How do Chinese houses differ from American houses?

中国的房子跟美国的房子有何不同？

以下是Quora读者的评论：

David Phillipson, lives in China (2013-present)

“How do Chinese houses differ from American houses?”

A lot of concrete is used for starters. But depending on which part of the country you live in can determine the difference between insulation etc.

There are a lot of single pane windows here. It seems double glazing is something which it either just too unheard of, or too expensive for many.

It’s not uncommon to hear the footsteps or voices of your neighbours through the walls of your home. Particularly so if if you live in a block of flats (Thats’s apartment building for the non Brits), which everyone seems to just ignore and get on with their lives.

I was lucky that I was able to puchase a terraced house at the end of 2018. The only downside to my home would be that the construction was poorly done and I have had to fork out extra money on the waterproofing of the exterior as well as interior walls. This is not a reflection on todays current building methods, as my home and the ones surrounding it were constructed in the early part of the 2010’s and there were still many “cowboy” builders running amok and doing half arsed jobs with their work. My cellar (basement) often had leaks coming from the wall above and creating a rising damp problem.

I do a lot of DIY and carpentry here, so it has given me a unique insight into the world of construction here in China as I have often been invited to view different construction sites in and around the city I live in. It is nice to see that there are some fantastic new practises in place and improve the quality of homes being built today.

 “中国和美国的房子有什么不同呢？”

首先都需要用到很多混凝土。不过你在这两个国家的居住地点决定了一些不同之处。

这里使用的多数为单层玻璃窗。人们对双层玻璃要么闻所未闻，要么觉得太贵了。

听到隔壁邻居的脚步声或声音是很平常的事。尤其是如果你居住的是公寓楼的话(非英国人住的公寓楼)，不过每个人似乎都习以为常了，生活不受影响。

幸运的是，我在2018年底买下了一套排屋。我家唯一的缺点就是建筑质量很差，我不得不为外墙和内墙的防水多花了点钱。我在这里并不是想吐槽现在的建筑质量，因为我的房子和周围的建筑是在2010年早期建造的，还有许多“游击”建筑工程队粗制滥造。我的地下室经常会从上面的墙壁渗水下来，造成潮湿的问题。

我在这里做了很多DIY和木工活，因此我对中国的建筑业有了独特的了解，因为我经常被邀请参观我定居的城市及其周边的建筑工地。我很高兴看到现在出现了一些很棒的新工艺，提高了建造中的房屋质量。

Adrian Lee Dunbar, China Hand

The two main differences are that Chinese homes are made primarily from poured concrete, whereas American homes are usually made from a plastic-wood composite material, typically fiberboard and plywood materials. Builders often describe engineered wood as having the strength of concrete with the flexbility of plastic. However, it’s difficult to deploy compared to the older poured concrete approach so builders in China have not been using it. I would expect engineered wood to become dominant in the future as builders get a handle on the technology. Engineered wood uses formadehyde and melamine, which most people are firmly opposed to, thanks to the milk scandal and the floorboard scandal of past years, but this I think will be temporary.

Second, American kitchens more often use an open floorplan whereas Chinese kitchens currently use a closed, separate room. This is a newer approach apparently not seen in ancient Chinese architecture. In recent history, stir fry has become extremely popular in China, and kitchens have adapted to accommodate the huge amount of oil smoke that would otherwise get everywhere. The “stir fry and white rice” fad in China has been going on for several decades, but top scientists in China are firmly opposed to this habit, and are encouraging things like black rice and convection cooking. So, we can expect the return of open kitchen floorplans in the future.

