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Southern Fujian Red Brick Ancient Houses

Minnan Red Brick Ancient Houses

Introduction

Southern Fujian red brick ancient houses are unique traditional dwellings in the Minnan region(southern Fujian), distinguished by their extensive use of red bricks with high density. Their architectural forms have evolved into a distinct style over a millennium of historical accumulation. Most buildings in China feature gray tiles and blue bricks, with only minor differences between northern and southern styles. However, Minnan red brick ancient houses stand out as a unique architectural system. With a large number of such structures, they embody profound cultural connotations and historical value, making them one of the most representative traditional architectures in Minnan. In 2012, Minnan red brick ancient houses were listed in China's World Heritage Tentative List.

Historical Origins of Red Brick Ancient Houses

The history of Minnan red brick ancient houses can be traced back to the Guanghua Period of Emperor Zhaozong in the Tang Dynasty. At that time, the princess consort of the Min King was permitted to build palace-style houses, which were imitated by ordinary people, gradually forming the architectural style of Minnan ancient houses. In the Minnan dialect, "cuo" means "houses", and ancient houses built with red bricks became the most representative traditional dwellings in the region.

Red brick ancient houses are also known as "Huang gong qi" ("palace-style") because their swallow-tail ridges and decorative styles mimic those of imperial palaces. Initially, swallow-tail ridges were only used in temple architecture, but over time, they became an important feature of Minnan architecture, reflecting unique local characteristics. Minnan people have a special preference for the color red. The vibrant hue of red brick houses and their ornate exteriors not only symbolize the Minnan people’s yearning for a regal and prosperous lifestyle but also demonstrate their ingenuity. In an area with scarce stone resources, they cleverly combined red bricks with stones to create the "brick and stone interlocking" construction technique, which not only solved housing problems but also preserved the local architectural style, achieving a perfect integration of materials and form.

swallow-tail ridges

brick and stone interlocking

With historical development, the Minnan region became an important maritime trade port during the Song and Yuan dynasties, facilitating frequent exchanges with foreign cultures. This period saw the blending of foreign and local cultures, which influenced the architectural style of red brick ancient houses. While retaining traditional elements, they absorbed some foreign influences, further enriching their cultural connotations.

Architectural Characteristics of Red Brick Ancient Houses

Traditional Minnan ancient houses are primarily constructed with wooden structures, often centered around a courtyard, emphasizing axial symmetry and hierarchical spatial division. This layout reflects the spatial philosophy of traditional Chinese architecture, creating a rigorous and orderly living environment. The structural framework mainly uses the "lifted beam" or "dougong bracket" system, absorbing the essence of traditional Chinese architecture to ensure stability and durability.

Minnan ancient houses typically face south, with distinct exterior features: red brick and white stone walls, hard mountain-style roofs, and double-curved swallow-tail ridges. The main body of the house is built with solid brick walls, while the exterior walls combine stone skirting and red brick masonry, creating a sturdy and massive appearance. The brick walls under the eaves contrast sharply with the stone skirting. In terms of visual aesthetics, the stones in the walls serve as "planes" and "points," while the brick joints act as "lines," skillfully using the three elements of form beauty (point, line, plane). The entire brick wall resembles a planar composition work of formal beauty, showcasing unique aesthetic value.

The decorative art of Minnan red brick ancient houses is rich and diverse, with patterns and symbols reflecting the inheritance of Han culture in architecture. Traditional Chinese decorative motifs, such as cloud scrolls and floral patterns, are widely used. For example, the gables of Minnan houses invert the "cloud qi" motif from Han Dynasty lacquerware, which symbolizes good luck, and adapt it to the triangular shape of the roof gable, creating the "ruyi head" motif. Red brick walls are also inlaid with various motifs, including pavilions, historical figures, heroic women, auspicious characters, begonia flowers, and acacia trees, each carrying rich symbolism. For instance, the hexagonal tortoise represents longevity, the octagon symbolizes good fortune, coins signify wealth, lotus flowers embody integrity, and pomegranates symbolize abundance. Expressing good wishes through these patterns embodies the characteristic of "every pattern has a meaning, and every meaning is auspicious," following the developmental law of decorative motifs in traditional Chinese dwellings.

patterns

Cultural Significance of Red Brick Ancient Houses

Minnan red brick ancient houses serve as important witnesses to the region’s history and culture, documenting thousands of years of development in Minnan. Many of these houses are former residences of notable figures or historical relics, carrying the footprints and glory of ancestors and reflecting the social economy, culture, art, and lifestyle of Minnan in different historical periods. Through the study of red brick ancient houses, we can gain insight into the historical changes of the Minnan region and trace the developmental context of Minnan culture.

