40 C O N T E X T 1 4 1 : S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 5 According to the fengshui principle, many houses are rectangular with a south-facing gate. The courtyard is normally quite small, in order to create more shade and good ventilation. It is a kind of outdoor living space in good weather, and the loosely defined indoor space is highly integrated with the courtyard. These houses make good use of land, both inner and exterior space being usable. Courtyard houses were normally built with materials available locally.Wood has always played an important part in the framework and furnishing.The foundations of courtyard houses are generally of stone. In some situations where stone is rare, clay can be compressed into shape or made into bricks for walls. For roofs, depending on the wealth of a family, the material can vary, with pantiles a fairly common solution. Most of these traditional houses feature a similar kind of wooden framework, named Chuan-Dou1. In this system all the purlins rest on the tops of pillars, the load of the roof being carried by the purlins and pillars. Sometimes the masonry walls are also vital support elements.The most popular roof style is the peaked roof (a traditional pattern of Chinese gabled roof). Only a few buildings have a double-eaved roof. With the development of craftwork and technology, the local house carpenters evolved their own style and decorative detailing.They curved some visible beams into ‘moon beams’, so-called because they were shaped like Houses in Dajun Town, built near a bamboo forest A plan of the traditional houses
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