两个国家房屋主要的区别是，中国的房屋主要是由混凝土浇筑而成，而美国的房屋通常是由塑木复合材料，多为纤维板和胶合板材料建成。建筑商总说工程木材兼具混凝土的强度和塑料的柔韧性。但是，与老式的混凝土浇筑法相比，建筑难度大，所以中国的建筑商还没有使用过这种方法。我预计随着建筑商逐步掌握这项技术，工程木材将在未来占据主导地位。人造板的生产会使用甲醛和三聚氰胺，鉴于过去几年发生的牛奶丑闻和地板丑闻，大多数人都不拒绝这种板材，但我认为这只是暂时的。

其次，美国厨房通常使用开放式的平面布局，而中国厨房目前多使用封闭的、独立的房间。这是一种更新的方法，中国古代建筑中也未曾见过。近代以来，炒菜在中国变得非常盛行，厨房也顺应需求，解决油烟大的问题。“炒菜配白米饭”的风潮在中国已经流行了几十年，但是中国的顶级科学家坚决反对这种饮食习惯，他们提倡食用黑米和对流烹饪的方法。因此，我们可以期待开放式厨房的回归。

Tony Wu, lives in Hong Kong

Based on my experiences in mainland China, the houses can be divided into two types.

1. The high-risers in urban areas. These vary in terms of their size and height, but they will not be crushingly small(Unless you live in Hong Kong). Usually, they are well-supplied and have a convenient location, allowing ease of access and a vibrant lifestyle.
2. The shorter ones in suburbs and rural areas. These vary in terms of their height, but are usually large enough to accommodate larger families. For the ones in the suburbs, they are well-developed but with a lower population density. People live ‘quiet’ lives. For the ones in the rural areas, some are well-developed, while others are older. These are usually connected to farms.

根据我在中国大陆生活的经验，房子可以分为两种类型。

1. 城市里的高层建筑。它们的面积大小和高度各不相同，但不会小得让人窒息(除非你住在香港)。通常，这种房屋供应充足，地理位置方便，交通便利，让住户能享受便捷的生活方式。
2. 郊区和农村地区的底层建筑。它们的楼高各不相同，但通常面积较大，能容纳更大的家庭规模。郊区的房屋建得很好，但是人口密度较低。人们过着平静的生活。而农村地区，有些房子建得不错，也有的较为老旧。基本都跟农田紧挨着。

As for the American houses, they are either apartments in not-so-tall buildings in the city, or actual modestly sized houses in the suburbs or rural lands.

The major difference is in their design. Chinese houses tend to follow a more industrial design, with most of the modern ones having a blocky appearance and are built with concrete. They are usually a few stories tall, but with a thinner base. American ones follow the more picturesque ‘house’ design, where the roofs are most likely angled ones giving them a pretty cliche appearance. These usually are at one to two stories tall, but they have a wide base. More houses are built with wood as the primary material.

而美国的房子，要么是城市里不太高的楼房公寓，要么是郊区或乡下的中等大小的房子。

主要的区别在于它们的设计。中国的房屋往往遵循更多的工业设计，大多数现代房屋有着方方正正的外观，用混凝土建造而成。通常有几层楼高，但地基不深。美国的房子采用的是更别致的“别墅”设计，屋顶大多是斜顶的，给人一种较为循规蹈矩的感觉。这些房子基本都是一到两层楼高，但是地基较大。更多的房子使用木材作为主要材料建造。

Lilly Morris

1. Splashing Showers

Apartment bathrooms in China are generally built as a multi-use room. The small room usually has a tile floor and the first thing many expats will notice is that there is no bathtub or shower door. Some apartments will have a bar and curtain installed to help contain the water, but it is not uncommon for the shower head to be exposed to the rest of the room.

1. 淋浴

中国公寓的浴室一般都兼具多功能用途。这个小房间的地板通常铺着瓷砖，许多外国人首先会留意到的是浴室没有浴缸或淋浴门。一些公寓的浴室会安装一个挡水条和浴帘来隔水，但淋浴头完全没有遮掩的情况也并不少见。

2. Kitchen Appliances

Nearly all Chinese food is cooked using a stove top, so ovens, microwaves, and toasters are typically not included in apartments. Small appliances can be purchased for the countertop, but it may also be fun for expats to experiment with traditional Chinese cooking techniques, like using a wok over an open flame and steaming in bamboo baskets.

