Huizhou Dwellings
Huizhou is famous for beautiful villages near mountains and rivers. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, feng shui was one of the issues that Huizhou society was most concerned about. In the eyes of Huizhou people, "lucky places must have water" and "pooling water was like pooling wealth," so there must be a stream in every village and the "water inlet" was critical to the whole village's feng shui, bearing on the prosperity of families, people and wealth. Apart from a forest, a symbolic building must be built on the cover of the water inlet to lock the pass, e.g. the road pavilion in Tangmo, the memorial archway in Xiuning and the tower in Bishan, yixian county.
In Tangyue, shexian county, there are even seven stone archways publicizing the deeds of filial sons, kindhearted people and virtuous women on the main road at the village entrance. Memorial archways were built according to imperial orders or by villagers to glorify families or publicize feudal morals through the deeds of filial sons and virtuous women and educate later generations.
Huizhou is one of the areas where the clan system is very prevalent, and people with the same surname live together. Through offering sacrifices in ancestral halls and conducting other clan activities, clan members are firmly united under the memorial tablet of the same ancestor, forming organizations with close blood relationships. Children all build residences around ancestral halls. The typical residential dwelling of Huizhou employs the layout of a courtyard house. This building structure is popular in the regions of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.
Generally, when one enters the main gate, he is greeted by a courtyard, which forms the center of the residence. All the rooms on the four sides of the courtyard drain water towards the courtyard.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
Huizhou is famous for beautiful villages near mountains and rivers. In the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties, feng shui was one of the issues that Huizhou society was most concerned about. In the eyes of Huizhou people, "lucky places must have water" and "pooling water was like pooling wealth," so there must be a stream in every village and the "water inlet" was critical to the whole village's feng shui, bearing on the prosperity of families, people and wealth. Apart from a forest, a symbolic building must be built on the cover of the water inlet to lock the pass, e.g. the road pavilion in Tangmo, the memorial archway in Xiuning and the tower in Bishan, yixian county.
In Tangyue, shexian county, there are even seven stone archways publicizing the deeds of filial sons, kindhearted people and virtuous women on the main road at the village entrance. Memorial archways were built according to imperial orders or by villagers to glorify families or publicize feudal morals through the deeds of filial sons and virtuous women and educate later generations.
Huizhou is one of the areas where the clan system is very prevalent, and people with the same surname live together. Through offering sacrifices in ancestral halls and conducting other clan activities, clan members are firmly united under the memorial tablet of the same ancestor, forming organizations with close blood relationships. Children all build residences around ancestral halls. The typical residential dwelling of Huizhou employs the layout of a courtyard house. This building structure is popular in the regions of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.
Generally, when one enters the main gate, he is greeted by a courtyard, which forms the center of the residence. All the rooms on the four sides of the courtyard drain water towards the courtyard.
About the book
Chinese Architecture Written by Cai Yanxin Published by China Intercontinental Press, Beijing, 2018
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