What is the shadow wall of the old Beijing courtyard house used for?

In ancient times, the shadow wall was called the "Xiao Wall" in the idiom of "Woe arises from the Xiao Wall". Generally speaking, when people build a house, they will build a wall at the entrance of the main door, and this wall is the shadow wall. The old Beijing courtyard will be set inside and outside the two shadow wall.

The outer shadow wall of the courtyard is usually used to ward off evil spirits. Because the ancients believed in ghosts and gods, it was believed that people would have souls after they died, and it was believed that these souls had no shelter and would keep entering their homes. In order to prevent their homes from entering the ghosts, people would set up external shadow walls. In this way, when the ghosts want to enter the residence will see their own shadow on the shadow wall and be scared away by themselves, and will not enter the mansion.

The inner shadow wall of the courtyard is mainly to isolate the role of screening, sound insulation. Because the courtyard as a whole is a large area of open-air living room, each household will be planted in the courtyard of some flowers, plants and trees or breeding some for fun fish, insects, birds and animals, and so on, these personal preferences are inconvenient to be seen. Therefore, the inner shadow wall was constructed to provide shade. In addition, the inner wall is usually carved on some beautiful patterns, the courtyard also played a decorative role.

Overhead view of a three-entry courtyard

Dali's "Three Drops of Water" Shadow Wall

Shadow walls are an important part of traditional Chinese architecture, and they are not only found in old courtyards, but also in Jinshang compounds in Shanxi, and in the white houses in Dali. There are many forms of shadow wall, there are in the gate inside the inner shadow wall, there are also outside the gate outside the shadow wall, such as the shadow wall of the temple of the emperors in Beijing on the opposite side of the road, this shadow wall is generally only the royal family and other senior buildings only, the middle of the space in the past is not allowed to walk in the pedestrian and vehicular, and there is also one located in the gate of the east and west, in the shape of a figure of eight, called "anti-eight photo wall

The biggest role of the shadow wall is to block, of course, blocking the people, but also ghosts.

The inner shadow wall is the most common, we can see when we walk around the hutongs in Beijing, walking on Chang'an Street, you can also see the Xinhua Gate that "for the people" of the shadow wall. The shadow wall of the Xinhua Gate, for example, because of its existence, so we can not see what the inside of Zhongnanhai, this is the role of the shadow wall, there is a cover can play a role in protecting privacy and security. In order to play these roles, the elaborate courtyard not only rely on the shadow wall, but also rely on the front porch and rear building to increase the depth of the courtyard. The outer and inner shadow wall have the same function, and as I just said, the space between the shadow wall and the gate also belongs to the territorial scope, which emphasizes the grandeur and status. The gate of the "reverse eight walls" is usually indented a bit, so it will make the entrance of the courtyard deep, and can also play a role in hiding.

In addition to blocking people, the shadow wall also block ghosts, because the ghosts will only go straight and will not turn the corner, so a wall erected at the door, the ghosts can not come in, thus avoiding disaster. In the old days, how to build a house, the door how to set up a shadow wall how to build are feng shui.

The shadow wall of the Qiao family compound in Shanxi

Because of the importance of the shadow wall in the building as a whole, so people also spend a lot of thought on this wall, extremely stacked carving of the beauty of the wall, so the shadow wall has one more role - decoration. Wealthy people will have the status of the family to repair the shadow wall is very elegant and exquisite, like the Imperial Palace in the Emperor's home of the Nine Dragons wall itself is today an attraction.

Lastly, in the old Beijing dialect, the shadow wall is often called "bei" (轻声), which means "shadow" in Chinese.

From the past to the present, our city architecture has undergone major changes, before the city building to pay attention to a four flat, we can look at the past of Beijing, those rich people's houses, seldom to see a few floors and what is to pay attention to a footprint, the main embodiment of the rich and powerful is the carving of the beams and painting, as well as the layout of the house.

The old Beijingers, as well as we can see from the movie and television productions, the past of the capital city houses to the courtyard mostly, is a large shadow wall in the door, and then the patio, inside the three sides of the building, divided into the main house and accompanying rooms.

With the development of the times, the city courtyard began to slowly disappear, of course, there are reasons for this, one of the biggest reasons is that the city population began to increase dramatically, covering a large area and live in a small number of buildings began to slowly withdraw, turned into a high-rise buildings, people from the past plane of living into the current three-dimensional living.

