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Chinese homes across the country share certain common characteristics. The layout of the house or the use of specific materials and techniques of construction have a cultural origin. However, the Chinese architecture is not uniform throughout the country. The local influence on architecture has created a rich variety of styles and designs.
The Layout of the Chinese home is South facing
right from the days of the Neolithic man. This factor
is closely associated with the concept of Feng Shui which
literally translates to “wind and water”.
Feng Shui also determines the kinds of material that is to
be used in house construction. The materials used were
expected to direct beneficial energy to the occupants of the
house.
Earth and wood were common building materials
which were supposed to draw positive energy.
Therefore, the foundations and bricks were made of pounded
earth. Roofs were designed based on the wealth of the
family and hence the material could vary.
The traditionally styled structures focus on colours. Roofs are painted in shades of red, yellow and green. Elaborate carvings characterize the doors, windows and roofs. All structures are geometrical and most doors and windows are circular in shape.
In Bejing, the houses are set in a square
courtyard. The size of the house is determined by wooden framework
that is first set up. The basic building block is the
bay which is defined as the “the space in between”.
Most Chinese houses contain odd number of
bays. Even numbers are considered unlucky. Three
bay houses, are the most common type of building in the Chinese
landscape. Extensions to a three bay house are usually
done by creating a courtyard dwelling.
The courtyard is enclosed by buildings and
walls and there are no windows on the outside walls.
The only opening to the outside world is the front door.
The main door also does not line up with the rest of the house
and it would be impossible to see into the interior by entering
the house.
The rooms in the rear were reserved for the
servants, while cooking was carried out in the first courtyard.
The east and west rooms were for the sons and their families
and the main building was for the residence of the parents.
Guests and family ceremonies were held in the inner hall.
A construction often found in many regions
of China is Tulou. A Tulou is a round shaped clan home
that has three or four stories and is constructed like a fortress.
The term means a traditional living house.
Some Tuluos are constructed completely out
of cut granite, whereas traditionally the tuluo was defined
as an earthen dwelling. Today many Tuluos are built
out of a substance known as sanhetu(which is a mixture of
the earth, sand and lime). The form, style and colour
of the Tuluo complement the landscape.
There is a complete sense of contextual synthesis
in the architecture of the building. These buildings
are round in shape and can have a diameter of 70 meters.
The walls are 2,4 meter thick. It is dense and compact
and has about 250 small uniform rooms constructed in two or
three storey wooden structures. These are placed round
the buildings periphery symmetrically.
All the rooms look out into the courtyard.
The courtyard is used for drying clothes, rice, for communal
activities and children’s play. There are a number
of buildings around the courtyard which are stables, guest
rooms and toilets for use as kitchen in the summer.
There is usually an altar set in the buildings peripheral
range of rooms facing the courtyard. This space was
also used for receiving honoured guests of the family.
The tuluo is divided into zones as with all
Chinese family homes. Recent economic trends have split
up the clans and necessitated the movement of the members
into the nearby towns and cities. Many Tuluos have become
derelict and disused as a result.
The Suzhou or the black roof houses are typical
Chinese housing block homes. They are generally two storied
houses made with unreinforced brick and finished with white
cement or in shades of earthy tan.
The roofs are beautifully covered with densely
spaced black clay barrel tiles which contrast with the unadorned
wall surface. The ridges of the roof are surmounted
by elaborate gondola shaped cement caps. They are solar
oriented and the sides of the house face north and south
with a terrace in the southern face which circulates the breeze
in summer and provides shade from the sun. The Northern
walls have equally spaced casement windows, divided by ornate
muntins.
The windows are sometimes glazed with mother
of pearl, but glass and plastic are more common. The
east and west walls are left blank. The living, dining
and cooking area is located at the southern half of the lower
storey. There are no bathrooms only wooden
buckets in the bedrooms which have to be emptied periodically.
Of late the western style houses have been
on the increase. Chinese are increasingly looking for
modern amenities with thermal and acoustic facilities.
Two or three bedrooms, with garages for one or two cars are
becoming common demands in cities.
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