A Combination of Forms (part 2)

　　4. Vernacular Dwellings in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi

　　Vernacular dwellings in Hunan, Hubei and Jiangxi are mostly of wooden structure with tile roofs, and some even with multiple eaves. Tall and of generous size, buildings always have a double- pitch roof with the load borne by traverse structures and purlins mounted longitudinally.

　　Vernacular dwellings in these regions vary greatly, but commonly to be found is the type, similar to such dwellings in southern Anhui, whereby fire-sealing gables or parapets characterize the upper level, screening the roof and lending the architecture a square external appearance. The upper part of the outside walls is treated in a variety of ways. Buildings are arranged along the outer wall, and include single and multi-storied dwellings. They enclose groups of houses with small courtyards inside. Because rainwater is caught inside the building, this type of residence is called sishuiguitang (water from all sides directed towards the building), implying that such a beneficial commodity is made full use of. Another type has high fire-sealing walls on both sides of the roof, while no parapet is used to expose the gable roof. Fire-sealing walls are found each two or three bays. Such walls have many forms, giving the impression of a series of white overlapping curtains when several vernacular dwellings are combined, and particularly striking when contrasted with dark roofs. There is another category of vernacular dwelling like that in Sichuan, employing overhanging eaves but without a wall and pronounced xuanshan structure. The through jointed wooden structures are totally exposed on the gables.

　　There are often earth, brick or clay walls with interlaced bamboo filled in the wooden structures, and the external side white- washed. These are features that harmonize well with the dark wooden frame body of the building and give the whole a simple and unpretentious appearance.

　　Compactness of layout and high density particularly in towns characterize vernacular building in these regions. The "Poem about Hankou" written by Ye Tiaoyuan in the Qing Dynasty describes in detail the urban density to be found in this area: "Magnificent residences and poor houses are as dense as the forest. It is said that a square inch of land is worth a ton of gold. The Tangwu are high and courtyards are small. Nine out of ten houses face south but can receive no sunshine."

　　Vernacular dwellings so closely-knit hardly allow the overall outer appearance to manifest itself, so emphasis is laid on fire-sealing walls and parapets for ornament. Entrance gates on facades are only decorated at the circumference. Typical of dwellings in mountainous areas are the many types of suspended houses at the upper end of the entrance doors. The simple dwellings located along riversides or set against mountains are supported by tall and slender columns of China fir.

　　5. Vernacular Dwellings in Southern Anhui

　　Southern Anhui was called Huizhou in ancient times. In the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the rich merchants of Huizhou, having made their fortune in other places, often returned to their place of birth and built houses. There are many ancient well-kept vernacular dwellings of unique style still extant. They are often two or three-storied and are 日or 目shaped. Fire-sealing high walls enclose the whole and extend above the roofs, lending vigor.

　　The outer wall of the house is, apart from the entrance, only broken by several small windows, which are either carved or variously decorated by ground bricks or black bluestone, standing in marked contrast to the plain white walls.

　　Vernacular dwellings in Huizhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties were all large buildings, and of these the sanheyuan and the siheyuan were the most common. High walls were used inside the courtyard to divide into small patios. On both sides of the antecourt are wing rooms. The centralbay on the ground floor is the room and the rooms to the left and right serve as bedrooms. Partition boards are usually not used in the main, which is of the open type. The wing rooms are generally relatively small with regard to the bays and shallow in depth to give more daylight. For the higher floors, the form known as "horse racing building" (storied buildings forming a square with a ringed verandah built along the inner sides) is usually adopted, the through verandah encircles the building and fine carved partition boards taking the form of wooden balustrades are used for ornament. The study and boudoir are located upstairs both for privacy and the view, the beauty of which could provide enjoyment or give spiritual consolation in times of need. On some of the second floors, a small window was set inside the carved balustrade so that the young unmarried ladies of the house could have a surreptitious peep to see whether the young man just visiting was a suitable match. The outer hollow walls of vernacular dwellings have tile sheathing. As wooden columns, rather than the walls, were used for load-bearing, hollow walls were chosen for insulating purposes. Rich families, however, would have decorative wooden panels installed on the inner side of the outer walls as a precaution against thieves, who would wet walls at night, cut through the lime seam with bamboo blades and remove the bricks one by one to form a hole through which they could enter the house.

