Chinese Traditional Houses and the Aesthetic Wisdom of Zhouyi

-- Yan Qifeng

Abstract: The "Book of Changes" is a treasure of Chinese culture. Its aesthetic thought is the foundation of traditional Chinese theory. "Combination of Heaven and Man" is the core of the cultural psychology of Zhouyi Aesthetics. Among all kinds of buildings, Chinese traditional houses are the most complete and profoundly embody this idea. Its design spirit pays attention to the harmonious construction of nature in the future, and "sustainable development" has opened the way. Western culture can only be used for reference and can not be cloned. The exploration of the style of modern Chinese architecture should fully study the residential areas in different places, adjust measures to local conditions, inherit the context and carry forward the culture, and take a diversified road.
Keywords: Zhouyi aesthetics, folk residence, traditional culture, design thought


The cultural and psychological content of the primitive thinking of the aesthetics of the Book of Changes is "the integration of nature and humanity." Its soul is to "go with its own naturalness." This is also a tradition in Chinese architectural culture. It is also described in some classical Chinese novels. In the 17th edition of "A Dream of Red Mansions", "A Dream of Red Mansions", Jia Baoyu said that Jia Baoyu did not feel good about the village of Daoxiang in the Grand View Garden. This is because "This disposal of a farmstead is clearly made by man-made, and there is no neighboring village. , Nearly no gallery, North Mountain has no veins, water is passive, towers of high Wuyin Temple, the bridge under the bridge of the city, it is lonely, it seems like a non-big view, because it is not its strong ground, "It is not a mountain and it is its mountain, that is, it is ingenious and incompetent." In the final analysis, it is because it has the "natural" word of the "natural picture" of the ancient people, and it is far less than "Fenglai Laiyi." Architecture, "according to local conditions, there is a natural reason, the fun of nature", "although Zhu Quan cited springs, it does not hurt to wear chisel." Although this work is from the mouth of Baoyu, it actually reflects the environmental aesthetics of Chinese traditional architecture created by Cao Xueqin, the literary master, and the “ease of learning” aesthetic concept of architecture should be “respect for nature” and “study and nature”.

Looking at traditional Chinese architecture, it is brilliant and splendid, but there is no shortage of old-age dramas that directly "clone" Suzhou gardens to Beijing and collect mountains and lakes. Many buildings and plans that are “to make them stronger and stronger” have “similarities” with today’s man-made landscapes. Although from ancient times to the present, “Easy Learning” has penetrated into all aspects of Chinese architecture, from the site selection of buildings to planning. The monolithic architectural design infiltrates the idea of ​​“harmony between man and nature”. However, in the design of many palaces, religions, architectures, and gardens, it is influenced by the subjective factors of the rulers. Did not do the real "take it natural." Only the earliest types of buildings that have emerged in history, residential dwellings, have formed a variety of residential forms that vary according to different regional climates and lifestyles. They are simple, practical, flexible, and adaptable. It truly embodies the philosophical thinking of the Zhouyi aesthetics that "Heaven and Man are one and let it go".

In the 50 years after the war, with modern technology as a means, the so-called "modern architecture" marked by the steel-concrete structure has blossomed. It has fulfilled the problem of human dwellings that humans have always dreamed of, and never completely resolved. Large-span, large-scale stadiums, giant air-conditioners, and ventilation facilities gradually forgot about the external natural conditions. Skyscrapers piercing the sky, “people wins the heavens” are increasingly ingrained in people’s minds, however, it gives the natural environment, humans The tradition of splendid contexts has brought irretrievably fragmented and deadly blows. In the five millennia of the Chinese architecture, the reputation of the Chinese people has risen and declined several times. In the 1950s, attempts to explore the new forms of traditional Chinese architecture with steel-concrete structures in the early 20th century were slammed into the “additional waste” hat and entered the cold room. Especially in the more than two decades after the opening of the country's doors, Western civilization and Western architecture have crossed the ocean but they have not come to China through brains. The old ancestral halls and old houses in the old ancestors, which were painstakingly operating, were annihilated by “modern architecture”. So far, the Chinese people have never tired of it, and there is no such thing as "what is broken" when foreign goods first arrived in China.

Within easy reach, the ancients mistakenly treated Hangzhou as a “Chuzhou” situation. Modern people can "wrongly make Zhengzhou in Guangzhou" and it is not impossible. Because of the convergence of buildings, there is no place for local characteristics and ethnic features.
The “Five-Year Achievements in Beijing Construction” has made China look more like a country with poor cultural quality and shallow cultural connotations. These words came from the mouth of a Moscow architect. However, it is true that in Beijing, the characteristics of national culture have not been seen everywhere in Paris and Moscow.

What is "modern architecture with Chinese characteristics"? Must you wear a hat with a big roof like the Beijing West Railway Station? NO! As long as you look at today's Western architecture or the appearance of the Acropolis, you can come to a conclusion. Studying traditional Chinese architecture, using western thinking to rationalize its parts and components, how many pillars and stairs, how many in front of the wall, lions, Chinese table. Chinese building's connotation, the soul is only reflected in the shape it? Where to find the breakthrough of modern Chinese architecture? We say that everything should be traced back to its essence. The Zhouyi aesthetic embodied in Chinese traditional dwellings is the theoretical cornerstone of Chinese architecture. "The ancients do not deceive me."

