Hokkien architecture

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Hoklo architecture styled Lukang Longshan Temple. Lukang Lung-shan Temple 2004.jpg
Hoklo architecture styled Lukang Longshan Temple.

Hokkien architecture, also called Hoklo architecture or Minnan architecture, refers to the architectural style of the Hoklo people, a Han Chinese sub-group who have historically been the dominant demographic of the Southern Chinese province of Fujian (called "Hokkien" in the Hoklo language),and Taiwan, Singapore. This style shares many similarities with those of surrounding Han Chinese groups. There are, however, several features that are unique or mostly unique to Hoklo-made buildings, making many traditional buildings in Hokkien and Taiwan visually distinctive from those outside the region. [1]

Contents

Minyue architecture

Prior to the annexation of the Minyue Kingdom by the Han dynasty, the region was inhabited by the Minyue people, a branch of the Baiyue aboriginals. The Minyue State's Imperial City (Traditional Chinese: 閩越王城遺址) gave some clues about what their architectural style was like.[ citation needed ]

Swallowtail roof

Hokkien community (Chinese:Tang Ren Wu Fu ) doing business at Nagasaki in the second half of the 18th century Tojin-yashiki.jpg
Hokkien community (Chinese:唐人屋敷) doing business at Nagasaki in the second half of the 18th century

Swallowtail roof (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ìnn-bé-tsiah; Traditional Chinese: 燕尾脊, literally "swallowtail ridge") is a feature rarely (if at all) seen in non-Hoklo Han Chinese architecture. It is very common in Hokkien and Taiwan. The term refers to a roof that has an upward-curving ridge shaped like the tail of a swallow. The degree of curving may vary. The "swallowtail" in question can be single- or double-layered and is typically decorated with a large amount of colorful carvings. [2] [3] This feature originated in 16th century (Ming Dynasty). At that time, Hoklo people were doing business with Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Ryukyu (Ryūkyū-kan) and Japan, and decided that they would like to show off their newfound wealth - resulting in this bright and elaborate architectural style. [4] Due to its bright and showy nature, this architectural feature is commonly found in major temples, mansions, and ancestral halls.

Cut porcelain carving

Cut porcelain carving (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tsián-huî-tiau; Traditional Chinese: 剪瓷雕, literally "cut porcelain carving") is also prevalent among Hoklo architecture and, to a lesser extent, Vietnamese architecture. [5] [6] Traditionally, Hoklo porcelain artists would often gather small colored porcelain artifacts (such as bowls and other eating utensils), cut and/or grind them into smaller fragments, and then paste these fragments onto sculptures attached to buildings for the purpose of decoration. This art is frequently used on the ridges, window frames, and doors of temples and larger residences, often in conjunction with swallowtail roof. The topic of these sculptures may vary - ranging from plants and animals to figures from Chinese mythology or Hoklo folktales. In Taiwan, a new style has even been formed by combining cut porcelain carving with cochin ware.

Hokkien Sanheyuan

The Huang Family Qianrang Estate, in Taipei, Taiwan, is a Sanheyuan. Huang Family Qianrang Estate 1.JPG
The Huang Family Qianrang Estate, in Taipei, Taiwan, is a Sanheyuan.

Sanheyuan (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Sam-ha̍h-īnn; Traditional Chinese: 三合院, literally "Three-combo building") is a type of building found throughout most of the Greater China region. They are residences with structures on three sides of a courtyard, forming an inverted U-shape. While this style is shared by nearly all Han Chinese groups, Hokkien Sanheyuan have been noted by their usage of multiple wings (called "protecting dragons" in Taiwan) to spread outward, a trait quite distinctive to Hoklo Sanheyuan. [7]

Têng-á-kha

Têng-á-kha (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Têng-á-kha; Traditional Chinese: 亭仔跤) is a style of architecture found in much of Southern China and is considered the Hokkien counterpart to the Cantonese tong lau. It is a style that incorporates elements from Western European architecture, arising slowly in late 18th century due to the Hokkien contact with Western European culture in Southeast Asia. A typical têng-á-kha has a ground floor used for running some sort of business (such as a grocery store) and upper floors that are used for residential purposes. Amoy's têng-á-khas are said to be marked by having pink and white as main colorings, use of streets full of têng-á-khas such as markets, and the distribution of têng-á-khas in net-like structures. [8] The city of Chinchew has also been noted for having a well-preserved set of têng-á-khas. [9]

Others

Hokkien earthen buildings

Tshe-khue Tulou cluster in Leng-na, Fujian. Chu Xi Tu Lou Qun .jpg
Tshe-khue Tulou cluster in Lêng-nâ, Fujian.

