Study On Chimney And Folklore Significance Of Qiao's Grand Courtyard In Qi County,Shanxi Province

The courtyard is a model of Chinese residential architecture,known as "north in Shanxi,south in Anhui".Southern Anhui folk houses are famous for their simplicity and freshness,while Shanxi courtyards are famous for their depth and richness.At present,there are nearly 1300 dwellings in Shanxi during the Yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasties,of which Qiao's grand courtyard is the most famous.Qiao's grand courtyard,with its grand momentum and exquisite craftsmanship,is the epitome of the residential buildings of the Qing Dynasty in China.The courtyard buildings are exquisite.Even the chimneys stand in the air like miniature buildings.They are exquisite,lifelike and changeable.They not only show the superb level of residential buildings,but also show the unique aesthetic taste of the local people.Their image and implication interpret the unique folk characteristics of Qi County.Chimneys have a long history and many kinds.They can be divided into North China,Northeast China and South China according to the region.They can be divided into roofs,roofs and gables according to their location.They can be divided into mud,brick and stone according to their materials.The most typical example of brick chimney is Qiao's grand courtyard.There are 144 brick chimneys with different shapes in Qiao's grand courtyard.They have the unique functions of smoke exhaust,dust removal,adding color and sensing the world.From the perspective of construction,the cold climate,rich wealth,shining lintels and aesthetic value together create chimney style of different shape characteristics.In the process of building the courtyard,"too old" affects the date of building,the location of the house affects the height and attributes of the house,and the location and attributes of the house directly affect the location and height of the chimney.The chimneys of Qiao's Grand Courtyard are all made of green bricks and decorated with brick carvings.They are beautiful,solid,complicated and not disorderly.The whole chimney system can be divided into flue,exhaust port and chimney cap.The chimney cap is the most special architectural form.According to the chimney top,it can be divided into Xieshan roof,Cunjian roof,Rolled roof,xuanshan roof,ancient Service cap roof and so on.It shows the artistic characteristics of various kinds,unique shapes,diverse convergence,different forms,conservative and open coexistence.Chimney,as an inheritance,extensiveness and stability building component of Qiao's grand courtyard,contains the concept of geomantic omen which is rising step by step,the unity of heaven and man,the rich brick carving decoration of praying for auspicious,descendants,and the spiritual legend of keeping prosperity,exorcising evil and avoiding evil.