CHINA’S TRADITIONAL HOUSING TYPES: EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY

Abstract

The article examines the evolution and diversity of traditional Chinese dwellings, Which are due to the multinational composition of the population and the natural conditions of different parts of the country.
 The syncretism characteristic of China also had a great influence on the formation of the dwelling. Confucianism formed the forms of family structure and norms of behavior, and Taoist principles and Buddhist rules – interaction with the world.
 The most common type of dwelling is the siheyuan, which is based on Chinese tradition and philosophy. This term is the key to creating an ensemble, regardless of the hierarchy and location of the settlement. The country has a very large variety of landscape and climatic territories, a rich historical heritage, a huge number of nationalities, which in interrelation have formed an equally rich historical typology of residential buildings. However, China has its own special differences that played a crucial role shaping the typology of housing. These are, first of all, inviolable forms of family structure and norms of behavior based on centuries-old dogmas of Confucianism, developed by the Taoist principles of interaction with the Buddhist worldview.
 In general, in different regions of China there were various modifications of the traditional type of house Siheyuan, which is certainly due to the peculiarities of climatic, economic and social conditions. The peculiarities of Chinese architecture have made the concept of siheyuan key in creating any ensemble in settlement. All buildings are subject to the rules of siheyuan (si – the four corners of the world, he – the environment, yuan – the garden, in this case, the garden with the yard). Its essence is that any complex is created around the yard, if there are several, then the main yard.
 All buildings are strictly symmetrical along the longitudinal axis.