Tian Jing is a kind of dwellings style in the south of China. As a matter of fact, Tian Jing is also courtyard and the only difference is that it is smaller. Just as the foreigners who study in qualified Mandarin program in China, the south China is hot and rainy and wet. Adding the densely spread population in relatively narrow place, people attach much attention to sun block and ventilation. As a result, the buildings are closely spread and most of the buildings are two or more stories.
The core part of dwelling house is the horizontal oblong shape courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by the storied houses on four sides or three sides. Therefore, little sunshine can reach the courtyard. The central room opens to the courtyard which has the function of ventilation. Every room drains off water to the courtyard and the outside is crow gable which can prevent the fire from spreading. The top of the wall is higher than the housetop with the shape of staircase.
Except for the features mentioned above, the southern architecture is also characterized by the grey brick wall and grey-green roof tiles. If you study in Mandarin language courses in China, you should know the most typical Tian Jing dwelling house is that in Huizhou. The first feature of that in Huizhou is the importance of the site choosing. Most of the houses are built near the mountain and by the river. Of course, it faces the streets and lanes, creating a sense of quiet and elegant of primitive simplicity.
In addition, the harmony of the layout and the space is very important in southern dwellings. The overall arrangement is tightly constructed freely and the whole room is symmetrical. Most of the dwelling buildings are two or more storied houses. The courtyard is the unit forms the main activity center. The number of courtyard can be as few as two or three and as many as ten, the most even reach 36.
As time goes on and the population increases, the unit can be added to follow the living habits of Huizhou people that all generations of people live in the same building. The most impressive for the foreign learners who learn Chinese language may be the harmonious colors of walls and tiles as well as the wooden style of column and tie construction. The garden with flowers and plants and fishponds can be built in front of the house.