Red brick ancient houses are closely intertwined with the folk culture of Minnan, serving as important carriers of folk traditions. In these houses, daily life, traditional festivals, weddings, funerals, and other folk activities follow unique customs and rituals. For example, during the Spring Festival, Minnan people hold ancestor-worshipping ceremonies, paste Spring Festival couplets, and hang lanterns in their ancient houses; during weddings, couples perform traditional hall-bowing rituals. These folk activities not only preserve the traditional culture of Minnan but also strengthen family cohesion and identity. Additionally, the decorative patterns and architectural details of ancient houses contain rich folk cultural connotations, such as auspicious motifs that reflect the Minnan people’s yearning for a better life.

The spiritual and cultural connotations of Minnan ancient houses, including concepts of home and local sentiment, are integral to the identity and cultural inheritance of Minnan people. They are not merely living spaces but also spiritual homelands that concentrate the emotions and memories of Minnan people and inherit the cultural genes of the region.

Conclusion

Red brick ancient houses are a crystallization of the wisdom of Minnan people and an important basis for studying Minnan history. In today’s pluralistic society, we should draw on the essence of Minnan red brick ancient houses and apply it to modern architecture. This not only presents a unique aesthetic but also protects and utilizes these traditional dwellings, ensuring the continuation of Minnan’s cultural heritage. We should not allow traditional culture to be lost but instead pass it down from generation to generation.

References

[1] Chen Qing. Analysis of the "Red Brick Culture" in the Decoration of Traditional Quanzhou Dwellings [J]. Journal of Nanjing University of the Arts (Fine Arts and Design Edition), 2009(5): 30.

[2] Wang Xingang. A Study on the Regional Characteristics of Exterior Wall Decoration of Minnan Red Brick Ancient Houses. Fujian Architecture, 2016.

[3] Wu Limin. A Preliminary Study on the Architectural Style of Quzhou Red Brick Houses [D]. Jimei University Art Investigation Report and Graduation Thesis, 2006: 9.

[4] Li Lin, Zhou Xiaoru. On the Cultural Connotations of Minnan Red Brick Ancient Houses [J]. Intelligence, 2018.

[5] Huang Hanmin. Traditional Dwellings of Fujian [M]. Beijing: China Architecture & Building Press, 2009.

[6] Dai Zhijian. Traditional Architecture of Minnan [M]. Xiamen: Xiamen University Press, 2006.

Terms and Expressions

Minnan red brick ancient houses 闽南红砖古厝

China's World Heritage Tentative List 世界名录预备名录

swallow-tail ridges 燕尾脊

brick and stone interlocking 出砖入石

lifted beam system 抬梁式

dougong bracket system 穿斗式

hard mountain-style roofs 硬山式屋顶

cloud scrolls 云卷纹

floral patterns 花草纹

hexagonal tortoise 六角龟

octagon 八角

coin motifs 钱币纹

lotus patterns 莲花纹

pomegranate motifs 石榴纹

Questions

1.When were Minnan red brick ancient houses listed in China's World Heritage Tentative List?

2.What architectural feature gives Minnan red brick ancient houses their alias "Huang Gong qi" ("palace-style")?

3.What are the two main traditional structural systems used in Minnan ancient houses?

4.What problem in the Minnan region did the "brick and stone interlocking" construction technique solve?

5.In the decorative art of Minnan red brick ancient houses, what do the "hexagonal tortoise" and "lotus" motifs symbolize respectively?

AI statement

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For the Chinese part, I first read multiple relevant papers, summarized the cultural connotations embodied in Minnan red brick ancient houses, constructed the writing ideas and framework of the paper, and used Doubao to polish my language, improving the precision and naturalness of the language.

For the English part, I used Doubao to assist translating the Chinese into English and manually corrected the terms and expressions.

闽南红砖古厝

引言

闽南红砖古厝是闽南地区特有的传统的传统民居，其独特之处在于使用密度极高的红砖为材料，其形式在千年历史长河积淀下成一家言。中国大多数建筑都是灰瓦青砖，南北方虽有差异但大同小异，闽南的红砖古厝却独树一帜，这些建筑数量众多，具有深厚的文化内涵和历史价值，是闽南最具代表性的传统建筑之一。闽南红砖古厝于2012年被列入中国世界名录预备名录。

红砖古厝的历史渊源

闽南红砖古厝的历史可追溯至唐昭宗光化年间。当时，闽王王妃被允许建造皇宫式房屋，普通百姓纷纷效仿，逐渐形成了闽南古厝的建筑风格。在闽南语中，“厝”意为房子，而采用红砖建造的古厝成为了闽南地区最具代表性的传统民居。

红砖古厝又被称为“皇宫起”，因其燕尾脊及装饰风格仿照皇宫建筑形式。起初，燕尾脊只用于庙宇建筑，后来在长期的社会发展过程中，逐渐成为闽南建筑的重要组成部分，体现出独特的地方特色。闽南人喜爱红色，红砖古厝鲜艳的颜色和华丽的建筑外观，既体现了闽南人对宫廷式富贵生活的向往，也展示了他们的聪明才智。他们在石材相对匮乏的情况下，巧妙地将红砖与石材结合，创造出“出砖入石”的建筑形式，及解决了住房问题，又保留了本土建筑风格，实现了建筑材料与形式的完美融合。

