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Chinese Rural Architecture and Decoration
During the Han
Dynasty (206BC-AD220), the construction of houses became more complex and
detailed than in the Zhou and Neolithic periods. Semi cylindrical tiles
comprised the upper design of the roofs and the lower roof trim hung over the
sides of the walls so that its edges were projected. The eaves consisted of the
tiles used to decorate the overhanging trim. The most common type of layout in
the Han period was a structure enclosed by walls
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A gate
tower | and divided by four internal walls. A
gate tower and large courtyard stood to the right and two small courtyards were
located at the bottom. The bottom courtyards were mainly reserved for animals;
to the upper left was a stove, a well and another courtyard.
The exterior decoration of a house is also very important to the Chinese. In
the past, the Chinese believed that for good luck, health and good fortune their
homes had to be built by certain
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A stone with the Eight Diagrams and
characters meaning "Mt. Tai stone stands
forever" | people. It was believed that the
security of a home and the lives of its inhabitants were ensured by avoiding
unlucky constructions. Lucky objects were also displayed in one's home to ward
off evil spirits. The Chinese
characters meaning "Mt. Tai stone stands forever," for example, were
inscribed on the first stone laid down in the construction process for good
luck. Cinnamon leaves also symbolized a life of high social ranking and
privilege for the inhabitants, and putting rice and noodles on walls was
believed to bring the household great wealth. A home's roof was the most
vulnerable to evil spirits: Gray-painted roofs and unglazed roof tiles were
installed to ward off evil spirits. Buddhist swastikas were also attached to
flower baskets cut out from stone and auspicious characters were engraved on
glazed tiles for good luck.
Unlucky items, such as paper
figures (which were believed to be ghosts
) and fried cakes (which could lead a person to commit suicide), were sometimes
placed in people's homes by frustrated builders or enemies. In China's northern
regions, people believed windows were also very important, as well as the color
scheme of a particular village.
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