Chinese folk houses are the treasures that Chinese ancestors handed down to offsprings, embodying the spirits that Chinese strived for a better life.
These houses are different from region to region, while they all carry the wisdoms of collaborating human beings with nature.
1.
Ancient Villages in Southern Anhui
 |
| Hongcun: you will feel quite and peaceful here |
 |
| Want to settle your dwellings under the peach blossom? |
2.
PingYao Ancient Town in Shanxi
 |
| It can still make out the prosperity in the past from the road and the buildings. |
 |
| the inside layout of the house. See the vat? It is not placed there casually, it is right in the place to collect rain from the roof and in sunny days, the water can be used to water and in case of fire, the water can also do a great help. |
3.
Diaojiao building of Hunan Province
 |
| houses stand regularly in line |
 |
| You can understand why it is called "Diaojiao building"from this pic? These buildings are all built along the river, to prevent flood and wild insects as well as wild beasts, these buildings are stood on wood, which is both high-skill required but also saving space and peculiar in looking. |
4.
Kaiping Watchtowers in Guangdong
 |
| a little bit alike to European castle? |
 |
| Can you make out where these sculptures are? |
 |
| Wow, gorgeous, watchtowers hidden in green plants |
5.
Quadrangle Dwellings (Siheyuan) in Beijing
 |
| bright red, the usual-seen colour in Northern China. |
 |
| bird-eye view of these buildings |
6.
Zhouzhuang in Jiangsu
 |
| Now, Zhouzhuang has already been a well-known scenic spots in China, it attracts quite a number of tourists every year. In holidays, there is almost too crowded to enjoy the natural view. So go there in off season may be better. Zhouzhuang is also ranked as top 4 Chinese watery towns. |
 |
| the buildings along the river are dwellings of the locals while some of them also operate small business at home: small restaurants, shops, etc. |
 |
| it is more like a painting rather than a site really exsited. |
7.
Fujian Tulou
 |
| dotted Tulou |
 |
| inside of Tulou, on traditional Chinese festival and national holiday, red lattern would be hung to celebrate. |
Luckily, some of them are listed as State Protected Historic Site, while they are still broken and disappearing gradually, some of them are yielding to the process of modernization. I do hope that Chinese government and builders can leave some space for these treasures.
Among all these dwellings, I like to arrange my home in Quadrangle Dwellings in Beijing the most, while I want to have a look at ancient villages in southern anhui and Pingyao ancient town in Shanxi. Diaojiao building of hunan province and Fujian tulou are interesting ones to have a look closely, while Kaiping Watchtowers in Guangdong and Zhouzhuang in Jiangs are ideal places for
China travel. Which one is your ideal place to dwell?
