Pashi house(climbing-lion-type house) is an important residence type in Chaoshan rural area evolved from its traditional rural dwellings,and study on such houses provides effective support for the energy-saving designs of rural buildings.Three typical Pashi houses in Jinpu Town,Shantou City were selected,specifically,onestorey Pashi house,multi-storey Pashi house with Tianjing(small courtyard enclosed by rooms) and multi-storey Pashi house without Tianjing.Ecotect was applied to simulate indoor light environment,and indoor light and thermal environments of 3 typical Pashi houses were compared.The results showed that(a) Grey spaces such as open hall should be maintained;(b) Cooler outdoor air should be introduced into indoor spaces at night to reduce the indoor air temperature;(c) The tradition that Pashi House never has a window facing north should be broken to improve the indoor lighting,and heat insulation structure can be applied for the roof;(d) Top of the Tianjing in a multi-storey Pashi house influences the indoor thermal environment,and plays a less effective role than onestorey Pashi house does in adjusting micro climate of the house.
Based on the field study and site test, the development and evolution of rural residence in Chaoshan Area have been illustrated. Two types of residences, that is, tradition-inheriting type and city-imitating type, have been classified. Furthermore, residences of tradition-inheriting type have been divided into four types. Then, the construction materials, structure and energy-saving facilities of rural residences in Chaoshan have been analyzed, aiming to provide a foundation for thermal performance and energy saving design of rural residences in Chaoshan Area.