And the small courtyard living environment of the past city, but in the rural areas have been extended, until now still so, exactly, the rural areas continue to be the past thousands of years of China's traditional building occupancy.

For example, in the past, the shadow wall in the courtyard, we can not see in the city, unless some historical buildings have not been demolished. But in the countryside, such walls abound.

Then there will be some people have questions, this wall of shadow wall is what to do? Why is there such an abrupt structure in the past courtyard?

This is the first time I've ever seen such a building, and I'm sure it's a good one.

It's easy to understand why, because the wall has no real purpose, but it's there in almost every house.

Black sister-in-law for this issue is also very curious, if someone has seen the previous black sister-in-law's video will understand, black sister-in-law on this aspect of the interest is very full, but also dedicated to a period of video about this.

Today we will talk about the past and present, the role of the shadow wall in the yard.

In the past and present, we as a people are very serious and serious about the place where we stay.

In the past, no matter how simple the small yard, it is necessary to have a shadow wall. A fence-tied one would also work. Of course, this only exists in some of the elaborate home, is those who have the conditions of the home.

If there is no such condition, nature is not capable of building, take Zhu Yuanzhang, historical records, his parents died, he even buried his parents are not the ground, and how will bother to build a mansion? Just find a place to bury on the line.

What is this shadow wall? Why is it so important? What do people want to do with this thing?

Psychologically speaking, people build this thing is to "block", so in folklore, this wall actually has another common name called "blocking wall".

We Chinese are very serious about this, for example, if our front door is facing a large pit, then the pit side to build a wall, meaning not to let the pit directly to the yard. If the wall of our house is directly facing a hutong or a big road, then we will write a plaque on it saying "Taishan Shi Dare to Block". If it is a production road or their own home has a hutong, hutong also on other people's homes hutong, then hang a mirror on the mountain wall, or placed a small mouth big belly urn.

Why do this? The whole purpose of doing this is to block the brake. Then someone will ask, what do you mean by blocking the brake? What is this bane? In fact, this is not a specific reference, this is a generalization, here the brake, generalized reference to some unclean things.

In people's minds, if their own home has a hutong, and also against other people's home hutong, that is, hutong to hutong, which is called an arrow through the heart, easy to attract unclean things, so people will be hanging a mirror on the mountain wall or place a small mouth big belly urn. The purpose of doing so is that if there are unclean things from the opposite side of the hutong over, will be mirrored and then return to go, and if it is really not returned to the past, will be above the small mouth and big belly urn to suck in and then out of the way.

The back wall written Tarzan stone dare to be, as well as the courtyard to build a wall, in fact, is for this purpose, people stubbornly believe that those so-called unclean things are not going to turn, these things go straight, if the door does not have a wall of the shadow wall, will allow these things to drive straight into. If there is a shadow wall, it will be blocked and then return the same way.

This is the main psychology of people in the past in the yard to build a wall of shadow wall and the role of building a wall of shadow wall. In fact, even now, the shadow wall in the rural courtyard from the psychological point of view, the role is still this, just people do not say it.

We now seem very nonsensical, but in terms of architectural aesthetics, this shadow wall actually has a reasonable place, which is what we will say.

In the development of China's architecture, the most affected is actually the palace, all the folk architecture, are extended from the palace, so it may not be easy to understand, to put it in simpler words, that is, the folk building, in fact, are in accordance with the palace of the past rulers of the imitation of out.

Of course, in the specification is absolutely can not be exceeded, more than called trespassing, which is a crime in ancient times. People would imitate, but only its shape, or a scaled-down version.

And the past building from the sky as a starting point to pay attention to the "negative yin embracing yang". What is the negative yin and hold the sun? In fact, to put it bluntly is to sit in the north to the south, which is our folk architecture now follow the most one, is the so-called "hall house", if according to the direction is the north house, facing the south, the sunshine long time. In ancient times, once someone is said to sit in the north to the south can also be said to become the emperor. The so-called sit north to south to attract the phoenix tour, we can understand the meaning of it very well.

And from the human side, our building pay attention to the "inferiority and superiority, the order of the eldest and youngest". That is, what people live in what house, live in what direction of the house this is a difference.

Some people may not understand, said the black sister-in-law you say so much, with our shadow wall what is the relationship? We can see here the inferiority and superiority, the order of the eldest and youngest, that is, a family, what people live in what direction of the house there is a difference, such as the head of the family, then live in the hall, that is, in the middle of the house towards the south, the son live separately, or the west wing, or the side room, the daughter is the backyard. Why do we say that when there is a male-female affair in a family, we love to say that there is a fire in the backyard? There is a reason for this.

