Appreciation of "The Courtyard Where Beijing People Live" in Chinese Culture

The Courtyard of Beijingers

A Point of View

The courtyard is the name given to a group of traditional Chinese dwellings characterized by a main house and an east-west room surrounding an intermediate courtyard. They have the longest history and widest distribution among Chinese houses, with the Beijing courtyard house being the most representative.

Classical Interpretation

As a local traditional residential form, the Beijing courtyard house was first established in the Liao Dynasty, and was gradually perfected through the Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, and has now become the most characteristic form of residence in Beijing. The so-called "Four Harmonies" has two levels of significance: "Four" refers to the east, south, west and north, and "Harmonies" refers to the four sides of the house enclosed together.

The traditional Beijing courtyard house is usually built along east-west hutongs, facing south. Its basic form is surrounded by the main house in the north, the inverted house in the south, and the east and west compartments, with a large door in the southeast corner of the mansion at the "Xun" position. The number of rooms is generally three rooms in the north, two rooms, five rooms, three rooms in the east and west rooms, four rooms in the south, plus a large doorway and the hanging flower door a **** seventeen. The most important feature of the courtyard is its regular appearance and symmetrical center line. Its use is also very flexible, extended to the palace, the royal residence, after simplifying, narrowing, is the people's homes.

Generally speaking, a courtyard has a gate, a first courtyard, a hall, and a second courtyard, with corridors connecting each room, which fully reflects the importance that the Chinese people attach to kinship. Inside and outside the gate, there is a shadow wall. As an extremely important decorative wall inside and outside the gate of Beijing courtyard houses, the shadow wall plays an important role in blocking the cluttered and dull scenery inside and outside the gate, thus beautifying the entrance and exit of the gate. People in and out of the gate, the first thing you see is beautifully carved, stacked wall, and inlaid in the top of the auspicious words of praise.

As the main form of residence for Beijingers for thousands of years, the courtyard has long been a part of traditional Chinese culture. Nowadays, Beijing courtyard houses are attracting the attention of friends at home and abroad with their unique charm, and the culture of courtyard houses has begun to present itself to people in a new light.