What culture does knocker belong to?

China Ancient Buildings | Door knockers

A home, a door and a pair of rings always make people feel that there seems to be an ancient and long history hidden across the door, engraved with rich historical stories.

In the morning, the sun shines on the door of blue brick, green tile and scarlet tile. The knocker on the door is majestically buckled on the facade. It was the first messenger to announce the arrival of guests.

Blue bricks and green tiles give people an elegant, calm, simple and quiet aesthetic feeling, while the old knocker gives people a solemn, dignified, mysterious and quiet feeling.

The knocker, which has lasted for thousands of years in China, is a ring-shaped metal ring buckle on the door leaf of a residential house, which is also called "paving" in some places. Its most direct function is to open the sliding door and knock on the door, but because it is the focus of the door and has the function of making the finishing point, the decorative significance of the door knocker has been strengthened.

Skillful craftsmen in China skillfully turned people's expectations for a better and safer life into various knockers and displayed them on the facade. Flower patterns, auspicious animals, geometric patterns, dragon faces with animal heads, etc. Are commonly used decoration methods. For example, the decoration of "bat" means "more blessings"; "Sunflower" means "many children"; Decoration of "liger" is "town house"; Decoration "Li" (Li is one of the nine sons of Longsheng, stubborn and fond of water) means "fire prevention"; Decorative "hexagon" means "Liuhe", that is, "Liuhe Yannian" and so on.

A pair of knockers with exquisite design, exquisite workmanship and strange patterns can add color to the house and give people beautiful enjoyment. However, with the rapid development of urbanization today, the knocker, which has been inherited for more than 2,000 years, has gradually disappeared.

I like to wander in ancient villages and feel the ancient cultural atmosphere. I especially like the ancient gatehouses, piers, annual rings and brick carvings in these villages. They are a portrayal of the characteristics of the times, and I always feel that I can read many stories from them. They are so rich, so rich in connotation.

Now this kind of thing with profound cultural heritage has been decreasing, and it is always a pity. Miss this solemn knocker, miss the scarlet door with blue bricks and green tiles, miss the blue brick quadrangle, miss the long alley with blue bricks and high walls, the neighborhood is corresponding, calling for women, and it returns to nature and has a human atmosphere!

The ancient ruling class had a very clear hierarchical system for the knockers of folk houses. "Ming History" records: "The main entrance of the four cities of Prince Mi is painted with gold nails and copper rings; Green oil copper ring at the entrance of Gongwangfu; Gold lacquer animal face tin ring for the back door of Guanbai No.1 Middle Palace; One or two products official door green oil animal face tin ring; Black oil tin ring of three to five official doors; There are black oil iron rings on the official doors of grades six to nine ... "No wonder the old doors of many luxury houses in Shanxi are painted black or not, and the knockers are all iron.

However, ordinary people still express their inner wishes in their own way and create many meaningful and exquisite door decorations and knocker patterns.

Jiu shou pu shou door decoration

This is a unique door decoration in southeastern Shanxi. This knocker is divided into two parts by a circular iron plate and nailed between two closed doors. The iron plate is hollowed out or engraved with various auspicious patterns and characters. The "U" ring is hung on the two lower ring titles of each door, and the upper ring title is used for inserting bolts. Special iron leaf decoration beside the knocker.