A Comparative Research On The Shape And Decoration Of Fire Seal Of Ancient Dwellings In Southern Anhui And Lingnan

There have been three large-scale migrations from north central plains to the south in Chinese history; Lingnan area and south of Anhui, with relatively closed geographical environment and stable social life is, became the destination of immigrants. Accompanied by a large number of immigrants, the central plains immigrants chose to build houses, lived in a race, and formed a village’s pattern of high density of buildings, which made these places more crowded. When people caught in the fire, the fire easily spread quickly in these buildings, and the villages were burned as a whole. In Ming Dynasty, Hongzhi sixteenth years (1503), Hexin, the president of Huizhou region controlled the fire by setting high wall on the roof of a building; this is the prototype of the fire seal. Due to fire seal was remarkable on fire controlling, it got promoted, and gradually affected today’s southern regions including Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Fujian, Guangdong and other province. Along with the development of the era, except for functional requirements of fire seal, it endowed with more decorative symbolism, and gradually developed into ancient residential architecture artifacts with practical and artistic functions. In China, different local dwelling houses styles have its distinct regional features; fire seal attracts with its diversified modeling, complex structure, and exquisite and compelling decoration.By means of literature survey, field survey and the interview, and on the basis of previous research, the paper studies on the fire seal in southern Anhui and Lingnan of both in Ming and Qing Dynasties, which are mainly discussed from five aspects. The first chapter focuses on research purpose and significance, the domestic research status and the research method, etc, and from two dimensions of time and space to define the scope of object of study. Second chapter interprets the forming reason and process of residential fire seal, combining with the history of ancient Chinese hard roof. Chapters 3 and 4 carries out a comparative study on the resident fire seal of these two place, respectively discussed from shape and decoration. The respective fire seal characteristics, and decoration patterns have been clearly described, it is suggested that there are similarities and differences between two places. The last chapter excavates the, ideology and culture of the fire seal, further elaborates that the distinctive local culture is the roots of differences of shape and decoration of fire seal.