随着历史的发展，闽南地区在宋元时期成为重要的海上贸易港口，对外交流频繁。这一时期，外来文化与本土文化相互交融，也在一定程度上影响了红砖古厝的建筑风格，使其在保留传统的基础上，吸收了一些外来元素，进一步丰富了自身的文化内涵。

红砖古厝的建筑特点

传统闽南古厝建筑构造以木结构为主，常以四合院为中心，突出中轴对称和空间主次区分的特点，这种布局方式体现了中国传统建筑的空间理念，营造出严谨、有序的居住环境。建筑的营造结构多采用抬梁式或穿斗式为主的举架形式，充分吸收了中国传统建筑的精髓，保证了建筑的稳定性和耐久性。

闽南古厝坐北朝南，具有鲜明的外观特征，其红砖白石墙体、硬山式屋顶和双翘燕尾脊极具辨识度。屋身为实砌砖墙，外墙采用石构墙裙和红砖砌建、坚实厚重。檐下墙体使用砖墙，与石构墙裙形成鲜明对比，在建筑外观上，石块在墙体中作为面、点存在，砖缝作为线存在，巧妙地运用了点、线、面这三个形式美的构成元素，使得整个砖墙在宏观上犹如一幅极具形式美的平面构成作品，展现出独特的美学价值。

闽南红砖古厝的装饰艺术丰富多彩，图案内容以及负载的象征体现了汉文化在建筑中的传承。建筑中广泛运用中国传统纹样元素，如常见的云卷纹、花草纹等。闽南山墙将汉代漆器中育有吉祥如意之意的云气纹倒置，使其恰好适用于屋顶山墙的三角形，寓意“云如意头”。红砖墙面还镶嵌了各种各样的团，包括楼台人物、巾帼英雄、吉寿文字、海棠花、相思树等，这些墙饰都具有丰富的象征和寓意。例如，六角龟寓意长寿，八角寓意吉祥，钱币寓意财富，莲花寓意清正，石榴寓意硕果累累等。通过这些图案及纹样表达美好愿望，是闽南红砖古厝装饰艺术的一大特点，体现了“图必有意，意必吉祥”的中国传统民居装饰纹样发展规律。

红砖古厝的文化意义

闽南红砖古厝是闽南地区历史文化的重要见证，它记载了闽南地区数千年来的发展历程，许多红砖古厝是名人故居或历史遗存，承载着先人的足迹与辉煌，反映了不同历史时期闽南地区的社会经济、文化艺术和生活方式。通过研究红砖古厝，我们可以深入了解闽南地区的历史变迁，探寻闽南文化的发展脉络。

红砖古厝与闽南地区的民俗文化紧密相连，是民俗文化的重要载体。在古厝中，人们的日常生活、传统节庆、婚丧嫁娶等民俗活动都有独特的民俗和仪式。例如，在春节期间，闽南人会在古厝中举行祭祖、贴春联、挂灯笼等活动；婚礼时，新人会在古厝中举行传统的拜堂仪式。这些民俗活动不仅传承了闽南地区的传统文化，也增强了家族的凝聚力和认同感。同时，古厝中的装饰图案和建筑细节也蕴含着丰富的民俗文化内涵，如一些吉祥图案反映了闽南人对美好生活的向往和追求。

闽南古厝所承载的家住观念、乡土情怀等精神文化内涵，是闽南人身份认同和文化传承的重要组成部分。它不仅是居住的场所，更是闽南人精神的家园，凝聚着闽南人的情感和记忆，传承着闽南地区的文化基因。

总结

红砖古厝是闽南人的智慧结晶，也是研究有关闽南历史的重要依据。在目前这种多元化的社会，我们更应该从闽南红砖古厝取其精华，用在当今的建筑中，不仅可以呈现出不一样的美感，也是对闽南红砖居民的一种保护以及对红砖古厝的利用和开发，更是延续闽南人文历史的文脉。我们不应该让传统文化毁于一旦，应将传统文化薪火相传。

参考文献

[1]陈清.探析泉州传统民居装饰“红砖文化”[J].南京艺术学院学报:美术与设计版,2009（5）:30.

[2]王鑫刚.闽南红砖古厝外墙装饰的地域性探究.福建建筑,2016.

[3]吴丽敏.泉州红砖厝建筑风格初探[D].集美大学艺术考察报告与毕业论文,2006:9.

[4]李淋，周小儒.浅谈闽南红砖古厝的文化内涵[J].才智,2018.

[5]黄汉民.福建传统民居[M].北京:中国建筑工业出版社,2009.

[6]戴志坚.闽南传统建筑[M].厦门:厦门大学出版社,2006.

术语与表达