Residential Characteristics in South and North China

Differences between North and South Dwellings in China;

1. Characteristics of Southern Dwellings

When it comes to southern architecture, many people think of the beautiful picture of small bridges and flowing water. Most towns south of the Yangtze River are crossed by a small river. On both sides are small blue-gray houses, horse-headed walls and blue-gray tiles, which are very quiet. Generally, people's houses enter from the door, with the patio at the door and the stone sink next to it, which is the place to wash clothes and vegetables. In front of it is a kitchen, which is very big and even includes a dining room. When you turn left, you will find a wooden staircase, and then go upstairs, where there are several bedrooms. From upstairs, you can overlook the patio downstairs, which is paved with bluestone slabs. Flowers bloom here in summer, and winter is a good place for children to have snowball fights. Of course, this is just a model, and each family will design the house according to its own characteristics.

The residential courtyards in the south of China are very small, and the surrounding houses are connected as a whole. Houses in the south mostly adopt bucket structure, and the combination of houses is more flexible. In the south, the gable of the house is horsehead-shaped, and the buildings in the south are mostly white walls and tiles with elegant colors.

South China is rich in water resources, and water flows through the front and back of the house. Water is also a kind of scenery. Rich people like houses connected with gardens, and gardens are gardens. Southern gardens can create a fairyland without a large space. Among them, there are no more than verandahs and leaky windows, but they can create scenery, borrow scenery and other famous places.

2, the characteristics of northern dwellings

When it comes to northern dwellings, people will naturally think of caves on high loess slopes and quadrangles in Beijing. Simple and clumsy quadrangles are traditional residential forms in Beijing. Why is it called "quadrilateral"? This is because the whole building is surrounded by houses. The quadrangles in Beijing are moderate in scale, with sunny indoors in winter, warm in winter and cool in summer, and quadrangles are places for outdoor activities.

Northwest caves dig holes in the sunny side of the loess high slope, and the front of the cave is made of brick arched doorways and decorated with flowers, which not only ensures the stability of the loess on the kiln surface, but also beautifies the living environment, with simple materials and natural technology. Above the cave, plant some plants to keep water and soil. Observing the cave from the room, the roof is curved, and a warm kang is connected to the stove. Sunshine comes in easily, but sand doesn't. In the yard, jujube trees, persimmons, stone rollers and pulleys on the well look simple and interesting.

Houses in rural areas of North China have a kitchen and dining room-hall, a square table and two plush chairs in the middle, and the kitchen stoves in the left and right bedrooms are connected to warm kang. The advantage is that there is a wall between the bedroom and the kitchen to prevent oil smoke from entering the bedroom.

Some representative buildings in northern gardens are mostly royal gardens, such as the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and chengde mountain resort. Needless to say, the Forbidden City is a big quadrangle with red walls and yellow tiles. Although the Summer Palace is beautiful, it cannot escape the word "solemn". As for chengde mountain resort, it is even more magnificent, all built on a mountain. Northerners seem to naturally love red, green and green colors, so all the carved beams and painted buildings are painted, mostly royal gardens, while Wang Fu gardens are luxurious.

3. Difference

(1) Difference of exterior wall materials:

Most of the southern houses are hollow brick walls, some of which are surrounded by wooden boards, while the northern houses are made of concrete walls, adobe walls and brick solid walls.

(2) The difference between the number of floors and the height:

Houses in the south, especially the former county towns, are mainly made of brick and wood on the second floor, with wooden boards for the interior walls and wooden boards for the floors, and the floors of the houses are relatively high.

Northern dwellings are generally single-storey, with a post-Gai Lou behind the main house at most. The material is mainly brick and soil, the wall is thick, the floor is generally not high, and the studio is smaller than the southern houses.

Houses in Beijing are basically single-story, because at the foot of the emperor, we should always be cautious. There are more than two floors in Pingyao, Shanxi. Reason: The emperor can't control the height of the mountain. People who built houses in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China have been enlightened in the times. Most of them are banking firms that pay special attention to anti-theft, and the houses they design are all thick with high walls.

4. Reasons for differences in housing.

The main reason for the remarkable difference in residential buildings is the difference in natural environment.

China is a vast country, and the weather and geographical location of each place will always affect their architectural forms. In fact, this influence is reflected in the ancient cultural sites in Banpo and Hemudu periods.

① Analysis of the reasons for the formation of the architectural features of northern dwellings: For example, Banpo site in the north, where the climate is dry, also needs thermal insulation, so the house is built directly on the ground or semi-underground.

Cold prevention and warmth preservation in the north has become the primary problem to be solved in residential buildings: the warmth preservation design of various residential buildings in the north, such as: single-sided window facing the sun, warm kang, warm wall, firewall, floor stove and so on. Generally, the stove is connected with a warm kang, which is hot when cooking, saving energy. Cave dwellings on the loess high slope, digging holes on the loess slope, the external brick wall looks thick and simple; Beijing quadrangle (thick roof and walls, which can keep out the wind and cold in winter and block the hot air in summer); All have the characteristics of warm winter and cool summer.

Drought and water shortage in the north: water pits and wells need to be built. Some houses in the Qiao Family Courtyard in Shanxi have only one-sided eaves, allowing water to flow into the cellar for people to use. At the same time, the periphery forms a high wall, which plays an anti-theft role.

The north is cold and dry, lacking vegetation. Therefore, the color of the building is compensated. Red, big and green are widely used in "Empty City Plan". Royal yellow is a symbol, and people can't use it on a large scale.

(2) Analysis of the reasons for the formation of the architectural features of southern residential buildings.

Hemudu site in the south is just opposite Banpo. First, use wood to hit four piles on the ground, and then build a house on these four piles, making the house a small "castle in the air". The main reason is that the local climate is humid, floods are frequent, and sometimes poisonous snakes attack. Pavilion architecture can avoid these disasters.

The influence of hot and humid climate on buildings in southern China. Such as: the bedroom wall is high and the studio is big; The front and rear doors are connected to facilitate ventilation; In order to prevent moisture, many buildings have two floors, with brick structure at the bottom and wood structure at the top.

The terrain in the south is complex, the residential courtyard is very small, and the surrounding houses are connected into a whole, which is suitable for the climate conditions in the south, and the combination of houses is flexible and suitable for the undulating terrain.

In the south, the gables of houses are mostly horse-headed walls. In some densely populated southern cities in ancient times, this gable above the roof can really play the role of arson, but also play a very good decorative effect.

The south is full of flowers all year round, and the environment is colorful. The exterior walls of residential buildings are mostly white, which is conducive to reflecting sunlight. White walls and tiles are used in the south, and the color of the house is elegant, especially in summer, which gives people a refreshing and pleasant feeling.

South China is rich in water resources, and the river flows slowly from the front and back of the house, so it is very convenient to take water directly for drinking and washing. Water is the unique scenery of the houses in southern China. Water surrounds the house, and the house has aura because of water. Waterway is also the main artery of transportation. People cross the ocean to create a new world and build a new home.