What is an atrium?

The atrium of the quadrangle, called the patio, can let the sun shine in or receive water, which is called "four waters return to the hall", symbolizing the rain from heaven and auspicious entry into the house.

The most important ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province are not only those of Pingpu and Gaoshan nationalities, but also those of China, Fujian and Guangdong, which were brought to Taiwan Province Province by immigrants from China in the early 17th century. These ancient buildings have inherited the long history and culture of the Han people and reflected the long-term philosophy of life of the Han people in China. China people's views on natural geographical conditions and how China people arrange their family life or social life are mostly reflected in ancient buildings. In other words, from the ancient buildings in China, people can understand the outlook on life of ancient China people.

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China's nationalities have moved south many times in history, for example, during the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the gentry of the Jin Dynasty moved south. At the end of the Tang Dynasty, during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, there was chaos in the north, and many clans in the Central Plains moved southward on a large scale. After the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty, the royal family moved to Hangzhou, south of the Yangtze River. All these explain the historical fact that the Central Plains culture moved southward several times after the prosperous period of Han and Tang Dynasties. With the shift of cultural and economic focus to the south, many ancient customs and habits have been preserved in southern provinces. According to the research of linguists, there are still many ancient sounds in the dialects of southern China today. For example, the poems of Tang poetry and Song poetry in Minnan dialect (or Taiwan dialect) are very beautiful and beautiful, and are called "rude to ask for all the places". Similarly, the study of ancient buildings in Fujian, Guangdong and Taiwan Province shows that many practices and styles of Han, Tang and Song dynasties have been preserved. Therefore, from the perspective of ancient buildings, we are like a mirror, which reflects the thoughts and culture of ancient people in China.

On the gable of Venus, you can see the floating plastic decoration of the lion's head to ward off evil spirits.

The construction of ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province has integrated the manpower and wisdom of Mr. Feng Shui, the great carpenter, the stonemason's lung, the woodcarving lung, the painter and the literati, and also displayed various traditional values. To sum up, the purpose of the building, in addition to living safety, and to meet the psychological aspirations of China people, at least includes:

(1) Pursuing good fortune and avoiding evil-the concept of five elements of orientation, feng shui, yin and yang.

(2) Moral education-ethical norms and the concepts of loyalty, filial piety and righteousness.

(2) Self-commendation-the concept of social status and honor for ancestors.

When building a house, use skills such as direction, shape, color and words to express the above psychological wishes.

Secondly, the ancient buildings also reflect the internal relations in the traditional society of China, such as:

(1) The arrangement of temples and villages shows the relationship between gods and villages.

(2) The relationship between the pecking order of living room, hall and room and the height of the roof.

(3) doors, purlins, stoves, wells, etc. Reflects the relationship between man and God.

Here are a few examples to illustrate that in Taiwan Province Province, according to China's traditional gossip theory, "sitting north to south" or "sitting east to west" is the most auspicious, which means "facing the sun, the spring is infinite". Buildings facing south can get enough sunshine, but they can get south wind in summer and avoid cold north wind in winter. And China people think that the Northeast is unlucky and belongs to the gate of hell.

Yin-yang and Five Elements appeared as early as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Yin and Yang are two components of things, and the combination of Yin and Yang is the best balance. The roofs of ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province are generally made of high and low front slopes, which belong to the sun. The back slope is low and long, cloudy. The gable shape of the house is more symbolized by the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth. Try to make the building alive and combine the characteristics of the location.

First, Wenyu decorated the building.

Writing is a symbol that China people attach great importance to, and it has the function of education. Therefore, buildings are often decorated with words, such as doorways and couplets, which are all the art of words. In the Lunar New Year, all the couplets should be replaced with new ones, and then they should be pasted with good words to encourage their families, such as "Over time, people will live longer, and spring is all about hard work." Or from the poem "Flying a Kite" and "Jumping Fish". Teng Jiao and Qi Feng. Sometimes, these words are engraved on the window lattice, which makes people look out of the window every day and appreciate the beauty of the words and get enlightenment and enlightenment.

Secondly, the location of the temple or home in the village is very important, usually in the most central position or T-shaped road, so that God can protect the residents. The roof of the temple is relatively high, which symbolizes its sacred status. In a house. The roof of the nave is also the highest, because the nave is dedicated to gods or ancestral tablets. Then become a master, a child and a servant. People who live in rooms near the purlin have higher qualifications; The farther away from the purlin, the lower the generation and the lower the roof.

Finally, how to establish the relationship between man and nature in a living life? The atrium of the quadrangle, called the patio, can let the sun shine in or receive water, which is called "four waters return to the hall", symbolizing the rain from heaven and auspicious entry into the house. At the same time, the drainage channel should be thin and long to let the rain flow out slowly, which is also the concept of saving happiness.

In addition to the front door, the back wall of the main hall should be opened with windows to let the air circulate, which is called "cross flow". As a kitchen, the kitchen stove is an important equipment for a family to eat three meals. People in China believe that there is a kitchen god on the stove, so they worship him, worship the kitchen god beside the stove and appreciate the contribution of fire to life. In residential buildings, a certain part of the patio or yard is exposed with more soil, so that rainwater can penetrate into the soil and communicate "rustic", which is regarded by China people as a symbol of respect for heaven and earth. All these explain China's ancient philosophy of life: respect for heaven and ancestors, respect for human beings and respect for nature.

