Zhongjia Courtyard located in Ciqikou

Repaired ancient courtyards of Ciqikou (effect drawing)

Courtyards in Shizhu countryside

Tangjia Yuanzi Station of Line 3

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Chinese people have a long history of dedication to the courtyard which is home to them and contains a strong sense of human kindness. The courtyard is an important feature of folk houses of Chongqing Recently, Li Zhengquan, a famous folk custom expert, went to Zengjiayan Academy to tell people about the historical development of residential houses of Chongqing. All sorts of courtyards arose the memory of homesickness of a lot of people. 

Typical rural dwellings of Chongqing

"Stilted buildings are common folk buildings in the mountain areas of Southern China. In the early years, they could be seen everywhere along the two rivers in Chongqing. Now, with the development of the city, there are fewer and fewer." Li Zhengquan said that the biggest advantage of stilted buildings is to save land, using the steep slope cliff, both reasonable and applicable. He introduced that rural residential buildings in Chongqing are mainly single-family buildings with few concentrated residences. The main form of the architectural pattern is the courtyard, which is more scattered, fragmentary and smaller in rural areas of Chongqing. "In a sense, this reflects that Chongqing people are more capable of surviving. A small yard in the remote mountain far from bustling downtown will make you impressed by the spirit of its owner. Li Zhengquan signed that.

Courtyards are associated with the rise of surnames

In rural Chongqing, you can see courtyards whether they are flat areas or mountainous areas, at least one row of houses, or three or five. "Most courtyards are backed by mountain or facing a river, paddy fields, pay attention to Feng Shui. People paid attention to the environment, water access and drainage convenience. No matter how big or small, or how many people live in a yard, they were of the same ancestry."

According to historical records, during the Kangqian period of the Qing Dynasty, a large number of immigrants moved from Hubei and Hunan to Chongqing. Places such as Tangjiatuo, Liujiatai, Zhangjiawan, Wangjiaba and Yujiayan reflect the situation at that time.

Chongqing remains the names of those courtyards

When the courtyard is mentioned, many people may associate Tangjia Yuanzi, Zhengjia Yuanzi, Tangjia Yuanzi. You might wonder that there are courtyards or not. Where are they?

"These courtyard names are not random names. There used to be courtyards. They existed as early as in the 1990s. When the road was built in the late 1990s, the Zhengjia Yuanzi and Tangjia Yuanzi disappeared.” Li Zhengquan recalled that more than 20 years ago, the area around Zhengjia Yuanzi was a barren slope of farmland. Indeed, there were rural courtyards with the names of Zheng and Tang, which were the surnames of immigrants who came here during the period when Sichuan was filled with people from Hunan and Guangxi and other places. "When they moved in Chongqing, it was a barren slope. They had to choose a place name, so they named it as their surname. Later, with the acceleration of urbanization, the former rural courtyards were demolished. Although people do not know where the courtyard is, these familiar place names of "courtyard" have been remained. (Translated by Luo Juan, Fathom Language Limited)