Facades of Southern Fujian by Joey Low

福建建筑风格 FA C A D E S O F F U J I A N

红砖文化

R E D B R I C K C U LT U R E The red brick houses in southern Fujian are dominated by red. “Minnan Red” presents a kind of red with joy, which represents the yearning and pursuit of a better life for the people of Southern Fujian. The optimistic attitude towards life has made the people of southern Fujian have a special interest in the red color that represents festive, auspicious and vibrant spirit in traditional culture, and has continued to use red as the main color of the building.

CONTENTS

Building Layout & Facades Building Layout & Facades 布局正面

Traditional Construction Materials Brick 砖

Stone 石

Tiles 瓦

Alternative Construction Materials Ceramics 陶瓷

Cement 水泥

正面布局 L AYO U T

FAC A D E

The spacial arrangement within the house of Minnan architecture dictates the compartmentalization and frontage of the front elevation.

Lim Peng Siang House 1 林秉祥宅邸 Setback facade 三间塌 Located in Xizhou Village, Zini town, Longhai Country, this traditional Minnan architecture house is owned by Lim Peng Siang who was an overeseas Chinese.

Two Blocks, Three Bays, Two Wing Buildings Layout (一进二落三张间双护厝). The facade of this Minnan architecture house shows the compartmentalization of space towards the depth of the house. The facade is flanked by two gable walls on the sides of the main entrance. Representing the elongated wings running through the depth of the building. Overhanging eaves at the front of the house provides sunshading in the porch of the house. 7

Lim Peng Siang House 2 林秉祥宅邸 Pashi layout facade 爬狮

Located in Xizhou Village, Zini town, Longhai County, this traditional Minnan architecture house is a continuation of houses owned by Mr Lim Peng Siang

Flanked by the two wings, this traditional Minnan architecture house consists of a number of Paishi layout facades lining the entire house.

Facade Vertical Composition

山墙(金星) 水车堵身堵群堵柜台脚

Tan Teck Hong House 陈碧峰宅邸 Si Dian Jin layout facade 四点金

Located in Tahou Village, Quanzhou, this traditional Minnan architecture house was the former residence of Chen Bifeng.

Five Bays, Two Wing Buildings Layout, 五间张间双护 In comparison to a three bay layout, this five bay layout facade demonstrates a streteched facade with two secondary exits flanking the main stone construction entrance. The front porch of this style is tucked into the building with the eaves ending at the porch.

Extruded Columns on Front Facade Demarcation between bays are clearly defined by extruded walls that run perpendicular to the depth of each bays.

The frontyard is surrounded by a wall of stone. Additional bays at the side further extrudes towards the street fronting the house.

The brick and stone heights are also staggered along the facade, creating a clear distiniction between each bays.

This further frames the flat facade of the Five Bays, Two Wing Buildings Layout where brick carvings and parapets are more intricate

Five-legged Western House 五脚气洋楼

Kuixia Western Houses 南安奎霞洋楼 Western houses layout 洋楼 Locals of Western-style houses also called it the “Fanzilou”.They are divided into five-footed (five-footed) western-style houses, three-folded (three-shou) -style western-style houses, and turtles (convex-shaped turtles). The small western-style buildings in the 1950s were mostly decorated with geometric lines.

In the 1960s and 1990s, there was a shortage of building materials, and granite stones became the main building material. The exterior of the western-style building is a combination of Chinese and Western styles, with the stone structure below and the red bricks above, as if “the western body wears a Chinese hat.“ 12

It features columns or flat beams, round arches or arches on the front porch, railings on the second floor. The name “Five Legs” originated from the transformation of shophouses promoted by the British in Nanyang. Due to the tropical climate and the need for public space.

Out of the Turtle House 出龟洋楼

San Die Shou Western House 三叠寿洋楼 San Die Shou Western House: Similar to the layout of the Turtle House, but symmetrically protruding on both sides of the front porch, making the plane a concave shape.

source: https://visitkinmen.pixnet.net/blog/post/5381861

The center of the front porch protrudes out of the flat facade. making the form of a turtle’s head, with a convex plane.

source: https://new.qq.com/omn/20181224/20181224A0JI1S.html

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BRICK

source: https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/home/3intrhme.htm

Fired bricks have emerged in China since 4400 BC at Chengtoushan, a walled settlement of the Daxi culture located in Hunan, China. With a primary use of it as walls, flooring and building foundations.