2. 厨房电器

几乎所有的中国食物都是在炉子上烹饪的，所以公寓里一般没有烤箱、微波炉和烤面包机。你可以买一些小家电放在厨房的工作台上，但对外国人来说，尝试一下中国传统的烹饪技巧也许还挺有趣的，比如在明火上用炒锅炒菜，或者用竹蒸屉蒸东西。

3. Laundry Time

Although this won't come as a surprise to Europeans, Americans will be interested to learn that Chinese apartments rarely have clothes dryers. They may, however, have a small outdoor area that can be used for drying clothes. Be sure to pick up some clothespins or a drying rack on your first shop trip.

3.洗衣时间

中国的公寓很少配备烘干机，虽然这对欧洲人来说不是什么新鲜事，但美国人会觉得很有意思。不过中国人可能有一个小小的户外区域来晾晒衣服。第一次购物时，一定要顺手买上一些衣夹或晾衣架。

4. Firm Furniture

Chinese people generally prefer harder surfaces when it comes to chairs, sofas, and beds. For Americans, it may be more comfortable to buy a mattress topper and cushions for chairs.

4. 结实的家具

说到椅子、沙发和床，中国人通常更喜欢表层硬一点的手感。而美国人会买床垫罩子和椅子靠垫，让自己更舒服一些。

Nathaniel Brown

I’m not an expert but these are the things that I’ve noticed:

• Chinese houses often have a shoe area at the front. You leave your shoes since you don’t wear shoes inside.
• Chinese houses are often bought undecorated. Basically a concert shell. This means that the outside often looks the same but the inside is VERY different from one house to the next.
• The shower is not always enclosed if it is a “wet” bathroom. This is less common in wealthy houses. (the same is true in a lot of Asia)
• Sometimes there is a double kitchen with a storage area. The second mini kitchen is for cooking very spicy dishes. Newer kitchens with less room sometimes have a special turbo-vent instead above the cooking area.
• 220 Volts and the same plug as Australia by default with the Europlug supported as well

我不是这方面的专家，但我注意到了以下几点区别：

• 中国的房子通常在玄关处有一个放鞋的地方。你把鞋子脱在那里，因为大家进家门后不穿鞋。
• 中国人买的房子通常都是毛坯房。这意味着，从一个房子到另一个房子，外面也许看起来一样，但是内部装饰会千差万别。
• 如果是“湿”浴室，淋浴间一般都不是隔断的。这在富裕家庭中并不常见。(亚洲很多国家也是如此)
• 有时会有带储藏区的厨房。第二个小厨房是用来做非常辣的菜的。面积更小的新式厨房有时会在烹饪区上方安装一个特殊的涡轮通风口。
• 电压是220伏特，默认与澳大利亚插头相同，同时也支持Europlug。

John Lombard,、

1. Very, very few Chinese have houses. Almost everyone lives in an apartment.
2. Ovens are almost non-exstent in most homes
3. Many homes have ‘squat toilets’ (a hole in the floor that you squat over), although western-style toilets are gaining in popularity
4. Almost nobody has a bathtub. Showers only.
5. Showers are usually not enclosed, and frequently beside the toilet (you could take a shower while sitting on the toilet if you wanted)
6. Virtually all buildings are just built with concrete. The western-style wood-frame kind of building is very rare.
7. In China, nobody ‘owns’ their home. Officially, their homes are leased from the government.

1. 拥有独栋住宅楼的中国人很少。大家基本都住在公寓里。

2. 大多数家庭都没有配备烤箱。

3. 许多家庭都有蹲式厕所(地板上开个洞，你蹲在上面如厕)，但是西式厕所越来越普及了。

4. 几乎没有人有浴缸。大家都是淋浴。

5. 淋浴区通常不是隔断的，通常位于马桶旁边(如果你想的话，甚至可以坐在马桶上淋浴)

6. 几乎所有的建筑都是用混凝土建造的。西式的木结构建筑很少见。

7. 在中国，没有人真正“拥有”自己的房子。官方来说，他们的房子是从政府租借来的。

Sudhamma Au Yeong, Special interest, Chinese modern history

I won’t be able to list the differences or similarities between a Chinese or American house. But, from little I know of Chinese houses, traditional ones at that, you can compare its features with the American design.

