Architecture is a solidified history, and historical culture is the soul of a city. Due to differences in regions and nationalities, the form, style, and decoration of buildings are influenced by local culture, and each has its own characteristics. The official system and temples mostly use palaces, Xieshan, double eaves and roll roofs, etc., ordinary dwellings Most of the buildings use single slopes, flat roofs, domes, hard mountains, hanging mountains, etc. The structural forms are mostly the same, but the decoration styles of the buildings do have their own advantages and changes, forming the styles and characteristics of different regions and ethnic buildings. These styles and characteristics are the soul of architecture.

Among the Bai people in Yunnan, the most distinctive architectural forms have two high-end names, namely Sanfang Yizhaobi and Sihewutianjing. So what is three squares and one wall, four in five patios?

Three squares and one wall, four-in-five courtyards are the most basic and common forms of Bai residential buildings.

There is a relatively uncommon term here called Fang. Fang is the basic unit that constitutes the Bai courtyard. It refers to a house with three rooms wide and two stories high. Three squares plus a wall with a wall, one for each of the east, the south and the north, are placed in a courtyard in a style similar to a courtyard in the north to form three squares and one wall. Although it is somewhat similar to Siheyuan, there are also obvious differences. The most intuitive point is that the main building in the three squares has a leaky corner house on both sides of which is slightly smaller in depth and height than the main building. The number of floors is also two floors, and it is at the junction of the east and west squares. Form a small patio or a line of sky. The whole layout is summed up in another term, which is three squares, one wall and three patios.

Yang’s House, No. 20, Xianfeng Street, Dali Ancient Town, is a better example of the town’s Zhongsanfang and one wall. Each of the three buildings has three floors and two floors. The main building faces south and faces the opposite wall. It is mainly for the elderly to live in; east and west The second wing room is occupied by the younger generation. On both sides of the three main rooms, there are two leaky corner houses on each side, which are also two-story, but the depth and height are slightly smaller than those of the main house. A small patio or a line of sky is formed in front to facilitate lighting, ventilation and drainage of rainwater. Usually, one side of the leaky corner house is used upstairs and downstairs as a bedroom or study room, and also used as a storage room for sundries; the other leaky corner house is often used as a kitchen, with two floors but no floors for smoke exhaust. The entrance of the leaky corner house is generally on the end wall of the wing building, with door control.

No. 41, Xinghuo Alley, Qiyi Street, Li’s house is also a three-squares and one-sided wall, but the patio is small (approximately two rooms wide). The structure does not require the head beams and the columns, but uses the corresponding facing beams to form a horse racing corner building. The two leaky corner houses are only single-storey; the gate is located in the southeast corner, occupying a wing, facing south, and directly across the canal from the south street. These are all due to local conditions in tight areas.

This architectural layout not only adapts to the characteristics of the climate, but also solves the problem of how to make the building perform more functions in a limited space. Because the square is a two-story structure and there are additional houses such as a corner room, bedrooms, study rooms, storage rooms and kitchens can all be easily allocated. Otherwise, we can only solve this problem by adding a few more hospitals like the quadrangle courtyards in the north.

The four-in-five patio can be regarded as an upgraded version of Sanfang Yizhaobi. The difference between the four-in-five patio and the three-square-one-zhaobi is that the three-squares and one-zhaobi are replaced by one square to form four squares. The four small patios at the junction of the four squares and the large patio in the middle of the courtyard are composed of five The patio is a four-in-five patio as a whole.

Four squares are mostly three two-storey rooms (the wing and lower rooms also have one floor), but the depth and height of the main square are larger than those of the other squares, and the floor is slightly higher, mostly facing east and south. One of the leaky small patios must be used for the gate entrance, with gate towers, and most of them face east and south. Zhao's House at 503 Renmin Street is a typical example. In this example, the middle patio is three rooms wide and three rooms deep. The intersecting structure of each square uses head beams and pillars, and the main house and gate are inclined to the southeast. The Lai’s house at No.502 Renmin Street has a slightly smaller middle patio. The structure uses corresponding facing beams and tenon joints to form a horse racing corner building. The main house and the gate also face southeast.

Go to Yunnan together on November, make an appointment? Editor/He Yuting