Kuixia Minnan Houses 南安奎霞村

Overseas chinese living in Nanyang have lived overseas for a long time and are affected by overseas architectural styles. Therefore, the buildings they build still use earth, wood, stone, brick as the main construction materials, and they also add steel bars, cement, metal materials, glazed bricks

Kuixia Village is across the water from Datong Island and Kinmen Island. The village has about 15,000 overseas Chinese, which is five times the current population of Kuixia Village.

source: https://new.qq.com/omn/20181224/20181224A0JI1S.html

Brick Facades 砖砌体

Typical Facade Building Techniques

n ick-out a

to He rringbone s

Br i y ck masonr 17

lad ding

wall,

ne ,b

ne-in sto

There are several ways of masonry building in Quanzhou : Brick-out and stonein, Herringbone stone, brick wall, Brick masonry wall and Brick parapet/ cladded wall.

The red brick houses in southern Fujian are dominated by red. Red is a traditional Chinese symbol of joy, success, success or being valued and welcomed. “Minnan Red” presents a kind of red with joy, which represents the yearning and pursuit of a better life for the people of Southern Fujian.

rick wall,

Red brick architecture 红砖文化

Br i /C ck Parapet

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安奎霞村

Brick Facades 砖砌体 Red brick parapets 印模红砖 Red bricks or tiles are used to build the front walls or main walls of historic residential complexes in Minnan. Lime is used to fill the gap with auspicious letters, such as fortune prosperity and longevity, Patterns, such as swastika, eight trigrams, turtle shell, and blossom are also used in such parapet design. 18

Red bricks Parapet/ Bricks of different tones Cladding Construction of red and orange are uused to create a distinct ppattern in each facade. SSmaller pieces are fitted within smaller creaves w ccreated by larger pattterns and shapes. Stone aand bricks masonry forms structure walls befo hhind each parapet.

Quanzhou 泉州 Brick masonry facade 红砖砌体

Red brick masonry are commonly used as structural walls of a traditional Minnan architecture.

Red brick masonry are also used in the 水车堵 of traditional Minnan architecture houses.

人字砖砌墙

Kuixia

多顺一式

Longhai,Xizhou

Kuixia

空体墙

全顺式

两平一侧砌

每皮一顺一顶式

空体墙

上下皮一顺一顶式

空体墙

Tan Teck Hong House 陈碧峰宅邸 Brick carvings in facade 砖雕立面 Minnan brick carving is based on traditional red bricks, and uses high and low relief, transparent carving and line carving techniques to engrave various figures, flowers, landscapes, calligraphy and other patterns to integrate them with the overall architectural environment.

This craft, which combines sculpture, painting, calligraphy and other aesthetic skills, is still being passed down in Nan’an, Fujian, Chinese sculpture, painting, calligraphy and other aesthetic skills, is still being passed down in Nan’an, Fujian, China.

source: Nan An Today 今日南安 @nananstory

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安奎霞村 Brick carvings in facade 砖雕立面

Longhai,Xizhou

Kuixia

Xizhou, Longhai

Intricate carvings are typically placed at the front porch, 身堵 location, at the right and left side of each main entrance. Tahou, Quanzhou

Tahou, Quanzhou

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BRICKS IN SINGAPORE

NUS Baba House, Singapore Brick masonry Wall 红砖砌体 In National Univerity of Singapore’s Baba House, red brick are primarily used as structural materials for gable walls and internal walls.

Neilroad

However, despite the appeal of red bricks in Fujian, bricks present in the NUS Baba house are typically painted in lighter tones. with the newer renovation restoration works ultilizing traditional red bricks. NUS Baba House

Neilroad

石

S TO N E

source: https:”Pleasure tower model,” in Recarving China’s Past: Art, Archaeology, and Architecture of the ‘Wu Family Shrines” (2005)

Chinese stone walls have been built since Neolithic times however elaborate carvings and support structures such as bridges and pillars only began emerging in the 6th century as such architecture elements required more advanced technological tools.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Rough stone wall 乱石砌墙 Plaster or stone masonry is used to build the wall. Large stones are usually placed underneath for a stable structure. In addition, stones are also placed along the corners of the walls to create a defined edge. Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

This use of gummy grains as an adhesive is not entirely surprising. For thousands of years, Chinese builders mixed sticky rice, or glutinous rice, with lime mortar to assemble structures across the country, including city walls, pagodas, bridges, and tombs. Cooked rice was first boiled into a paste, then blended with sand and lime, a substance produced by heating limestone.

Kuixia

During the construction of the rough stone wall, each stone is embedded according to its shape and angle, obtaining a firm effect. Irregular randomly picked stones have different “dog teeth” 犬牙, and there are only a few points to support the connection between them. With sufficient pressure points, a firm effect is achieved. The firm points are matched on the basis of experience or spatial visualization by the craftsman. When each stone is placed, the angle must be adjusted repeatedly to ensure that the outer façade is basically flush and that it is in stable contact with the bottom. .

