The quadrangles in the south of China are slightly different from those in the north. Due to the limited land and the hot and rainy climate, the courtyard of the southern quadrangle is smaller. Generally made of large stone strips. Looking down, the courtyard looks like a well, commonly known as "patio". Conducive to ventilation and light transmission, providing shade, and can also be used for drainage. The climate in the north is cold, which requires sufficient sunshine and lighting, so the courtyard is large and the doors and windows are high. Among all kinds of quadrangles, Beijing quadrangle is the most representative one.
The quadrangle building in Beijing had begun to take shape in the Liao Dynasty, and gradually improved in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, eventually becoming the most distinctive living form in Beijing. Ordinary people and dignitaries live in quadrangles, but there are differences in building size. Even the Forbidden City, where emperors of Ming and Qing dynasties lived, was connected by several small quadrangles. Regular Beijing quadrangles generally sit in the east-west hutong facing south, with the main room (north room), south room (upside down room) and east-west room divided into four directions. The courtyard is surrounded by high walls, forming a quadrangle. The gate is opened in the southeast corner of the courtyard, and its gossip position is called Xun. Houses and courtyards are symmetrically arranged along the north-south longitudinal axis, and are divided into inner courtyards and outer courtyards. Siheyuan is a brick-wood structure with purlins, columns, beams (rafters), sills, rafters, doors and windows, partitions and so on. It's all made of wood, and the walls around the shelves of the wooden house are made of bricks. The walls are used to grind bricks. Most of the roof tiles are blue tiles, which are interlocking. Before the eaves are dripped, or the tiles are not laid, all the roofs are painted with blue ash, which is called "grey shed".
The gate of the quadrangle is very particular, which can be divided into two types from the architectural form: one is a house-style gate composed of one or several houses; The other is a wall door built at the closed part of the courtyard wall. According to different grades, there are as many as 35 palace-style gates for princes and nobles, and stone lions, horse nails and stone drums are also arranged at the door. As soon as you step into the gate, you can see the exquisite screen wall. The main function of the screen wall is to block the messy and rigid walls and scenery inside and outside the gate and beautify the entrance and exit of the gate, so that people will not bring everything in the yard as soon as they enter the door. The screen wall is divided into three parts: upper, middle and lower. The lower part is the base, the middle part is the shadow wall, and the upper part of the shadow wall is the wall cap, just like the roof and eaves of a room. The screen wall and the gate set each other off and became interesting, which played a role in making the clouds see the moon and making the finishing point. Some screen walls are exquisite, with exquisite patterns and auspicious words carved on them, which greatly increase the cultural taste of quadrangles. Hanging flower gate is an important building in quadrangles, and its decoration is also very exquisite. It has become a watershed between the outer court and the inner court with its dignified and gorgeous image. This door is closed except for important ceremonies in the family, such as marriage, funeral, marriage and opening the door when getting married. After entering the hanging flower gate, it officially entered the inner courtyard of the quadrangle. The inner courtyard is a courtyard surrounded by buildings such as north room, east and west wing rooms and hanging flower doors. The north room faces south, which is the most important room in the house. The size of the abutment and the house are relatively high, generally three, and the big house is five. Only the middle room of the main room is open to the public, which is called the main room. The two rooms on both sides only face the hall, forming a suite, which is a pattern of alternating light and dark, in line with the standard of "bright hall and dark room" in Chinese wind and water. The hall is a place where family members live, entertain relatives or worship their ancestors in the New Year. The bedrooms on the east and west sides are occupied by the grandparents and wives of the older generation. There are also points of honor and inferiority. Under the system of polygamy, the east side is distinguished and lives by the first house, while the west side is humble and lives by the wing. On both sides of the main room, there are one or two rooms with small depth and height, just like two ears hanging on both sides of the main room, so they are called wing rooms. The east and west wing rooms can be opened separately or communicated with the main room, and are generally used as bedrooms or study rooms. If there is a wing on each side and two rooms on each side, it is called "three positive ears" If there are two on each side and four on each side, it is called "three positive and four ears" Small quadrangles are mostly "three sides and two ears", while medium-sized quadrangles are mostly "three sides and four ears". On the east and west sides of the inner hall, there are three rooms, which lead to the courtyard respectively, and are called wing rooms. Both the east wing and the west wing live in the younger generation. There are also bright and dark wings, with a living room in the middle and bedrooms on both sides. You can also separate a room on the south side for use as a kitchen or restaurant. If the quadrangle is large, a wing can be added to the south of the wing. There is generally a veranda connection between the main room, wing room and hanging door. Every house connected by a veranda has a veranda on its front eaves, and there are holes in the gables at both ends of the veranda, which leads to the veranda. Handwriting corridors are all in the shape of curved feet, which are connected with the north room, the east room, the west room and the hanging door, and the inner rooms are connected in series into a whole. The veranda not only has the function of passage, but also enriches the level and space of interior buildings, giving people the feeling of "how deep the courtyard is"
Siheyuan was built to meet the needs of traditional big families. First, the quadrangle is a closed house with walls on all sides, but there is no window on the wall, only one courtyard door is connected with the outside world, and the door is closed at ordinary times. Family activities are all within the courtyard wall, showing independence from the outside world. It reflects a traditional closed culture in ancient China. Second, there are strict regulations on the housing layout and housing arrangements of family members. The layout is generally that the main room is higher than the side room, and the area is also larger than the side room; The main house in the housing arrangement is occupied by the elders; The east and west wings are slightly lower and occupied by the younger generation; Grandchildren or servants live in the lower south room, and servants live in the inverted room. This arrangement fully embodies the strict distinction between the old and the young and the family concept of traditional houses. It highlights the status of parents, is a symbol of paternalism, strengthens the order within the family, and embodies a strong sense of hierarchy. Thirdly, the layout of quadrangles also fully embodies the inheritance of traditional culture and has a strong human touch. The houses in the courtyard are independent and interrelated, open and concentrated in the middle of the courtyard. There is a yard in the middle of the yard, which is very spacious. It is the center of the courtyard layout, and it is also the place where people walk, light, ventilate, enjoy the cool, rest and do housework. Plant trees and flowers in the yard, and prepare water tanks to raise goldfish. In hot summer, flowers and trees in the courtyard are sparse, and the vines are cool and pleasant. The family is chatting at home over tea. It's fun, both family fun and natural fun.