Hokkien earthen buildings (Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hok-kiàn thóo-lâu; Traditional Chinese: 福建土樓, literally "Hokkien earthen building"), called "Fujian Tulou" in Mandarin Chinese, is another distinct type of architecture found in the Hokkien region. It is a set of large, enclosed and fortified earth buildings associated with the Hakka people, who speak the Hakka language, rather than Hoklo. However, it has been noted that this style of architecture is found almost exclusively among Hakka people in Fujian province and thus has become associated with the region. [10]

In Modern Architecture

See also

Related Research Articles

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Taiwanese Hokkien, or simply Taiwanese, also known as Taiuanoe, Taigi, Taigu, Taiwanese Minnan, Hoklo and Holo, is a variety of the Hokkien language spoken natively by more than 70 percent of the population of Taiwan. It is spoken by a significant portion of those Taiwanese people who are descended from Hoklo immigrants of southern Fujian. It is one of the national languages of Taiwan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Min Chinese</span> Primary branch of Sinitic spoken in southern China and Taiwan

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Min</span> Branch of the Min Chinese languages

Southern Min, Minnan or Banlam, is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Chinese languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian, most of Taiwan, Eastern Guangdong, Hainan, and Southern Zhejiang. Southern Min dialects are also spoken by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora, most notably in Southeast Asia, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Southern Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Southern and Central Vietnam, San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City. Minnan is the most widely-spoken branch of Min, with approximately 48 million speakers as of 2017–2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taiwanese opera</span> Form of traditional drama originating in Taiwan

Taiwanese opera commonly known as Ke-Tse opera or Hokkien opera, is a form of traditional drama originating in Taiwan. Taiwanese opera uses a stylised combination of both the literary and colloquial registers of Taiwanese Hokkien. Its earliest form adopted elements of folk songs from Zhangzhou, Fujian, China. The plots are traditionally drawn from folk tales of the southern Fujian region, though in recent years stories are increasingly set in Taiwan itself. Taiwanese opera was later exported to other Hokkien-speaking areas, such as Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Fujian, China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhangzhou</span> Prefecture-level city in Fujian, Peoples Republic of China

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoklo people</span> Han Chinese subgroup

The Hoklo people are a Han Chinese subgroup who speak Hokkien, a Southern Min language, or trace their ancestry to southeastern Fujian in China, and known by various related terms such as Banlam people, Minnan people, or more commonly in Southeast Asia as the Hokkien people. The Hokkien people are found in significant numbers in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei, Myanmar, and the United States,. The Hokkien people have a distinct culture and architecture, including Hokkien shrines and temples with tilted sharp eaves, high and slanted top roofs, and finely detailed decorative inlays of wood and porcelain. The Hokkien language, which includes Taiwanese Hokkien, is the mainstream Southern Min, which is partially mutually intelligible to the Teochew language, Hainanese, Leizhou Min, and Haklau Min.

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References

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  2. 曹春平. 《闽南传统建筑》. 中國: 厦门大学出版社. 2006-06.
  3. 福建省炎黄文化研究会、中国人民政治协商会议、泉州市委会. 《闽南文化研究》第2卷. 中國: 海峽文艺出版社.
  4. "永不停息的振翅飛翔 燕尾與有官品的家族無關". Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2017-10-16.
  5. 許東生. 《潮汕嵌瓷工藝研究:以存心善堂為例》. 美術學報. 2011年4月.
  6. 陳磊. 《閩南民間藝術奇葩-剪瓷雕》. 南京藝術學院學報. 2009年6月.
  7. 臺灣地區閩南式民居建築
  8. 近代廈門舊城改造規劃實踐及思想(1920-1938年).李百浩,嚴昕.城市規劃學刊.2008年第3期
  9. 泉州中山路正式掛牌 「中國十大歷史文化名街」.泉州晚報.
  10. Joseph Needham, Science and civilisation in China V4 pt3. p. 133-134, 1971 Cambridge University Press

Bibliography

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