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Herringbone stone wall 人字砌石墙 Herringbone stone wall:, also known as herringbone lying wall: Stones of similar size are stacked alternately at an angle of 45 degrees left and right to form a herringbone. This construction method is more difficult, but this creates an overall stronger structure which is more moisture resistance.

source: https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/18/1/5/n10027194.htm

Kuixia

As similar to that of the rough stonewall, Chinese builders mixed sticky rice, or glutinous rice, with lime mortar to assemble such structures.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

The higher water resistance stone protects the red bricks from ground moisture in such sub-tropical climates.

source: https://www.wikiwand.com/zh-hk/%E7%A0%8C%E4%BD%93%E7%BB%93%E6%9E%84

Green stone carving windows can be typically found on buildings such as temples or village entrances. The octagonal shaped window also know as as a 撻角 are carved with butterflies and bats.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Stone windows 石条窗, 高浮雕窗 In Minnan architecture, windows are typically made of stone with different techniques and methods. Green stone carving windows are made using fine relief carving with different forms of animals and plants. White stone carving on the other hand is relatively simpler with vertical mullion with odd numbers of mullions within each window.

Quanzhou, Tahou Village

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Quanzhou

Kuixia

Quanzhou

In Kuixia village, iron bars were used by builders instead of blue or white stone carvings. Such changes in material may have been dervied from Southeast Asian or western influences. 33

Kuixia

Lim Peng Siang House 2 林秉祥宅邸 White stone wall facade (Middle section) 白石柜台脚

The whitestone, 石砻石,石砻白,泉州白 carving is the most famous in Nan’an. This stone used at the middle section of front facade is white in color and hard in texture.

Quanzhou, Tahou Village

Depending on the size and the height of the middle wall section, different sizes of whitestone are cut and used in the construction of the middle section of the wall.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Longhai,Xizhou

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安奎霞村 White stone wall facade (Middle Section) 白石柜台脚

Under wet conditions in the rainy season, the stone surface does not return to moisture. as it dries quickly after rain. In the summer, it radiates heat quickly after exposure in sun.

These whitestones are acid resistance, and are not easily infiltrated by seawater;

Kuixia

Quanzhou

Kuixia

In addition, the stone surface prevents moss growth ; Dirt such as sludge falls off its surfaces are drying out. In different parts of Fujian, other forms of white stone are being used in wall structural system as oppose to typical straight rectagular white stone blocks. In Kuixia, smaller pieces of white stone with a rougher texture are placed together to form a masonry wall. Temples in Quanzhou have included low relief carvings in their whitestones.

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安奎霞村 Stone columns, Dragon columns 白石雕柱,龙柱 Octagonal and masonry columns are common in Western houses in Kuixia While Stone carved Dragon columns are common in Temples in China.

The rainy and humid climate of Southern Fujian prevents wood from being a suitable material in these structural elements. Corrosion and termites are some of the issues caused by timber columns. As a result, white stone and blue stone are being used to replace timber columns. This has allowed for deep relief carvings to be carved. 36

Kuixia

Quanzhou

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Stone counterfoot 白,青石柜台脚

A white Stone base prevents moisture from the rain and the ground. Low relief carving are commonly used in decorating the counterfoot stones of Minnan architecture.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Tan Teck Hong House 陈碧峰宅邸 Stone counterfoot 白,青石柜台脚

In the above stonewall, carving of beasts such as the lion can be seen in the counterfoot. Legs of furnitures are commonly carved into such reliefs.

In traditional Fujian and Cantonese furniture, legs of tables and chairs are often carved into the shape of lion’s head and swallow’s claws. In the green stone counter foot engraving, high relief is used in showing depth.

Quanzhou, Tahou Village

石

S TO N E I N S I N G A P O R E

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Granite 5-foot way end slab & steps across drain 花岗石五脚基,排水台阶

Shophouses, NUS Baba House Neil Road, Singapore Granite door threshold, courtyard sink, stairs end step 花岗石门槛，庭院水槽，楼梯尽头

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Granite carved corbel 花岗石牛腿

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Stone carved guardian lion 石雕狮子

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source: Zhou Period Science, Technology, and Inventions (2018)

Tiles have been widely utilized in China since the Zhou Dynasty. As the tiles continue to be widely used through the medieval and modern age in China, the Ming and Qing dynasty used it as a way of segregating societal levels.

Tan Teck Hong House 陈碧峰宅邸 Roof tiles 瓦 In this house, the drip tile, eave end tile, semi-circular tiles are present. In addition, a series of downward facing and upward facing tiles are more prominent towards the centre of the building’s facade. semi-circular tile Eave-end tile

仰瓦 Upward Facing

Quanzhou, Tahou Village

Flat tile Drip tile

府瓦 Downward Facing source: 台湾古建築图解事典

The tiles are positioned in an alternating fashion: downward facing and upward facing across the frontage.