The ancient buildings built by a large number of Han immigrants in Taiwan Province Province illustrate the sinicization process of Taiwan Province Province for hundreds of years. Since the recovery of the Republic of China in 34 years, traditional ancient buildings are also facing the test of the times. With the change of life style and social structure, the traditional Fujian-Guangdong style buildings that dominated in the Qing Dynasty also disappeared at an extremely fast speed. When they were destroyed by bulldozers and strange hands, the few remaining houses and temples became the objects of cultural assets protection. Obviously, if these exhibits symbolizing the ancient history of Taiwan Province Province disappear, the origin and characteristics of the culture of Taiwan Province Province will be blurred. Not only can people today not share the origin and achievements of Taiwan Province culture, but our future generations will also live in a land lacking a sense of history. The fundamental principle of protecting historic sites is here, and so is the basic principle of cultural accumulation!

The ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province have not been rebuilt in modern times, but still retain the original appearance of the Qing Dynasty. The number is very small, especially in most temples. As long as the incense sticks are in their heyday, they will be rebuilt every ten years, making the colors more flashy than artistic. Some people may think that this is the characteristic of folk art and let it die. However, in fact, we know that there are many excellent traditional technologies handed down by the poor. For example, in recent years, the carving of dragons and stones in temples relies on machine electric drills, and the door gods use ordinary pigments, and the original manual interest and color texture are gone. In recent years, the Council for Cultural Development has strongly advocated the use of ancient methods in the maintenance of historical sites, which can not only improve the quality of maintenance, but also continue the ancient building technology.

Because houses are not renovated as often as temples, they are easier to keep their original appearance and have more academic research value. From these houses, we can experience more ancient art of life. China's life art is the comprehensive embodiment of China's life philosophy. How did the ancients treat the external natural environment, how to manage their own artificial environment, and how to achieve the realm of harmony between man and nature. Through the observation and appreciation of ancient buildings, we can appreciate China's traditional view of living.

At that time, the ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province were not only shipped from mainland China with materials such as Fuzhou fir, Zhangzhou tile and Quanzhou stone, but also designed and built by Fujian and Guangdong craftsmen, and were called "Tangshan Master" in the secular world. Although the source of materials was not easy during the land reclamation period, the building materials and technologies used in many luxury houses and temples were still sought from the mainland. Because of this, many ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province still retain the ancient customs of the Song and Ming Dynasties in China. There are many well-known things in the ancient Central Plains in terms of pronunciation, people's feelings and customs of Fujian and Guangdong. The ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province have also experienced many ancient symbols or meanings. The ancients injected their aesthetics or their desire for happiness into the architectural form or environment. Similarly, some taboos or attempts to avoid misfortune are also expressed in architecture. For example, during the Chinese New Year holiday, scarlet eight immortals colors symbolizing longevity are hung on the lintel, and Tai Chi gossip is painted on the indoor roof, which has the effect of driving away the town houses.

Generally speaking, the moral symbol of ancient buildings or avoiding evil spirits is related to ancient myths and legends and the theory of Yin-Yang and Five Elements. There are probably two expressions: concrete image and abstract direction or dimension and number. Now let's start with the roof of an ancient building and see how the ancients showed their imagination.

The top of the hall is arc-shaped, called "dovetail ridge", and the two ends are tilted in a dovetail shape. In ancient China, "East Qinglong" and "South Suzaku" were auspicious; Therefore, the roof is often decorated with phoenix and suzaku, and it is considered auspicious for Dapeng to fly over the roof. On the roof of Confucius Temple, there is a "Tian Tong tube", which is said to be a bamboo tube with four books hidden when Qin Shihuang burned books. There is a row of birds on the other roof, which is said to symbolize that the owner has mastered the crown and the ancient roof, and even the birds in the sky have returned! On the roofs of residential buildings, the most common thing is to place a ceramic statue of Chiyou or a tile general, which is a symbol of exorcism.

Dovetail-shaped roof, sharp as a fork,

It belongs to the fire line and symbolizes exuberance.

Second, the significance of residential roof

In ancient times, there seems to be a rule that tuxedos can't be used on the roofs of houses. In addition to houses with many people, they can be made of ridged swallowtails, and ordinary people often make "goose-head" gables or ride horses, all of which are named after their shapes. The shape of gables combines the five elements, and gables with different shapes belong to "gold", "wood", "water", "fire" and "earth" respectively. Every house has its own five elements according to its orientation and building age, just like human life. Sometimes "golden morning light", "water" or the combination of "fire" and "earth" appear in a building at the same time, so the principle of "mutual growth and mutual resistance" should be adopted. Furthermore, the eaves height before and after the roof should be different, and the front eaves should be higher than the back eaves, which conforms to the meaning of "infinite spring to the sunny gate"

Hard mountain roofs are mostly used in residential buildings. It is pointed in the picture and belongs to fire.

