What are the traditional houses in Beijing?

Siheyuan is a traditional residence in Beijing and even North China. Its basic feature is that houses and courtyards are symmetrically arranged according to the north-south central axis, facing south, and the gate is generally opened in the southeast corner. There is a screen wall inside the door, so outsiders can't see the activities in the yard. The main room is located on the central axis, with side wing and left and right wing. The principal room is the living room of the elders, and the wing room is for the younger generation. This solemn layout also embodies the orthodox and rigorous traditional character of the people in North China. Beijing has a warm temperate and semi-humid continental monsoon climate, with little snow in winter and heavy sandstorm in spring. Therefore, the residential design pays attention to heat preservation, cold protection, wind protection and sand avoidance, and is surrounded by brick walls. The whole yard is surrounded by houses and walls, hard gable roofs, thick walls and roofs. Beijing quadrangle is the most typical quadrangle in northern China. The quadrangle, which faces south and the gate opens in the southeast corner, is called "Kanzhai follow the door", which is considered auspicious and actually helps to maintain privacy and increase spatial changes. After entering the gate, turn west to the outer court and decorate the guest room, servant room, kitchen and toilet. From the outer court to the north, enter the square and the inner court through a gorgeous hanging door. The main room in the north is called the hall, where the memorial tablet of "Heaven and Earth" is enshrined, family etiquette is held, and distinguished guests are received. The left and right wing rooms are for elders to live in and used as study rooms. The wing rooms on both sides of the yard are junior bedrooms. Each room is connected by a "handwriting gallery". You can sit in the gallery and enjoy the flowers and trees in the courtyard without going through the open air. The quadrangle in Beijing is famous because it is a residential building, but it contains profound cultural connotation and is the carrier of China traditional culture. The construction of quadrangles pays great attention to geomantic omen. From site selection to determining the specific scale of each building, it must be carried out according to the theory of geomantic omen. Geomantic omen theory is actually an ancient architectural environmentology in China and an important part of China's traditional residential architecture theory. This geomantic theory has guided the architectural activities in ancient China for thousands of years. In addition to the theory of geomantic omen, the decoration, sculpture and painting of quadrangles also reflect folk customs and traditional culture everywhere, showing people's pursuit of happiness, beauty, prosperity and auspiciousness under specific historical conditions. For example, the pattern composed of bats and longevity characters means "longevity", and the pattern with Chinese rose flowers in the vase means "peace in the four seasons". Auspicious words embedded in the door tube and the door head, couplets pasted on eaves columns, and masterpieces of calligraphy and painting hung indoors are all ancient sayings that combine the achievements of sages and philosophers, using ancient and modern famous sentences, or praising the beauty of mountains and rivers, or inscriptions. Beijing quadrangles are kind and quiet, and the courtyard scale is just right, which brings the distance between the earth and people closer. It is an ideal outdoor living space with a square courtyard, which is beneficial to the sunshine in winter. The northeast climate is cold and the yard is wide. South of Beijing, the sun is very strong in summer, and the yard becomes long and narrow from north to south. There is a heavy sandstorm in the northwest, and the courtyard walls are raised.