What are the architectural structure and the role of the building and the materials needed for the construction of folk houses in southern Anhui?

The most representative residential buildings in Southern Anhui are Xidi and Hongcun in Yixian County, which were inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2000.

Hongcun has more than 140 well-preserved ancient houses of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Inside the village, there are many buildings and courtyards, and the lake and mountains are so beautiful that they are in perfect harmony with each other, and everywhere is a scene, and every step is a picture. Hongcun, with its marvelous idyllic scenery, is known as "China's Painted Countryside". Xidi has 124 ancient houses of the Ming and Qing dynasties and 3 ancestral halls. On behalf of the Huizhou style of residential architecture, the "three greats" (houses, ancestral halls, pagodas) and "three carvings" (wood carving, stone carving, brick carving) are well preserved here.

Green tiles and white walls are the prominent impression of Huizhou architecture. The staggered horse head wall not only has the beauty of modeling, but more importantly, it has the practical function of fire prevention and blocking the spread of fire.

One of the characteristics of Huizhou-style houses is the high walls and deep courtyards, which on the one hand is a defense against burglars and thieves, and on the other hand is a need for psychological security for the migrant families who suffer from the pain of displacement.

Another feature of the Huizhou-style houses is the inward courtyard centered on a deep patio, surrounded by a high wall, with almost no tile visible from the outside, and the only way to communicate with the outside world is to use the long and narrow patio for light and ventilation. This basic form, centered on the patio and enclosed by high walls, is the focus of people's attention. Rainwater falling from the four sides of the roof into the patio, commonly known as "four water to the hall", also figuratively reflecting the Huizhou merchants "fat water does not flow outside the field" mentality, which is similar to the Shanxi residence.

The folk houses in southern Anhui are famous for preserving a large number of ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. Xin'an for the township of culture, the history of many officials and businessmen, only the Shexian more than a scholar that is up to hundreds of people. Hui merchants are all over the southern Anhui Province. "The rich room of the claimant, Jiangnan first push Xin'an", their enormous wealth, creating a beautiful museum of ancient houses in southern Anhui. Existing Huizhou Ming and Qing dynasties of ancient architectural complexes are mainly concentrated in Yixian County, Shexian County, Jixi, Xiuning. Yixian County now exists in more than ten ancient villages, such as Xidi, Hongcun, Bishan, Pingshan, etc. The main ones are Xidi, Hongcun, Bishan and Pingshan. Yixian City has more ancient buildings. The county retains hundreds of valuable ancient buildings. Xidi alone has 122 buildings. Shexian County *** there are 365 ancient buildings, valuable more than a hundred, 27 ancient ancestral halls, concentrated in the village of Xiongcun, Chengkan, submerged in the mouth, Tangyue, deep ferry. Jixi surviving ancient buildings more than a hundred, concentrated in the head of Hung Hom, pit mouth, Feng village, on the Zhuang and other places. Ancient villages are generally composed of pagodas, houses, ancestral halls, water mouths, road pavilions, workshops, etc. Some villages are very large, such as the submission of 99 streets and alleys, strangers often get lost when they go in. Many villages have a well-organized layout, and the water system of Hongcun is an example. Hongcun in the village at the head of the mountain dam, the village canal from both sides of the street into each household, converging on the village in the middle of the moon pond. And then diverted to the household, into the South Lake. Each household has large and small canals for washing and drinking water. The layout of the residential houses is generally a triple or quadrangle courtyard centered on a patio, with a two-story height. Medium-sized and large mansions use a combination of multiple courtyards, and the buildings are all whitewashed. In the old days, many architectural complexes of large families were huge in scale, decorated with Huizhou three carvings, with delicate and staggered layouts. A piece of ancient architecture in southern Anhui set in the Huangshan Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, Xin'an River in the vast expanse of famous mountains and beautiful water, heaven and earth, just like a world-class park without makeup.

The residential houses in southern Anhui are two-story buildings with a very small patio in the center, and the hall is located on the north side of the patio. There are no walls, doors or windows between the hall and the patio, which is an open space. On the north side of the hall, that is, at the back, there is a wooden wall, and on both sides of the wall, there are doors without doors. In front of the wall, furniture such as a long table and an eight-imperial table are placed. Hall on the east and west sides, respectively, placed several groups of back chairs and coffee table, people often place some utensils on it as a decoration.