The economic policies of Ming Dynasty were most favorable to Hedong salt merchants and Luze iron merchants, and the representatives of Shanxi merchants in Ming Dynasty were Jinnan salt merchants and Luze iron merchants. In the Qing dynasty, businessmen and ticket sellers traveling in Mongolia were the most beautiful. In the Qing Dynasty, most of the wealthy businessmen in Shanxi were ticket sellers and vendors concentrated in Jinzhong area. These big businessmen built luxurious and rich houses. Regrettably, their big house was destroyed in the war and social unrest.
With the vigorous development of handicrafts and commerce in Ming Dynasty, many workshops and businessmen appeared in Pingyao. The development of commodity economy has promoted the development of construction industry and the improvement of construction technology. After the mid-Qing Dynasty, the ticket number pawnbroking industry in Pingyao City rose rapidly, and the people who made a fortune in business built large-scale buildings, and the quality and grade of urban and rural housing reached a new level. Splendid and ingenious buildings are scattered in the bustling market and all over the streets and alleys of Pingyao City. Under the protection of the Ming city wall, the houses of wealthy businessmen stand in the streets and alleys, which has become a precious cultural heritage dedicated to mankind by Pingyao Ancient City.
There are more than 3,000 quadrangles in Pingyao City, of which more than 400 are well preserved. There are more than a dozen large-scale old houses, including Lei Lvtai, the first general manager of Rishengchang Bank in Daoguang period, the house on Ximen Shuyuan Street in the city, the carp yue longmen House rebuilt and expanded by Jisheng outside Ximen in Ming and Qing Dynasties, the old house of Hou, the first general manager of Tianchengheng Bank in Shaxiang Street, the "seven rooms and seven purlins" house of Hou Dianyuan, the son of Hou, and Wei who competed with Rishengchang. There are the famous "Xinglong No.1" Buzhuang in Pingyao in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, the quadrangle of Zhao Dadi, the owner of the money house, and the mansion of Wang Peilin, the most famous scholar in Pingyao in the late Qing Dynasty ... These old houses are the best footnotes for many Shanxi folk houses in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The hierarchical system is the most prominent feature of China's feudal political system, and the corresponding palaces, temples and residential cultures also fully reflect this feature. The embodiment of hierarchy concept in Shanxi province can be described as incisively and vividly. Most of the houses in Shanxi are left-right symmetrical positive-biased structures, with the main courtyards strewn at random, the atrium wide and orderly. The main courtyard is spacious, the main room is tall, and the wing room is lower and smaller than the main room.
In the feudal era, men were superior to women, and the old concept of "only women were obedient and little people could not support them" was deeply imprinted in Shanxi's housing construction. Miss Xiulou is usually built low and narrow. Although exquisite and small, there are some traditional preaching metaphors in the old society that do not allow women to get ahead and publicize their personality. The three cardinal guides, the five permanents, the three obedience and the four virtues that constrain women have been fully reflected in housing construction. Taigu Cao's house reduced the embroidered building by a few feet, so as to limit the sight of people in the boudoir, block their glance left and right from the building and imprison their thoughts. This is also the requirement of the feudal era for women. They should follow the ethical code, drown their individuality, be patient and give in, and follow their father's husband. The architectural culture that discriminated against women did not change much even during the Republic of China.
In Shanxi residential buildings in Ming and Qing Dynasties, geomantic omen is also very particular. Before the hospital is built, please ask Mr. Feng Shui to choose a site. When standing on the beam, you should worship heaven and earth, fire a gun to celebrate, carve "Mount Tai Shi Gandang" on the leg of the wall, or set up a Shi Gandang in front of the door and a demon behind the house to ward off evil spirits, so as to obtain psychological comfort.
After the base address is determined, Mr. Feng Shui will be invited to stay. Mr. Feng Shui decides the angle of the central axis of the house according to the date of birth of the builder. He first set the direction of due south and due north with a compass, and then adjusted it to a certain angle to the left or right. This is called catching the sun or catching a small sun. This means that the owner's life is not hard enough to afford a house facing south. Only the palace can open the door facing south. Once the position and size of the main hospital and the main room are determined, other rooms in the wing, inverted seat and side hospital can be reduced according to certain procedures, and the pattern of the whole hospital is basically determined. The sage's teaching that "the benevolent enjoys Leshan and the wise enjoys water" has permeated all aspects of China culture for thousands of years. The primary criterion for choosing a homestead is to be close to mountains and rivers, and the owner of the homestead should enjoy the sublimity of the benevolent and the comfort of the wise. This choice is not only for geographical reasons, but also for the convenience of life.