China Traditional Dwellings and Natural Environment

Jiangnan has a humid climate, flat terrain and criss-crossing rivers. Therefore, most houses in the south of the Yangtze River live along the river, forming a "small bridge with flowing water". Most houses in the south of the Yangtze River have wooden frames that pass through buckets without beams, and directly support purlins with columns. The walls are painted white, and the roof structure is thinner than the houses in the north. The bottom of the wall is often paved with flaky, and the indoor floor is also paved. Traditional manhole covers, wooden fans, screen doors, etc. For free separation. There are only a few exquisite carvings on the beam frame, painted in chestnut, brown, gray and other colors, and there is no painting. The wooden structure outside the house is painted in brown, black, dark green and other colors, which set off the white walls and gray tiles. The colors are elegant, plain and clear, and combined with the surrounding natural environment to form a picturesque water town.

So the answer is: Jiangnan has a humid climate, flat terrain and many branches of rivers, so most houses live along the river, and the walls are painted white to reflect the strong radiation of the sun, echoing the dark gray tiles.