Why are rural buildings in China less and less beautiful?

A: Globalization of building materials.

For thousands of years, due to the constraints of low productivity, economic living standards and other factors, traditional buildings in China are often "made from local materials". If there are stones in the village, they will be built into wooden houses, and if there is no wood in the village, they will be rammed or bored.

At that time, there was no architectural style except strict regulations on grades. Therefore, if we look at the ancient villages hundreds of years ago, we will find that the materials of the whole village are basically the same. Because it is made from local materials, it is easy to blend in with the natural environment and looks particularly harmonious, such as the wooden building village surrounded by green hills, the stone house under the stone mountain, the rammed earth wall on the loess plateau and so on. Now, with the progress of science and technology and the development of economy, it has become possible to build houses in rural areas with the concrete of this county, the tiles of the provincial capital, the colored tiles of neighboring counties and the glass of the capital. Even local tyrants can use artificial stones from abroad. Because the cost of mining, processing and transportation of all materials has been reduced. Therefore, these artificial materials from all over the world, put in the natural environment, like white garbage, are difficult to achieve "beauty." All kinds of artificial materials from all over the world are mixed together like a montage. The builders of rural buildings are neither experienced architects nor have such artistic pursuits, so it must be very difficult to live in harmony with the local nature.

Globalization of building technology

In the past, building houses in rural areas relied entirely on manpower and manual work. Where can mechanization and high technology help? Because of the heavy workload, we should adjust measures to local conditions according to the local geography and landforms. For example, the village is mountainous, so it is basically built on the mountain. After all, Gong Yu Yishan is just a myth and legend. Therefore, when building and opening a house, the terrain is considered very much when selecting the site. So most of the villages we see in the mountains today are built by mountains and rivers, with winding paths leading to secluded places. This is because technology is limited, so we should respect nature and be modest. To put it bluntly: the ability to transform nature is limited, so the damage to nature is small.

Now, bulldozers, excavators, pumps, dump trucks, explosives, etc. Whether it is cutting mountains and pushing slopes or filling ditches and burying pits, it can be easily done. Developed technology. As long as you want to build as many floors as you want before, stick whatever you want outside, do whatever you want to make Roman columns, and install air conditioning if you want to hang them. Only when you are rich and willful can you show your wealth. Therefore, the more advanced the technology, the easier it is to destroy nature. In ancient society, you just wanted to cut mountains and push slopes, but you didn't have the ability. In modern society, it is easy to do so. Buildings are increasingly damaging the local environment. You have destroyed the natural environment that has been formed for thousands of years. Why do you still want to be in harmony with nature?

Globalization of architectural aesthetics

To tell the truth, people who used to live in traditional houses may not have higher aesthetic standards than farmers now. Although I have to admit that most of the houses at that time were more beautiful than those in the countryside now. The previous aesthetic problems should be considered from the perspective of practicality and belief, and they are more regional, so they naturally look beautiful in harmony with local folk customs and geography.

Nowadays, the chief culprit leading to the aesthetic changes of rural architecture is modern communication platforms such as TV sets. The aesthetic of most farmers is this: this house looks good, I want it. He will not consider the relationship with the local environment, nor will he consider the local traditional aesthetic taste. This is why there are all kinds of wonderful scenes in which Roman columns can be mixed with horse's head walls and foreign small buildings can bridge the water. Of course, now the traffic is developed and the population flows frequently, which brings all kinds of external information. Seeing more local natural aesthetics, it is natural to change your taste. The timely and convenient communication and dissemination of information makes everyone's aesthetics more and more similar.

D: globalization of living habits

The most popular family-style settlement in rural areas in the past is now being changed by irreversible urbanization, and the settlement form of a group of folk houses around an ancestral temple will never return. Tap water, toilet, air conditioning system, lighting system, etc. We are all used to it. Our way of life has changed and is becoming the same as the whole world. The globalization of living habits is inevitably reflected in architecture, because architecture accommodates our home life. With running water, we can go against the previous concept of living with a mountain on the back of the water. With toilets, we can incorporate toilets into residential buildings (many huts used to be put in pigsty). With air conditioning, we must install external machines or change the central air conditioning system on the floors of the building. With modern lighting system, we can change the depth of the building and stop worrying about the darkness of the house. Living habits have changed architecture, but many people have not found it. There is nothing wrong with asking us to stay in the old house for a few days like a hotel, but you are definitely not used to it and don't want to go back to your old house. This is not because the old house is not beautiful enough, but because it can't accommodate the living habits of modern people. To sum up, the globalization of architecture is an irreversible trend, which means the obliteration of regional characteristics and the change of traditional aesthetics. At present, most rural houses are buildings without architects, and most of them build their own houses and live by themselves. Whether it is in line with local folk customs and geographical aesthetics is really not the focus of their consideration.