ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the variety of traditional vernacular dwellings in China. In this context, vernacular dwellings can be classified into three main categories: courtyard dwelling, stilt dwelling and cave dwelling. The chapter deals with synthetic analysis of various factors responsible for the formation and development of the courtyard houses which represent the main stream of traditional Chinese houses. As an important part in the cultural heritage of Chinese architecture, the traditional vernacular dwellings in various areas are rich and colourful. A variety of Chinese vernacular dwelling forms have existed in the diverse natural environments in a nation of 9,560,900 square kilometres since very early times. Some housing features strongly reflected the expression of Chinese philosophy. As housing construction and spatial organisation were developed by the late Zhou period, the worship area in a house was divided into two ceremonial spaces: the ancestral hall and the courtyard.
