in the east, west, south, north and south of the house is called "house all".

Local proverbs have "no east, no west, no old wife, no west, no east, no husband, only the north room, there is a king without a minister". Although it is symmetrical left and right of a few compounds, the respective doors must be moved to the wrong side. Traditional geography, door-to-door is mouth-to-mouth, so big mouth to eat small mouth, will result in father-son disharmony, sibling rivalry, sisters-in-law and lack of harmony, aunt and sister-in-law jealous of the end. The famous Qiao family compound consists of six courtyards, north and south of the three houses. North of the three hospitals counter-rotating gossip layout, by the Zhen Gua (East), Kan Gua (North), Qian Gua (Northwest) in turn from the east to the northwest counterclockwise counter-rotating arrangement; South of the three hospitals down the rotating pattern of gossip, by the Sunda Gua (Southeast), away from the Gua (South), Kunga Gua (Southwest) in turn from the southeast to the southwest order of the construction of the eventual rendezvous in the Dui Gua (due West). Why build six compounds? Up and down the four sides of the so-called "six", meaning perfect. In addition, the six and "Luk" resonance, but also the meaning of good luck, that is, "six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six, six" also.

Additionally, the six yards and the meaning of "six lines", six lines and gossip, accounting for all the geography of the whole.

Built in Pingchuan compound, are east-west axis, both sides of the layout, in accordance with the "East Qinglong, West White Tiger, rather let Qinglong high three points, do not let the White Tiger pressure a chip" of the traditional geography, the door on the Minglou are generally very tall, the inner courtyard is also gradually elevated from west to east.

In order to comply with the traditional geography of the north high south low, the highest building in the compound are built in the north end. Cao family compound facing the mountain and built, the three main buildings in the north end of the three added to the symbol of pigs, cows, sheep "sacrifice pavilion" to deter the South Mountain, and with the east side of the river to match, it became "blessed as the East China Sea, longevity than Nanshan Mountain," the treasure of the South China Sea. Jingshan is the Forbidden City's feng shui mountain, built on the five pavilions, Jin merchants in the Cao family but also to build three pavilions, the atmosphere can be said to be big.