How big is the traditional quadrangle?

First, how big is the quadrangle? Siheyuan is a traditional residential building in China. This is a yard surrounded by houses. It usually consists of a main room (north room), east, west wing and south room. It is square and closed on all sides, so it is called "quadrilateral".

The quadrangles where ordinary people live usually have only one entrance. It is a single-family house, with 5 main rooms, 3 east and west wing rooms and 4 south wing rooms, 17 doors. The houses on all sides are independent, and the courtyard in the middle is open and continuous. The family lives and lives in this space of about 200 square meters.

Strictly speaking, a quadrangle with three courtyards is the most complete quadrangle. Its first entrance is the gatehouse, the second is the main room, wing and hall, and the third is the private house or boudoir. Throughout the yard, the elders live in the first room, the eldest son lives in the east wing, the second son lives in the west wing, and the daughter lives in the backyard, which does not affect each other.

This safe and intimate arrangement contains the traditional cultural concept of China, that is, respecting the old and caring for the young, treating men outside and women inside. There are four or five or more quadrangles, and some luxurious quadrangles even have gardens. Although the combination of these large quadrangles is complex, their shapes still conform to the general style of quadrangles.

Second, the characteristics of quadrangles Beijing quadrangles have as long a history as Beijing. When most of the Yuan Dynasty was completed, quadrangles and most of the palaces, office buildings, blocks, alleys and hutongs rose at the same time. The quadrangles are all made of brick and wood, the walls are made of brick, and purlins, columns, beams, sills, rafters, doors and windows are all made of wood.

The style is unified, facing south, mostly single-storey houses. Each house is completely independent and connected by cloisters. The courtyard is close to square, and the courtyard door is mostly opened in the southeast corner. For hundreds of years, quadrangles in Beijing have generally followed this pattern.

Siheyuan has one household and one house, and the plane pattern can be large or small. According to the size of the population and financial resources of the host family, the quadrangle can be very small and shaped like a "mouth"; It can be binary or ternary, showing the shape of "day" and "eye"; It is also possible to build courtyard houses across the courtyard, presenting a more complex combination.