The origin and evolution of siheyuan, the widespread use of siheyuan began in which dynasty

Most of the courtyard houses in Beijing have been listed as cultural relics protection units. But at the same time there are also some that have been demolished. In today's society, it seems that not many people would want to live in a courtyard, and only the older generation knows that an old house like a courtyard is a good place to live with warm winters and cool summers. So how has the courtyard evolved through the ages? Together to the courtyard culture to see!

The courtyard has a long history, as early as 3,000 years

ago in China during the Western Zhou Dynasty, a complete courtyard appeared. The remains of a two-entry courtyard building unearthed at the Zhouyuan site in Fengshi Village, Qishan, Shaanxi, are the earliest and tightest known example of a siheyuan in China.

During the Han Dynasty, there was a newer development of courtyard architecture, which was influenced by the doctrine of feng shui, and there was a whole set of yin and yang and five elements in the quadrangle, from the site selection to the layout. Tang Dynasty courtyard on the two Han, the next Song and Yuan, its pattern is the front narrow back square.

However, the prevalent courtyard in ancient times was a corridor courtyard, that is, the courtyard axis for the main building, surrounded by corridor links, or left and right with houses, rather than four sides of the building. In the late Tang Dynasty, the courtyard with a corridor, gradually replaced the corridor courtyard, after the Song Dynasty, the corridor courtyard gradually reduced to the Ming and Qing Dynasties gradually extinct.

Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, courtyard gradually mature. Yuan Shizuizu Kublai "edict of the old city residents of the old capital, to the high cost (rich people) and the job (in the court for the first), is customized to the land of eight acres for a point", to the rich merchants to the metropolis, officials to build homes, which began a large-scale formation of the traditional courtyard houses in Beijing period. 1970s, Beijing, Beijing, after the Yingfang Hutong In the early 1970s, the ruins of a Yuan Dynasty courtyard house were unearthed in Houyingfang Hutong in Beijing, which can be regarded as the prototype of Beijing's courtyard houses. After the Ming and Qing dynasties, the architectural style of the courtyard was gradually formed, which is unique to Beijing.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, many of Beijing's siheyuan were reduced to miscellaneous yards, and after the reform and opening up, with the urban renewal, many traditional siheyuan were demolished, such as the demolition of Kang Youwei's New Hall in Guangdong Province in 1998, the demolition of Zhao Zichen's former residence in 2000, the demolition of the Qing Dynasty Guoshunwang's mansion on No. 45 Mengduan Hutong in 2004, and the demolition of the Cao Xueqin's former residence in 2005, and the demolition of Tang Shaoyi's former residence in 2006. In 2006, the former residence of Tang Shaoyi was demolished. At the same time, a number of courtyard houses are listed in the Beijing Municipality and various districts and counties to protect the courtyard houses.

In ancient times, the courtyard house basically met the needs of family life, and the two quadrangles and larger quadrangles were usually the residences of officials and gentry. In modern times, on the one hand, sanitary facilities such as water and heating did not enter the courtyard, and the courtyard, which had been reduced to a compound, was not improved to accommodate cars, air conditioners, and other equipment.

On the other hand, large families such as the quadrangle are rare, and wealthy families are usually willing to buy villas in the suburbs where transportation is convenient, rather than living in the densely populated urban areas. Therefore, whether or not the courtyard as a residential house still exists in value is also a matter of debate in recent times.

With the protection of the old city, the original courtyard has been transformed, for example, in 1990 by Professor Wu Liangyong of Tsinghua University, presided over the project of dangerous reform of Beijing Ju'er Hutong courtyard, in order to retain the structure of the courtyard on the basis of the original courtyard bungalow into a building, increasing the facilities such as kitchens, bathrooms and so on.

The renovation project won the World Habitat Award from the United Nations. In the dangerous reform of Beijing Nanchizi, some of the courtyard houses were also converted into two-storey houses and underground garages were constructed. 2006, Beijing announced the "Beijing Quadrangle Architectural Elements Map", which serves as a reference basis for the protection, repair, renovation, and remodeling of the quadrangles.