Why is the indoor lighting of ancient Chinese architecture weak?

    Chinese ancient architecture gives people a sense of tranquility, which is actually viewed from multiple perspectives. For example, from the perspective of Buddhist temples, Taoist temples and all other palaces, especially the the Shakya ManiHall, it is felt that the light is insufficient, not just a hall, but basically all the palaces are not bright enough.

    The main reason for this is that there are only front windows. When the front face is five rooms wide, there are four windows, with a main door in the middle. The windows are small and the roots of the windows densely block the sunlight from entering. Of course, as a Buddhist temple, it does not need to be so bright. The dim light inside the hall gives a sense of mystery. Upon entering the hall, there is a sense of solemnity, and the profound and unpredictable teachings of Buddhism make people more revered for Buddha. There is another reason for the insufficient brightness of temples and halls in feudal society, which is that these temples have a relatively large depth and cannot achieve the required brightness relying on natural lighting.

    Secondly, there are factors related to regional weather and window design size. Especially in northern China, after 4 pm in winter, houses are almost invisible indoors and unable to move. Especially when it rains on cloudy days, it becomes even darker. In many folk residential houses, the windows are opened smaller because the larger the windows, the colder the indoor temperature in winter. In summer, the larger the windows in southern China, the hotter the indoor temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to open small windows, which inevitably leads to darkness inside the house.

    From the perspective of feng shui ethics, ancient people always emphasized the concept of "bright halls and dark rooms". The living room is a place to receive guests and also a place where family members often gather. It is more suitable to be bright and cheerful, while the sleeping room is a resting place, which is of course suitable for softer lighting.