The long-term observation, practice, and natural adaptation of the Nu Wa man-made economy are our true treasure. Chinese modern architecture should find inspiration for them.

The people are the driving force behind the development of history, and the dwellings are, of course, a true reflection of the historical development of architecture. One side raises one person to water and soil, and one side builds on one side of the building, "it is in harmony with people." “Home-grown soil is a necessary area for all true art and culture.” “Houses that are produced like folklore and folk songs are more valuable than unschooled schools, and a home can't be thought of anywhere except where it is. Wherever it is, it is an organic part of that environment, adding luster to the environment, not damaging it, and the dwellings, like plants, are a basic harmonic element on the ground, subordinate to the natural environment, growing out of the ground. There is no other building that consumes design as much as the dwelling house to satisfy its use and harmony with nature.” The ancients looked at astronomy, surveyed geography, drew near everything, and took everything to design their own dwellings through practical thinking and comprehension. In terms of harmonization, technology, and environment have reached a very high level.

In general, the northern houses have many roofs and thick walls, and the courtyards are large and open for more sunshine. The southern houses are mostly rich in patios, narrow courtyards and high indoor spaces because the south needs to avoid the sun and the sun. Ventilation is conducive to the pursuit of more shade. Rugao, Guangdong, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces often emphasize the wind direction without emphasizing sunshine and do not take a positive south direction.

Beijing’s courtyard houses, due to their long standing in the imperial city elite, pay attention to the strong feudal patriarchal system and mature standards and spatial arrangements. Dwellings are strictly distinguished from home and abroad, respectful and orderly, symmetry, external isolation, and their own world. This embodies the idea of ​​"adversary" and "combining the two into one" in worship and aesthetics of Zhouyi's aesthetics. Yi Xuezhi has a strong sense of worship. It not only refers to religious worship, but also emphasizes secular worship. Any object, if its spiritual influence is enough to force the subject's mind to be shocked by this object, then the object becomes the worship of the subject. The role of spiritual worship in the development of capitalism has been recognized by Western academic circles. Do the wisdom of Yi Yi and the influence of the worship spirit also await Chinese scholars to investigate?

Suzhou is a place where wealthy businessmen from one of Jiangnan's economic and cultural centers gather. They have large-scale dwellings, often with courtyard gardens and private gardens. They are quiet and elegant, and teachers and teachers naturally pursue nature's vitality and interest. The American architect Wright, famous for his “Land of Water”, admires the Chinese architectural ideology. In his works, the western emphasis on "survival competition and resistance between man and nature" has shifted to focusing on ecological balance, emphasizing harmony between man and nature, and advocating material civilization and paying attention to the satisfaction of internal spirit in order to obtain a material life. Coordination of spiritual life. Regardless of whether it is a loess high slope cave or a Minnan earth building, or a Tibetan stone house, a stone house in west Yunnan, a Guangxi-style bar house, and a Dai-style dry house, it is natural to use it. The damage to the landscape has been reduced to a minimum, while the most pure spiritual enjoyment has been achieved. The idea of ​​unity between heaven and man in Yi Xue is its immutable purpose.

The artistic conception of residential buildings is romantic. Similarly, Chinese folk houses are not machines for people to live. It respects nature and is also very scientific. In the earliest epic poems of the Spring and Autumn Period of the Western Zhou Dynasty and the Book of Songs, there was a "Serious Rank and Secluded Nanshan Mountain", describing the poems near the Dongshui River and facing the Castle Peak. Du Fu's poem “Only white water with rolling shutters and hidden green hills” is even more indifferent to the spatial awareness and heart of China’s residential construction network, Luotiandi, and drinking and drinking mountains and rivers. This is the embodiment of the embodiment of the Chongtian (father) consciousness and the land (mother) plot in Zhou Yimei's wisdom.

"Book of Changes" pays attention to the unity of the mood of optimism and misery. The bunker-style Minnan Tulou is self-defense and enjoys itself. The "following function" is the theme of constant residence architecture.

The breeze gradually blew away the historical dust that was buried in the source of traditional Chinese culture, the I Ching. Under the guidance of its ideological guidance, traditional Chinese dwelling houses are adapted to local conditions, utilize local favorable natural conditions, and use the most economical and natural means to resist various unfavorable factors and obtain a comfortable living space. It is not a declaration of war to nature. It struggles against nature and tries to conquer it. It is a civilized building that conforms to nature and integrates with nature. Its superiority has attracted widespread attention from scholars around the world. Modern architectural thinking is accompanied by many schools, such as organic architectural ecological buildings, sustainable buildings, weird “Fauvism” and silver-colored schools represented by glass curtain walls, bringing people’s thoughts to unprecedented chaos, but with The deep cultural heritage The traditional aesthetics of the Zhouyi people reflected in Chinese traditional dwellings will surely illuminate the entire future of architectural development.


The author is a graduate of the Department of Industrial Design of Hunan University, and the winner of the TCL Design Competition Gold Award