The gables with thick round faces belong to the gold shop. Pingdingshan wall belongs to soil line.

Let's start with the beams under the indoor roof. The beams of the main house should be odd, and the corridors or pavilions can be even. China always thought that odd numbers were positive and even numbers were negative. For example, stupas like to build seven or nine floors. The number of rafters used between roof beams and tiles should avoid multiples of six. Craftsmen believe that the number of Li-Guo trees should conform to the Song formula of "there are rich and poor in heaven and earth", and the sixth word "poor" is not good. In addition, the direction of the bed in the bedroom should be parallel to the direction of the roof beam, otherwise it will be a taboo to suppress people. Best of all, when building, all wooden beams should be built with their roots facing the central hall and the tops of trees facing outwards. This consideration seems to imply that a completed house is also an invisible tree, with its roots in the middle and lush leaves around it, symbolizing many descendants and prosperous families. There is probably no way in the world to inject vitality into architecture like a carpenter in China!

There are doors and windows on the wall. Doors and windows are like the eyes, ears, nose and mouth of a house, so they are naturally careless. Because doors and windows are the five senses of a building, the position should be dignified and the size is particularly important. It's not good to be short-sighted and it's not appropriate to have a big mouth. The craftsman uses a hand called "Menmi" or "Lu Banchi" to measure and determine the width and height of doors and windows. The words "wealth", "illness", "separation", "righteousness", "official", "robbery", "harm" and "capital" are engraved on the door, and the principle of use is not to encounter fierce words. However, in practical application, there are different interpretations. For example, the word "official" on the bedroom door is auspicious, indicating that the child was born early. When the door of the hall is closed by the word "official", it will be bad, that is to say, dealing with the official may lead to a lawsuit! At the same time, the edge of the door leaf should be convex and concave. The convex line symbolizes that the tiger opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue, while the concave line symbolizes that the dragon opens its mouth and the dragon and tiger embrace each other, which naturally conforms to China people's concept of environment and geomantic omen. Moreover, the wood of the window (that is, the vertical grid) must also meet the odd number, symbolizing Yang. And the gap will become an even number, symbolizing the harmony of yin and yang and the reproduction of everything.

Third, numbers and ancient buildings.

When it comes to odd or even applications, modern people often encounter the problem of the number of stairs when decorating their homes. Artisans usually make odd numbers, such as 19 or 2 1. Odd worship is considered as a symbol of "advance" and even worship is considered as a symbol of "retreat". The knowledge between advance and retreat is that you must let the last step "go forward". In other words, take an odd number. To some extent, China likes to use five or seven words in ancient poems, and the lyrics of Taiwanese opera also use seven words.

But the algorithm of stair series is controversial, that is, does the last step count? According to the general wooden ladder, there is no distinction between front and back, so the craftsmen who hold this view are not top-notch. Another group of craftsmen think that the number of each level should be counted, and there are different opinions, which may not be conclusive. In the words of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, it is a nine-step ladder, even the last step. However, the thrones in the Baohe Hall of the Forbidden City, regardless of the level, can be odd. Among the famous temples in Taiwan Province Province, Dacheng Hall of the Confucius Temple in Changhua is a first-class historic site designated and announced by the Council for Cultural Development and the Ministry of the Interior, which is not top-notch. In other ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province, the steps of the central main hall are often made odd, and the left and right wings are made even, or yin and yang are deliberately allowed to coexist to adjust each other.

In addition to the symbols and taboos of ancient buildings dominated by numbers and yin and yang concepts for a long time, the orientation can not be ignored. When it comes to orientation, it will inevitably involve Feng Shui. Feng Shui has influenced the living culture of China people since ancient times and has never failed. Fengshui theory is profound, with many sayings and factions. A building, where is the gate? Which direction does the hall face? Where should the chef be? This is the most common problem. Ancient buildings are different from buying ready-made apartments today. In ancient times, geological prospecting was the first choice, that is, geographers were invited to see Feng Shui. Eight diagrams represent eight different directions, among which the south (far away) and southeast (off) are generally considered better, while the north (Kan) and northeast (Gen) are considered worse. Especially in ancient China, when it was said that the north was evil, there was a proverb in Taiwan Province Province called "the north will decline". Not only do houses and temples rarely face north, but even if the city gate faces north, some angles must be avoided. Clay sculptures of "Shencha" and "Lei Yu" are floating on the wall of the north gate of the old town of Zuo Ying, Kaohsiung, which is said to prevent the northern evil spirits.

In ancient times, craftsmen who built houses often designed buildings for people according to the secrets and taboos recorded in the Lu Ban Jing handed down from the Ming Dynasty.

In addition to the above meanings, craftsmen are also good at using the homophony of Chinese characters to imply the desire to pray for good luck. The most common images in ancient buildings in Taiwan Province Province are "flag", "ball", "halberd" and "green", which are homophonic with "pray for good luck" and are especially loved by people. At this moment. We know that the ancients not only pursued safety, firmness, practicality, comfort and beauty when building houses, but also added many special technologies with significance, symbols and taboos, which not only enriched the artistic effect of ancient buildings, but also brought a lot of spiritual satisfaction and comfort to China people.