Some of the servants lived either in the gatehouse or in a small house in the corner. This spread out and lived, gave birth to the courtyard in the past, need a lot of houses, but in the past people did not build upwards, so the existence of the courtyard is very necessary.

And in such a layout of the building, living in the center is the head of the family, is the most authoritative person in the family, how can a person be authoritative? Do not look at the color is called authority, no matter what time, happy to look at the color will always give people a frivolous feeling, not serious.

This is true for people, and it is true for buildings.

If people do not show color? It is good at hiding, hiding the real idea in the heart. Architecture is so colorless? It is also hiding. But the building is not a person, can not hide the real idea in the heart, can only go to the auxiliary, so there is a shadow wall, the shadow wall will be inside the main home, that is, the master hidden behind.

So, from the past to the present, the shadow wall plays the biggest role is to hide, hide wealth, hide gas, hide all the family. When someone passes by the door, you turn your head and see the wall, you can't directly see what the owner of the house is doing inside.

Similarly, this wall is not only used in the yard, when we watch movies and TV shows, and read historical records, we often see that people sleep in the place or the place where the guests are standing screen.

The screen, in some ways, in fact, is the indoor wall, only to change the material, its role is in fact similar, are to hide. The hide here is for the main house, is to the benefit of the main house.

Ⅲ: In summary, we can see that in the past, those courtyards in Beijing have shadow wall, from the psychological point of view, is to block, from the actual point of view, is to hide.

Now there are very few courtyards, into high-rise buildings, courtyards are no longer, the wall of the shadow naturally disappeared, but people such a psychological and did not disappear, this point can be seen in the interior decoration design of the entrance, in fact, are the same, only to produce a change.

Now the rural shadow wall, people do not pay too much attention to this, but almost everyone's home, but it should be noted that now people for the block and hide in fact not so much attention to the rural areas in the yard to build a shadow wall, more than out of a kind of psychology with the tide, that is, other people have a yard, their own home yard to have, as for the role of what, they are not very much, they are not too much, but they have a lot of time. The role is what, they do not care too much, and some people do not quite understand.

About the role of the shadow wall and the formation of the wall, in fact, is a very interesting topic, the black sister-in-law said that only the skin, and with their own understanding and knowledge, so there will inevitably be mistakes and understanding of the place is not in place, which I hope that you also know.

But on the shadow wall itself, black sister-in-law personally think this is a very beautiful thing, the yard has such a thing, it increases the sense of beauty, and neutralize the monotony of the yard, there is a certain architectural significance. Will this thing disappear? According to the black sister-in-law view, is not, will exist, as to whether there is a need, this is to be seen by you to see the wisdom.

"Into the door when the road a shadow wall, in the compartment outside the head of the two separated", the shadow wall in the courtyard plays a "lead", "hide", "enclosure", "through" role, is a traditional residential compound of the constituent elements. Its spatial location, structural form, carving technology, decorative style and other aspects of the formation of the regular atmosphere of simple and elegant, full and thick and natural and vivid artistic style, in the traditional residential courtyard environment in the eye of the pen. Shadow wall can be divided into: one-character shadow wall, eight-character shadow wall, skimming mountain shadow wall and seat mountain shadow wall according to the shape.

One character shadow wall is the most common, the plane of the word molding, some one character shadow wall is too long, in order to avoid dull monotony from the horizontal division into three sections, the middle is slightly longer at the end of the two ends slightly shorter, forming a "one master, two servants" relationship. The so-called eight shadow wall is on the basis of a word shadow wall, "a master and two servants" in the "two servants" to the outside folded to form the shape of the eight surrounded. The "Skimming Mountain Shadow Wall" is based on the "Eight Character Shadow Wall", which is folded inward, located on both sides of the main door, making an angle of 120 or 135 with the Daimen. Zashan Shadow Wall is in the courtyard room on the wall of a brick cap and made into a shadow wall, shadow wall and the wall as one.

In traditional Chinese architectural forms, the shadow wall is carved with patterns, dragons and water, stories, echoing with the gate and the open space in front of the gate, forming an integrated whole, which can avoid the line of sight, hide the building, and decorate the courtyard, which has high architectural aesthetic value.