A Non-Princely Mansion from Qing-dynasty Beijing

Ritual regulations governed every aspect of life in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911), and all dimensions and fittings of houses were prescribed in accordance with a gradated code at the pinnacle of which was the palace complex of the emperor. Strict regulations further governed the attributes and decoration of houses, carriages and clothing of the nobility and of the officials who served the government. In their architectural dimensions, princely mansions could neither encroach upon nor appropriate features of the emperor's residential quarters. Moreover, the residences of officials could not exceed the residences of princes in their dimensions. Nevertheless, there was a basic architectural similarity among these residences.

External view of the study from the garden at the Residence of Ji Xiaolan. [Photo: BGD]

Apart from palaces and princely mansions, surprisingly few Qing-era residences of officials and commoners remain intact in Beijing. Even buildings deemed to originate in the Qing dynasty are usually composite structures with additions dating from various periods of the twentieth century. The residences of officials that date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries tend to be constructed in a style similar to the modular model that informed the residences of emperors and nobles, but there are some exceptions