In 1935, Xingcheng hoarded houses
Typical hoarded houses - Zhoujia residential boxes Source: Network
From 1982 to 1985, I studied at Xinmin Normal School. At that time, I was very interested in the architectural style of hoarding houses in and around Xinmin County, which has the characteristics of Western Liaoning. When I returned to Xinmin City after 30 years of graduation, hoarding houses was already rare. On August 16, 2015, I went to Xingcheng and specially photographed some Hoarded Houses in Xingcheng.
Xingcheng Ancient City has a very concentrated hoarding residential complex in history, which is also a major feature of the Xingcheng Ancient City Residential Buildings. The roof of the hoard house is slightly curved, slightly lower in the front and back, slightly higher in the center, and the gables on the left and right sides of the house are higher than the roof, and the higher parts are masonry in an arc.
The roof forms of China's national residences include hoarding roofs, flat roofs, spires, roll roofs, hard peaks, hanging peaks and so on. The drainage effect of hoard-roofed houses is better than that of flat-roofed houses, and it can also defend against wind and sand, generally distributed in the north, and is more concentrated in western Liaoning historically. Today, there are so many hoarded houses like Xingcheng in an area surrounded by an ancient city wall, which is unique in the country.
A hoarded house outside the east gate of xingcheng ancient city. The owner warmly invited me into the hospital to photograph the bonsai made by the old man himself.
A spire kindergarten that is out of place with other houses
In the hutongs of Xingcheng Old Town, many of the original hoarded houses have been converted into Beijing bungalows or tile houses.
The old photographs of the old town of Shanhaiguan, which is adjacent to Xingcheng, in the 1930s, show a large number of hoarded houses
Graphic | Chen Xin
Note: The traditional houses in Xingcheng have the common characteristics of many northern residences, such as a large area, a sparse architectural combination, an open courtyard space, and a longitudinal extension, which is very beneficial for the increase of Nayang in the northern plain area in winter. Due to its location in the north, the traditional houses in Xingcheng have high requirements for heating and lighting, so the courtyard is relatively wide, so that the residences do not block each other from sunlight. The living space of the courtyard is also conducive to shelter from the wind and ensures privacy. The house has a large area of windows in the south direction to light, generally using a wooden structure, with good seismic performance. The walls of the residence are also very thick, which plays a role in thermal insulation. The heavy use of hoarding and flat roofs in the building can reduce the impact of the northern wind and sand on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can also dry the grain, and the local annual precipitation is small, and the drainage requirements for the roof are relatively low. | Hu Fei Fu Yao, "The Protection of Traditional Houses in Xingcheng and the Link of Cultural Industry"