　　Further precautions taken by well-to do families were the installation of concealed rooms, the entrances to which were often hidden by a brick wall, carved wooden ornament etc., and sandwich design, whereby cavities were left between the floorboards of the upper story and the ceiling of the ground floor and used for hiding the family's gold, silver and jewelry. Old trees, clear brooks, paved roads, square pavilions and small bridges are typical features of the villages in Southern Anhui. Stout and bulky old trees and dense, dark green woods form the setting for the ancient wayside pavilions, houses and paifang (archway).

　　The brick carving applied in the vernacular dwellings of the region deserves special mention. From the technical and compositional point of view, brick carving during the Ming Dynasty was somewhat plain and naive. It could, however, in the Qing Dynasty be exquisite. Inspired by the means of expression employed by the painters of vertical and hand scrolls, the brick carvers produced wonderfully carved pieces, paying particular attention to plot and composition and the effects that could be achieved by successively engraving more deeply.

　　Interestingly, it was only for a very short period, namely that stretching from the middle to the late Ming Dynasty, that the art of vernacular dwellings in south Antui flourished. Its rise and decline was synchronous with that of the local Xin'an school of painting and the Anhui woodcut school, reflecting the local economic and cultural conditions, the creative level of artists and masters and the interest people took in art at the time.

　　6. Vernacular Dwellings in Guangdong

　　Materials used in traditional vernacular dwellings are simple, mostly earth and wood. War, fire, natural calamities and the rainy climate have all taken their toll, and as a result, there are only very vernacular dwellings built prior to the Ming Dynasty still extant, an exception being Xu's residence in Chaozhou.

　　One type of vernacular dwelling in Guangdong was the parallel one, uniting several households. As dwellings built with earth walls could neither withstand the frequent strong winds nor were easy to defend, the parallel type was adopted, which was more ideal.

　　Zhutongwu (a bamboo tube house), also called Zhougancuo, is a type of building often found in the towns of Guangdong. The facade is singlebay, but the building is of generous depth. The lobby, the kitchen, the sitting room, the study, and the bedrooms are often single bays in several rows with small courtyards in between. The form of layout is narrow that it could be compared to the stem of the bamboo. A block comprises a dozen or so zhutongwo parallel to each other and with rear doors as well. Members of the same family owning several Zhougancuo would open a side door between two courtyards. The rooms of such dwellings follow on from each other on a straight axis.

　　Another type of unique dwelling in Guangdong is the Diaolou (barbican-shaped dwelling), of which only around 1400 still exist in the county of Kaiping. The earliest Diaolou is a three-storied Diaolou in the village of Ying xian still in existence in the Chikan District of Kaiping County. It bears the name of Yinglonglou. According to the records of the county, its history goes back to more than three hundred years ago. Diaolou like strongholds, has thick outer walls and are as high as blockhouses, and provides excellent defense if attacked by bandits or floods occur.

　　Unique too, in the mountainous border area of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, is the castle-type vernacular dwelling, the weiwu (a kind of earth building) of the Hakka people, a branch of the Han, who migrated from the north and speak a special dialect. Weiwu differ from the tulou in Fujian in the following ways. Firstly, the weiwu is mostly built of brick and stone. Secondly, weiwu consist of individual encircling buildings of a single storey or several stories and are thus groups of buildings but not buildings in themselves. Weiwu in Shixing County in Guangdong are splendid examples of this type. "No village has no weiwu, without weiwu a village cannot be a village." Generally, weiwu are curved, oval, or square in shape with very high enclosing walls and rather awe-in-spiring. Weiwu are classified by local people into several types such as weilongwu, sidianjin, zoumalou, wufenglou and diantangshi. Of these, the weiwu built in the Qing Dynasty in the village of Mantang, Aizi Town-Dawei, deserves their reputation as the most impressive weiwu in Northern Guangdong.

　　Vernacular dwellings in Guangdong are rarely limited by traditional rules and regulations and have thus been able to lead the way in the making of modern residences out of traditional vernacular dwellings.

　　出版：Springer Wien New York

　　ISBN-3-211-83008-1

　　2000年