Most traditional Chinese houses were built with:

1. a fire-break wall all the way to the roof. the height of the rooms is about 4.5 m.
2. the main entrance has an elevated step.
3. on entering the house, there is the living room where guests will be seated.
4. further in, there is an air-well and a dining room, and next to it will be bed-rooms for single-storied, otherwise, the bed-rooms will be on the upper floor.
5. after the dining room is the kitchen and toilets
6. there is normally a back-door at the kitchen.

我无法列出中国或美国房子之间的所有异同之处。但是，从我对中国传统房屋的了解来看，你可以比较一下它和美国房屋各自的特点。

大多数中国传统房屋都采用的是：

1. 防火墙一直延伸到屋顶。房间的高度约为4.5米。
2. 正门有数级台阶。
3. 一进门就是客厅，客人们在那里就座。
4. 再往里，有一个通风井和餐厅，如果是单层建筑，旁边就是卧室，否则，卧室会设在楼上。
5. 餐厅后面是厨房和卫生间
6. 厨房通常有一个后门。

Leon Tao

Most people in China lives in apartment, not many people lives in house.

People in rural area lives in house, these type of house are generally not nice looking, lack of good designing; very rich people in city may live in house, which are usually called as “villa” and looks very like the house in the USA.

If talk about traditional Chinese houses vs American house, that’s a different story. Different areas in China have different style house, the architecture is distinguished different from what the style the normal American house has.

大多数中国人住在公寓里，住独栋住宅楼的很少。

农村人住在独栋住宅楼里，这种房子一般外观并不好看，设计效果不佳；城市里非常富有的人可能住在独栋住宅楼里，这些房子通常被称为“别墅”，看起来很像美国的房子。

传统的中国房子和美国房子是完全不同的两码事。中国不同地区有着不同风格的房子，建筑风格不同于寻常美国房子。

 译文来源：三泰虎   https://www.santaihu.com/p/51212.html 译者：Joyceliu

No Nono

In China and other countries in the part of Asia, most of the buildings are built on top each other, they call it blocks/stories. For example, Singapore, it’s a small country with a population more than 5 million people. They have stories/blocks everywhere, which makes their country look dense. They do not experience and natural disasters that could tumble the buildings down. While in American houses are built to save themselves from natural disasters.

在中国和亚洲某些国家，大部分的建筑都是高层建筑。例如，新加坡，一个人口超过500万的小国。高层建筑比比皆是，所以他们的国家看起来密度很高。他们没有经历过可能导致建筑物倒塌的自然灾害。但在美国，房屋的建造是为了躲避自然灾害。

Wendelin Charlie

Chinese highly value ownership and land space is scarce in cities. A small apartment to buy there could be 10x price of similar in USA. However there is even bigger difference when going out to the country. Rentals are relatively much less than owning-also different than the us.

中国人高度重视房子的所有权，城市土地稀缺。在中国买一套小公寓的花费，可能是美国同类公寓的10倍。不过如果你去到乡下，差异会更大。租房比自住要便宜得多——这也跟美国不同。

Michael Wright

For me, the most obvious one is Chinese housing typically built with reinforced concrete and bricks walls while American house are built with wood frame plywood.

对我来说，最明显的差异就是中国的房子通常是用钢筋混凝土和砖墙建造的，而美国的房子是用木框架胶合板建造的。

George Soong

A few things I noticed about the interior: wardrobes are independent instead of the American houses I have lived in which have them built in. No closets like American homes have built in, These are normally done after the homes are bought and modified according to owner’s needs.

我注意到房子里几个不同之处：中国的衣柜是独立的，而美国房子是嵌入的。中国的房子也没有像美国家庭那样的内置壁橱，这些壁橱通常会在房屋出售后根据业主的需要进行修改。

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