Beijing Siheyuan is a type of courtyard building. The so-called courtyard is a courtyard with houses built on all sides. A quadrangle house has a courtyard in the center, which is the courtyard.
Wealthy families can be extravagant and build three or four courtyards, which are connected from front to back. They can plant flowers, fruits and trees in the courtyards for viewing.
The large courtyard is surrounded by walls from the outside, with tall walls and no windows, showing a defensive nature.
The whole family is in the courtyard. The people living in the courtyard are very comfortable. The door is closed at night and it is very quiet. It is suitable for a family-centered reunion life.
During the day, the flowers, plants and trees in the courtyard are very beautiful. At night, the flowers are fragrant and the air is fresh. At night, the family sits in the courtyard to enjoy the shade, rest, chat, drink tea, and have fun as a family. No matter what the family does in the courtyard, no outsiders can see it.
, which is in line with Chinese people’s habits.
The most representative residential building in the Qing Dynasty is the palace-style house, which is the large and medium-sized courtyard house where bureaucrats, landlords, and wealthy businessmen lived. It can also be said that the Qing Dynasty was the peak period of the development of Beijing courtyard house.
Since the late Qing Dynasty, China has gradually become a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, and the development of Beijing courtyard houses has also begun to gradually decline.
The Japanese invasion of China caused great changes in Chinese society. The economic situation of the citizens went from bad to worse. Many residents who originally lived in detached houses were no longer able to afford more houses, so they had to rent out their excess houses and use the rent to supplement their living expenses.
There are fewer and fewer houses for residents, and there are more and more tenants in the courtyards. The single-family courtyards have begun to turn into large courtyards with mixed households, and the living nature of the courtyards has changed.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there have been fundamental changes in the use of Beijing's traditional courtyard houses.
Due to changes in ownership, many royal palaces and residences left over from the Qing Dynasty were transformed from private property to public property. They were no longer occupied by the nobility of the past, but instead became state agencies, schools, hospitals, factories, kindergartens, clubs and other public housing.
Changes in use functions have created an insurmountable conflict between the building itself and the needs of users. The final result is not that people obey the building, but that the building is transformed by people.
Those courtyards that are still used for residential purposes are no longer exclusively occupied and have become "large courtyards" where multiple families live. These changes in use have made it difficult for the courtyards to maintain their former depth, tranquility, elegance and warmth. The courtyards have been divided.
Transformation and partition became common phenomena.
After coming out of the Forbidden City, Ye Tian and Yu Qingya walked to the east city for only seven or eight minutes, and they found a complex of courtyard buildings.
In the Qing Dynasty, this place belonged to the middle city and was usually where dignitaries lived. Ye Tian was really a little surprised. How could his grandfather, whom he had never met, own a courtyard here?
Walking in the alley surrounded by high-walled courtyards, feeling the peaceful atmosphere of life, Ye Tian felt that it was much more meaningful than in the Forbidden City.
Moreover, Ye Tian discovered that the construction of courtyard houses pays great attention to Feng Shui. From site selection and positioning to determining the specific scale of each building, it all coincides with the Feng Shui method of the Northern Bagua Sect.
At the entrance of the alley, you can occasionally see some old Beijingers sitting under the big trees playing cards and chess. When the neighbors passed by, they would greet each other with "Have you eaten?", which made Ye Tian feel warm and warm.
Ye Tian and Yu Qingya, a pair of handsome men and beautiful women walking in the alley, looked a bit eye-catching. However, in recent years, relevant departments have begun to plan Hutong culture and courtyard tourism, and the people living here did not show anything special.
"No. XXX, East
"Street office?" Looking at the white and black sign hanging by the door, Ye Tian was a little dumbfounded. Then he looked up at the house number. Yes, it was the place his father mentioned.
"Ye Tian, are you not mistaken?" Yu Qingya also asked from the side.
Ye Tian confirmed the house number again, shook his head and said, "Yes, it is here, but... why did it become a street office?"
"Hey, what's wrong with you two?"
Just when Ye Tian wanted to go in and inquire, a man in his early thirties walked out of the door with a boss bag under his arm.
"Uh, it's okay. We are students from Huaqing and are interested in courtyard houses. We come here to take a look..."
Ye Tian knew that this courtyard house was still occupied by his grandfather's family twenty years ago, and now it has been turned into a street office. There must be some stories in it.
"It turns out he's a top student from Huaqing. What's going on? You want to go in and have a look?" When he heard that he was a college student from Huaqing, the man became a little more enthusiastic and took back his steps that he had already taken out the door.
"Haha, I think about it, but I don't know if it's convenient? What do you call me, brother?"
Ye Tian smiled shyly, rummaged through his bag and took out a pack of Hongta Shan, clumsily tore open the package and handed one to the man.
Ye Tian doesn't smoke, Xu Zhennan stuffed this cigarette into his bag in the morning. According to Xu Zhennan's words, if you go out and offer a cigarette before speaking, everything will be easier to handle.
"Hey, you know how to get things done, you're different from other college students..."
Seeing Ye Tian's move, the man laughed, took the cigarette and said, "I am the director here, my name is Ma Ping. By the way, you are from Beijing, right? Why are you still interested in this old courtyard?"
As a well-maintained courtyard house, many people usually want to go in and take a look. However, old Beijingers are not interested in this. Ma Ping heard that Ye Tian's accent should be from Beijing, so he felt a little strange.
"Director Ma, my girlfriend is not from Beijing. She wants to go in and have a look..."
Ye Tian's words made Yu Qingya's face turn red, and she glared at Ye Tian angrily, but looking at Director Ma, she saw that the two young men were flirting.
"Okay, there aren't many people here this weekend, I'll show you..." Ma Ping nodded in agreement.
"Who is your girlfriend? You are so shameless..." Yu Qingya said softly as she followed Ye Tian.
Ye Tian turned his body sideways and said in Yu Qingya's ear: "Ah? It turns out you are not. Well, I will go back and explain to Director Ma that you are not my girlfriend..."
"you dare!"
When the breath from Ye Tian's mouth blew into her ears, Yu Qingya felt half of her body numb, but her heart felt as sweet as eating honey.
This is a middle courtyard with 3 front and 2 ears, 3 rooms in the east and 3 west wings. There is a wind and rain-proof corridor in front of the house. The ground is paved with blue bricks. The wall that originally divided the front and back yards has been opened, making it quite open.
.
Looking at the place where his father had lived since childhood, Ye Tian felt a little excited, but he still had a nonchalant expression on his face, "Director Ma, if this house was placed in the past, it might have been the residence of a minister, but now it is a state.
Right?"
"No, the property rights of this house are still private. Aunt Ye rents it to the street for use. She is also the old director here..."
Director Ma obviously had no defense against Ye Tian, and in just a few words, Ye Tian learned the information he wanted to know.
