Then, why should our ancient buildings be so particular? Is this superstitious behavior or scientific idea?
In our country, building a house is very particular about the orientation of the house. Generally speaking, the main entrance is directly opened in the south, not in the north. Besides architecture, even palaces and even emperors' tombs always face south.
In fact, this practice is not a case, but a routine. To say that these histories can be traced back to distant ancient times. Modern archaeology finds that as early as primitive society, Han ancestors built village houses facing south. In the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, the direction of measurement was the first step in choosing the environment. There is a record in Gong Liu Shi: "That is, the scenery is a hill, and it is yin and yang." Chao, a politician in the Han Dynasty, once suggested that when choosing a city site, "it is the boundary between architecture and fields to combine its yin and yang, taste its water springs and judge its suitability." In other words, the north is cloudy, the south is yang, the north is cloudy, and the south is yang.
So, what are the benefits of this south-facing house? First of all, it is reflected in the light. According to the explanation of geography, China is located in the northern hemisphere of the earth, in the east of Eurasia, and most of the land is located in the north of the Tropic of Cancer, so the house facing south is convenient for sunshine. So this kind of house is full of light, warm in winter and cool in summer. Even in winter, the sun can shine into the depths of the room. In summer, when the sun rises close to the top of your head, you can't feel the strong sunshine in the room. Secondly, generally speaking, the cold winter is generally the cold current and the north wind in northwest Asia, so sitting in a house facing south has another advantage that it can avoid the north wind.
Due to the geographical advantages, such houses are generally called "main rooms" and "main halls" for the most distinguished people in China to live in. East-west houses are called "East Wing" and "West Wing" because of poor lighting, and the "wing" often seen in novels is like this.
Interestingly, based on the orientation identification of "sitting north facing south" in ancient architecture, the south was also regarded as supreme in ancient times, and the north was symbolized as submission, so ancient monarchs and elders all sat in the south, and courtiers or subordinates all stood in the south, that is, facing north.
It can be seen that the house facing south is the recognition of the main hall, which is caused by many reasons and also reflects the wisdom of the ancient people in China.
Source: Qian Jiangchao Author: Sanshui