Why are Beijing quadrangles called traditional buildings in China?

The quadrangle in Beijing originated from the quadrangle in Yuan Dynasty. When Dadoucheng was built in the Yuan Dynasty, the streets were criss-crossed, with the main street being 24 steps wide and the small streets being 12 steps wide. With the palaces and gardens in the imperial city as the core, alleys are arranged, which are hutongs. The hutongs in Beijing are mostly east-west, which is also the cornerstone laid by the Yuan Dynasty. In the Yuan Dynasty, in order to encourage the construction of private houses in the capital, Kublai Khan of Yuan Shizu issued an imperial edict to let residents of the former site of Jinzhongdu, especially wealthy businessmen and nobles with official positions, build houses in Dadoucheng. At the same time, it is also stipulated that the builder can cover an area of 8 mu. This policy made the rulers and nobles of the Yuan Dynasty move into cities in large numbers, and the phenomenon of building quadrangles appeared on a large scale, which made quadrangles perfect with its unique architectural way. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a unique quadrangle in Beijing was finally formed, and the Qing Dynasty was more particular than the Ming Dynasty. Now Dongdan goes to both sides of Yonghegong Street, north and south gongs and drums lanes, Xidan goes to Xinjiekou Street, and there are some more exquisite quadrangles. No matter whether the quadrangle in Beijing is built on the north or south side of the east-west alley, the north room in the courtyard is the main room facing south, but the position of the courtyard door is different. The quadrangle on the north side of the hutong is the main quadrangle, with the facade facing the street to the south and the door opening on the east side of the south wall. It is the "lost" position in the gossip, the auspicious position in the geomantic omen and the place where the soft wind blows in. If there is no street facing south in the courtyard on the south side of Hutong, and the gate cannot be opened, it will be opened on the west side of Beiwu. The orientation of this courtyard gate is completely influenced by the natural environment in the north and the ancient geomantic theory of building houses. There are several kinds of gates in quadrangles, including house doors and wall doors. Among them, the government gate is divided into Wang Fu Gate, Liangguang Gate, Zhu Jin Gate and Ruyi Gate. Ruyi gate is divided into large, medium and small. Among them, you can also see the style of Gongmen in Beijing. The most representative thing is that the north bank of Shichahai used to be the gate of the Ministry of Health (now it is used by the State Administration for Religious Affairs), which was the kind of gate that was more particular in the past. Liang Guangmen is spacious and bright, generally occupying the space of a room. The door leaves open between the pillars in the hall, and there are stone steps in front, which is very atmospheric from the outside, indicating that the owner has a certain identity or status. Ruyimen is simpler than Liangguangmen. The door leaves are opened between the eaves columns, and there are brick flower patterns and wishful flower decorations above the lintel, hence the name. Walls and doors are common, mostly built in small and medium-sized quadrangles. The most common form is the small gatehouse built on the wall. Walking into the quadrangle, you can see the exquisite screen wall. Every brick on the screen wall is ground, and when laying bricks, the bricks are ground to the seam. According to the research of relevant folklore experts, the screen wall is an indispensable geomantic content of China folk houses and houses. Ancient people were superstitious and believed in ghosts after death. It is unlucky to break into houses if ghosts wander around at night. Moreover, there is a screen wall in the gate, and ghosts dare not rush in when they see their own shadows. Some architectural experts believe that the screen wall is an important decoration of Beijing residential buildings, which can not only block the sundries in the hospital, but also make outsiders unable to see the situation in the hospital, so it is private. In particular, some screen walls are beautifully built, and the walls are carved with exquisite patterns and auspicious words, which greatly increases the cultural taste of quadrangles. A standard quadrangle is divided into an inner courtyard and an outer courtyard. The outer courtyard consists of the south room (also called guest room), the courtyard door, the screen wall and the south outer wall of the inner room. The south room is used as a guest room, study and servant residence. There is a hanging flower door in the middle of the south wall of the inner room. Only by entering the hanging flower door can you see the back room clearly. The inner room consists of the north room, the east room and the Westinghouse, with a yard in the middle. The north room is the main room, tall and bright, with three rooms wide, with wings on the east and west sides. The north house is occupied by the owner, the Westinghouse is occupied by the children, and the east house is occupied by the grandson and the wet nurse. The kitchen is in the southernmost part of the east room; The toilet is in the yard, so it is important to separate men from women. Men are outside and women are included. Men are in the west corner of the south room of the outer court and women are in the north corner of the east room of the inner room. There are big quadrangles and back houses. There are one-story and two-story houses behind the North House, both facing south, and a yard is formed between them and the gable behind the North House, which is generally called backyard. The backyard is occupied by the owner's family members or the elderly. The inner room is the center of the quadrangle, and there is a porch in front of the north room. There are verandahs at both ends. The veranda connects the east room, the hanging flower gate, the west room and the north room into a whole, which can not only shelter from the wind and rain, but also enjoy the cool, rest and enjoy the scenery in the courtyard. Flowers and trees can be planted in quadrangles, and some also have goldfish bowls and grape racks. Planting jujube and pomegranate trees in quadrangles means early birth, many children and many grandchildren; Planting lilacs and begonia shows that the owner has identity and a certain cultural accomplishment. Siheyuan is a closed house. From the outside, there are walls all around, only one courtyard door leads to the outside world, and two doors are closed at ordinary times. A pair of cymbals seem to warn people not to break in without authorization. A large family in the yard can live a quiet, harmonious and beautiful life without controversy. The houses in the courtyard are independent and interrelated, open and concentrated in the middle of the courtyard. The tall and spacious North House is warm in winter and cool in summer for the elders to live in. Once the elders feel unwell, even if it is windy, rainy and snowy, children and grandchildren can go along the veranda to greet the principal's office. This kind of house layout fully embodies the family concept and oriental ethics of traditional houses in China.