Quanzhou, Tahou Village

T I L E S

ç&#x201C;¦

I N

S I N G A P O R E

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Roof tiles: semi-circular tiles, flat tiles, eave-end tile, drip tile 筒瓦, 板瓦, 瓦当, 滴水

陶瓷

C E R A M I C S

49 9

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安奎霞村 Green glazed tiles railing 琉璃花砖护栏

Fired from clay and glazed on the outside. This railing ornamentation can be found within red brick balconies. The green and the red colours of each individual material creates a strong contrast in buildings around Kuixia village. Kuixia

Kuixia

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Green glazed tiles air vents 琉璃花砖

This green glazed tiles are common in almost all the buildings of the Qing Dynasty. This kind of tile may be presumed to be popular only after the middle of the Qing Dynasty.

The Green Glazed Tiles used in building ornamentation are about a square foot in size. They are fired from clay and glazed on the outside. They are green, khaki, and cyan. Glazed glazed tiles are a unique building material in Fujian and Guangdong. together.

It is usually used as a vent or a window. It can also be used as a brick. It can be used alone or several pieces can be put together to create apertures for ventilation.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Longhai,Xizhou

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Ceramic cut-and-paste shardwork chiennien 剪黏,剪花嵌瓷

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

This horizontal decorative strip on the wall near the eaves, with bump lines on the top and bottom, are typically decorated using ceramic and paint.

Quanzhou

Shearing and sticking of ceramic, porcelain pieces are common in both Fujian and Nanyang. The main techniques are "cutting and sticking." 52

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Porcelain Mayorica tiles 马约利卡瓷砖 Victorian tiles were introduced to Japan in the early Meiji period in Japan. Japanese Mayorica tiles began by copying Victorian-style tiles.

Kuixia

Before the second world war, Mayorica tiles were commonly used as inlaid on facades and finishings. This is common in Nanyang, countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia’s western influenced houses.

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town

Anxi, Shangzhi Village, Penglai Town, 安溪蓬莱上智白头格 Ceramic cut-and-paste shardwork chiennien on ridge 剪黏,剪花嵌瓷 Shearing and sticking of ceramic, porcelain pieces are common in both Fujian and Nanyang. The ridge of the swallow-tail roof are usually highly ornamented using this kind of art. Dragons and other mythical chinese creatures are commonly used by artist in creating the chienniens in this two positions. Such a style of ornamentation are common in temples andan be seen in Singapore’s Hong San See and Thian Hock Keng Temple.

source: https://www.doc88.com/p-9542724712541.html

Zhangzhou, Nanjing

Quanzhou

陶瓷

C E R A M I C S

I N

S I N G A P O R E

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Green glazed air brick 琉璃花砖

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Ceramic cut-and-paste shardwork chiennien 剪黏

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Terracota roof tiles 花岗石牛腿

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Malacca tiles 石雕狮子

Shophouses Neil Road, Singapore Ceramics European encaustic floor tiles 欧式风格瓷砖

Shophouses, Neil Road, Singapore Ceramics tiles 瓷砖

水/灰泥

CEMENT/ PLASTER

Nan’an, Kuixia 南安村 Cement sculpting 水泥雕塑 In Kuixia, the exterior of the western-style building is a combination of Chinese and Western styles, with the stone structure below and the red bricks above, as if “the western body wears a Chinese hat.“

These buildings were highly influenced by overseas chineses and cement sculpture was commonly used in expressing motifs.

Kuixia

source: https://new.qq.com/omn/20181224/20181224A0JI1S.html

Kuixia

Tan Teck Hong House 陈碧峰宅邸 Pediment 山头 Adapted from the front roof of ancient greek buildings’ trianguler shaped pedicament, carvings are commonly found in both Greek and Chinese architecture pediments. In addition to the ornamentation, it also has the function of covering the roof.

source: 台湾古建築图解事典

In the Tan Teck Hong house, a circular pediment is used, covering the open patio at the top of the house.

Circular pediment are common in Western architecture and is usually decorated with figures and reliefs. 63

In Minnan pediments, reliefs of number (year of construction) and words representing the beliefs of the household, are commonly used.

水/灰泥

CEMENT/ PLASTER IN SINGAPORE

NUS Baba House, Neil Road, Singapore Lime plaster & wash for walls

NUS Baba House, Neil Road, Singapore madras chunam (stucco) decoration

Shophouse, Neil Road, Singapore madras chunam (stucco) decoration

Shophouse, Neil Road, Singapore Shanghai plaster facade

THE END