SI He Yuan: the definition of symmetrical and balance

Si He Yuan is a courtyard with walls surrounding its four sides. It includes four different parts:

• The main room: The main room is always preserved for the elders or the masters. It has the best location, it is on the north-west axis ,which allows it to has good lighting and shelter from the wind. This is also the best room in the whole Si He Yuan.
• the opposite room: Unlike the main room, this room has the worse lighting and the worst conditions. It is next to the the toilet. The slaves and servants lives here.
• The east chamber: traditionally viewed as more desirable than the west chamber in Chinese culture, is often reserved for married sons as they were considered more important in ancient society.
• The West chamber: The western chamber is often used for unmarried daughters or being used as kitchen (Pang).

Pang, Kelly. “Siheyuan, Famous Chinese Courtyards Examples.” China Highlights - Since 1998!, Apr. 2023, www.chinahighlights.com/ travelguide/architecture/ siheyuan.htm.

The Si He Yuan is on the central north-south axis and the design of Si He Yuan is symmetrical. While smaller ones only have 1 courtyard, but the bigger ones could have up to 5 courtyards. Some of the SiHeYuan will also have other cool features like the gardens, storage rooms, more gates and etc.

Si He Yuan is favored for its privacy. Since the house is being blocked by 4 walls, this enhances the privacy of the master and people who live in it (Fernandes).

The Si He Yuan is also being heavily impacted by the feudal ethics (which might be slightly offensive and discriminatory based on modern standards). Parents and elders are being placed in the best main room. Then, the sons, are being placed in the east chamber but daughters, who were considered less superior in ancient society, were placed in the west chamber. Lastly, the slaves are living in the opposite room with worse conditions (王其钧著).

Farmers caves - The hidden houses in the Loess Plateau

The Loess Plateau is one of the largest and thickest plateaus. It is full of mountains and thick loess layers. The people there live in the Farmer Caves, where they dig large holes in the mountain and live inside.

The farmer caves are built using mud, rock, and bricks, materials that can be found in nature. Because of the use of special materials and unique locations, the caves remain cool and chilly in the summer and warm in the winter.

Furthermore, the farmer caves also prioritize feng shui. The shape and design of many farmer caves are based on feng shui. For example, the shape of the door is a combination of squares and circles, which symbolizes the concept of 天圆地方 (a Chinese philosophical concept).

Tulou - The mini society in fujian.

The Tulou is a large Hakka building built with compacted earth. They are mostly in circular and rectangle shapes, around 3 to 5 floors and capacity of 800 people.

In the past, the mountains of southwest Fujian (where Tulou originated) was a area full of theifs and bandits, this area it sparsely populated. It order to protect each other and gather strength, people live and gather together in the large Tulou. The is not only a housing, it can also be used as a defense.

古建家园. 浅谈客家土楼的建筑特点和作用. 1 July 2020, m.gujianchina.cn/news/show-9200.html.

The Tulou functions almost like a small city, with halls, stores, wells, and rooms. Inside the Tulou, different families can help each other and become stronger. There are also shops selling various products, restaurants, and hotels.

Tulou is made out of the thick, compacted earth - this have many advantages:

• Its stronger. The Tulou can withstand different disasters like earthquake and strong winds. This is also why the Tulou can stand for hundred years. The thick wall could help it to withstand different type of attacks and protect the people who live inside it.
• The materials are environmentally friendly. Using them will not cause environment issue or resource depletion.
• Comfortable. In the winter, the architecture is warmer and more. In the summer, the Tulou remains chill and cold.

In addition, the Tulou is also symmetrical, with the main entrance, central hall, and back hall all placed on the central axis. The architecture is full of corridors that connect different parts of the Tulou, making it easy for people living in different parts to visit each other. The way that dozens of families and hundreds of people living in the same Tulou reflect and show the family tradition of Hakka people living together in harmony (新京报).

Conclusion

Architectures are not just architectures, they are the combination of culture, technology, art, society, phlisophy and more. We can learn about aspect of the society just by learning about architecture.

Reference

• Fernandes, Shirley. “An Overview of Siheyuan.” RTF | Rethinking the Future, Nov. 2021, www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/2021/11/23/ a5900-an-overview-of-siheyuan.
• Pang, Kelly. “Siheyuan, Famous Chinese Courtyards Examples.” China Highlights - Since 1998!, Apr. 2023, www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/ architecture/siheyuan.htm.
• 中华国宝. “它是传统建筑中的‘黄土文化’！人们为什么要住窑洞？它究竟是怎么建造的？《如果古建筑会说话》（第二季）| 中华国宝.” YouTube, 21 Mar. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWmP-sEGYgg.
• 中华文史网-清史参考. www.qinghistory.cn/qsck/431153.shtml. 古建家园. 浅谈客家土楼的建筑特点和作用.
• 1 July 2020, m.gujianchina.cn/news/show-9200.html. 新京报. 生土夯就的中国世界文化遗产——福建土楼.
• www.gov.cn/test/2008-07/08/content_1038821.htm. 王其钧著. 雨中春树人家：品味华夏古建筑. BEIJING BOOK CO. INC., 2017.