Huizhou Architecture徽派建筑

    During Emperor Gao Zong’s reign of the Southern Song Dynasty, the capital city was moved to Lin’An(present Hangzhou). Nothing but the most impressive architecture would suffice for the Emperor-- the new palace, with all its gardens and ponds, was ten times as large as that in the old capital, Kaifeng. His courtiers(朝臣) followed suit in their demands for architectural excellence. Many Song Dynasty military officers and state officials moved south to build private mansions and pavilions. This not only encouraged the Huizhou merchants to engage in trading bamboo, wood and lacquer (漆器), but also brought heightened esteem to Huizhou craftsmen and spread the reputation of southern architectural art throughout China.

    Huizhou merchants, who sought success for their families, often returned home after making a fortune to erect estates fit for their new family honor. They painstakingly designed and built new houses to proclaim the good fortunes of their line, paying close attention to quality and custom. Their purposes were, on one hand, to meet the demands of their luxurious lifestyle, and, on the other hand, to ensure and increase their vested interests through patriarchal-feudal activities. They were therefore eager to construct houses in their hometown. Villas, gardens and temples were built, ancestral halls renovated(翻新), roads and bridges improved, and real estate was purchased to increase the clan property. Consequently, Huizhou’s distinctive architecture was gradually cultivated into a stylized and systematic art form. 

    Influenced by local geography, economy, traditional concept and custom, black and white colored Huizhou Architecture features fengshui and Huizhou three Carvings. In ancient time, the priority would be given to fengshui when choosing a site and planning the layout for a village, as well as a house. Based on yin-yang, Wu Xing and the eight trigrams theory, fengshui is a combination of town-planning, environmental improvement, architecture and interior decoration. In Huizhou, under the guidance of fengshui, the site of village or residence is prudently chosen: water is the symbol of fortune and luck; house’s gateway should avoid facing chimney or road, otherwise, a mirror or a pair of scissors would be hung on the door’s lintel(楣), to ward off evils. 

    The three most famous caving styles in Huizhuo are brick, stone, and wood carvings. Brick carving, done in fine gray bricks of varying shapes and sizes, mainly decorated brick frames and eaves above the gates. With the gray brick being more brittle (易碎的) than ivory, animal bone or wood, but easier to process than the stone, the art of brick carving has a unique style. The exaggeration and distortion of images required by the limited frame they were cut within, and the neat high relief determined by the texture of bricks, help to strengthen the ornamental effect of the work. Wood carvings were often found on beams, pillars and their above brackets, upturned eaves, railings, doors, windows and such furniture as cupboards and tables. The application of tung oil (桐油) instead of colorful paint exposed the natural texture of wood while at the same time protecting the carvings from corrosion. Stones were used to build the house foundations, memorial archways or bridges, and stone carvings are often seen on roof-beam plates, eaves and soles. The range patterns include Hindu swastika（卐字符）, diamond, plum blossom, bamboo, and dragon.

    Hongcun village①, a 900-year-old settlement located at the foot of Mount Huangshan, boasts typical Anhui-style architecture and carvings. Seen from above, the village resembles an ox with a nearby hill as its head and two trees as its horns. Buildings in the village form its body while four bridges that span Jiyin stream constitute its legs. Rich Hui merchants and officials liked to put intricate brick, wood and stone carvings on the walls of their houses. Some of the carvings date back to the beginning of the Song Dynasty, and their patterns include figurines（俑）, birds, flowers, landscapes and even images from fairy tales. Most of the buildings in Hongcun have an opening on the roof to let in sunlight and provide ventilation（通风）.

Notes:

① Hongcun village:宏村，位于中国安徽省南部的黄山脚下，是一座有着大量明清时期历史建筑的古村落。村中还构建了完善的水系和颇具特色的“牛”形布局，是徽州民居的典型代表。2000年，包括宏村在内的皖南古村落被列为世界文化遗产。2001年，宏村古建筑群被中华人民共和国国务院公布为第五批全国重点文物保护单位之一。2003年，宏村被授予中国历史文化名村称号。李安导演的电影“卧虎藏龙”曾选址于此。

Abridged and revised from

http://www.chinahuangshan.gov.cn/english/hc/ha/A080401index_1.htm#