Specific characteristics of the ordinary residential houses in the southern part of the Tang Dynasty (how many rooms are composed, etc.)

Jiangnan water towns are located in the Yangtze River Delta and the Taihu Lake water network area, the climate is mild, the seasons are clear, the rainfall is abundant, so the formation of a transportation system based on water transportation. The production and life of the inhabitants depend on water, and this natural environment and functional needs have shaped the style and characteristics of the water town houses in the south of the Yangtze River, which are very rich in flavor.

Jiangnan water town dwellings in the monolithic wooden structure of one or two-story hall type of residence, in order to adapt to the climatic characteristics of Jiangnan, residential layout more through the hall, patio, courtyard. Constructed for the tile roof, empty bucket wall, Guanyin pocket ridge or horse head wall, forming a staggered height, whitewashed walls, courtyard deep architectural group style. Water village environment of many rivers appeared in the water alleys, bridges, barges, pedal ferry, wharf, stone road, water wall door, street building and so on rich in water village characteristics of the architectural vignettes, composed of a whole set of water village living environment.

Because of the Jiangnan water town has been one of the most culturally developed areas of the country, the talent pool, so many households in the water towns are poets and scholars. And because of the abundance of goods and commerce, these towns have always been the place where officials and eunuchs retired, rich villas, and bachelors resided. Those who have cultural literacy is of course carefully created premises; and some rich gents and merchants are also attached to elegance, employing learned earth planning, so in many water towns left a lot of exquisite courtyard house. Secondly, most of these water township houses were built in feudal society, feudal ethics, Confucian tradition, feng shui customs have a direct impact on the management of these houses layout, arrangement of premises. Such as the hall of the main and secondary, before and after the order of the position, the distinction between the host and the guest, the master and the servant of the isolation, the difference between men and women, etc. in the design of the unique approach, which is the Jiangnan water town houses of human factors in the consciousness of the idea of the reflection of the shape.

Based on the scale of the residence, it can be divided into three categories: mansion, middle house, small house:

Most of the mansion is the residence of rich merchants, officials and eunuchs, and it is called into vertically, and it is called into horizontally, and it is called into horizontally, and it is more than nine mansions, and it is less than four mansions, and it is more than seven mansions, and it is less than one mansion, and so on. For example, the Shen Hall in Zhouzhuang is seven. Some mansions and gardens are skillfully combined, both to create a product of residential architecture - private gardens, but also to add the attraction of the residence itself. For example, the Retreat Garden in Tongli Town is a very exquisite garden.

Mansions in the plan layout, usually have a strict axis, the main door facing south or east, the house rules square, into the fall in order.

The main house is generally five into the main hall, in turn, by the foyer (along the street with some stores or buildings), sedan chair hall (parking sedan chair), the main hall (reception of major guests, wedding and funeral ceremonies), within the hall (meet with relatives and friends, family deliberations), women's hall (also known as the upper room, often used for living room) composed of the main building to the box room or the courtyard wall enclosure composed of the courtyard. The side of the general not open the door independently, often by the flower hall (meet with regular guests, hold banquets, etc.), study (reading), garden, house (living), kitchen (more along the back alleys to open the door, do not cause interference, but there is no family bathrooms, toilets) composition. The entrance of the house is along the street or along the river, which is convenient for the entrance and exit of people and transportation of goods. Between the two falls, often set back alley, so that not only separated the master and servant traffic routes, but also greatly enhanced the privacy of the house, and is conducive to sound insulation, fire and burglary.

Middle house from the form of similar to the mansion, the difference is that the number of middle house into less, generally less than four, and generally no side drop, the combination of internal space is not as elaborate as the mansion, but compared to the more flexible. The middle-income families are mostly in this house.

Small house, is a general civilian residence, smaller, mostly one to two, some along the street, some along the river, the layout is more casual, for the water towns and towns unique alleys and water lanes landscape.

Ordinary small house occupies a small area, there is no strict axis, generally two, the width of more than one to three, the form of free, according to the local conditions, the use of space is reasonable, but the privacy is poor. Ordinary small house along the river along the street often have business nature, the river are open, there are pedal ferry water port has been through to the water. Water towns and cities in the combination of its halls, created a number of characteristic components, not only enriched the content of the water towns and houses, but also has a strong character. The patio is a characteristic component used for light and ventilation in residential houses. In the general courtyard, its depth is equal to its height, and there are various widths, such as the main house with three rooms, which is based on the width of the bright room. Or five openings of the larger, then the width of the bright room or the second room shall prevail. In the mansion, the patio is mostly made into a rectangle, and the depth of the two wedges will be reduced, or use the corridor instead of compartments, the patio into a horizontal rectangle, east and west of the length of the larger, better ventilation, and can reduce the sun's irradiation in the summer. Permanent front and back patio to facilitate ventilation, the back of the sky **** generally smaller depth, planted with deciduous trees to facilitate shade.

Brick doorway This is done on the front and back into the waist door, is purely decorative features components, the doorway of the Ming Dynasty is more simple, the Qing Dynasty carving is more complicated, these doorways are inscribed with plaques.

Wall The water town dwellings are mainly wood structure, so the wall has an important fire prevention function, the general mountain wall are higher than the roof, made of ladder type or flat head high wall, called "seal fire wall" or "daughter wall". The wall can be divided into two kinds of solid masonry and empty bucket, or under the real on the empty hybrid. Wall base commonly used stone, lime stucco, when used as a decorative wall, it is used to grind bricks with water veneer, both simple and show the owner of the earnest.

Floor The open ground (such as the patio) with slate paved, block paved, cracked stone or cobblestone paved, but also brick paved. Indoor ground are used brick. Jiangnan rainy, shallow water table, the indoor easy to damp, generally first tamped with lime, on which the sand, sand on the brick, to avoid moisture, the room of the residence with wooden floors.

Xuan is the indoor ceiling, in fact, the roof to increase - an air insulation layer. Some of the Xuan of the mansions and houses are decorated with elaborate wood carvings, and there are various practices such as boat-topped Xuan, crane-topped Xuan, flower basket Xuan, and so on.

Roofs and walls The roofs are covered with green tiles, and the entire sloped roofs are slightly curved inward, which is conducive to roof drainage, and there are a lot of patterns of roof ridges, and ordinary small houses only use tiles to build vertically, and the ends of the tiles are made with simple ornaments. Large, medium-sized residential main hall ridge head made of dragons, chickens and other decorations. Ordinary mountain wall for the hard mountain type not out of the roof, halls and other important buildings of the mountain wall with out of the roof of the screen wall, with the size of the depth of the house, there is a mountain, three mountain and five mountain screen wall of the different.

The general outlook of the Jiangnan water town houses is: cottages mixed with buildings, various kinds of walls, forming alleys and water lanes on the barge that undulating, staggered landscape, architectural modeling light and simple, virtual and real, color and elegant, in accordance with the local conditions, near the river and the water, the spatial contours of the soft and rich in a sense of aesthetics. Therefore, it is often referred to as "pink walls and tiles", "small bridges and flowing homes".