​　　广府建筑、潮汕民居、客家围龙屋、开平碉楼是岭南四大名居。

　　没有一个地区能像岭南大地这样具有如此多的风格迥异的民间建筑样式。建筑是附着于历史文脉、族群文化、地理环境、民俗民风等因素的外延形式，从建筑角度弄明白岭南建筑的基本特点，对于了解广东农村民风民俗、生产生活是有帮助的。广府建筑以大珠江三角地区为核心，辐射至粤西地区，是广府文化的“活化石”，今天能保留下来的大宅、古村落基本闲置着，一些名祠则成了宗教、宗族活动场所和旅游休闲的去处。

　　潮汕民居广布粤东沿海地区，大规模的村寨建筑群体，保留着唐宋以来世家聚族而居的传统。潮汕民居融汇了千百年来潮汕人的智慧，独具文化内涵。从“四马拖车”“四点金”“下山虎”等建筑样式，能感受到潮汕人对人文与自然的尊重与讲究。可惜的是，农村大量的民居群已少有人居住而随岁月败落，新农村的面貌就是临古屋而建的五花八门的水泥洋楼。

　　客家围龙屋因客家人历史上多次与外族争斗和迁移，最后定居于粤东北山区。客家围龙屋也有聚族群居的特点，大的围龙屋居住着上百户人家，几百口人，高大的建筑方式有御外凝内的功能。客家人世居穷山野岭，因而注重教育，考取功名方能出人头地。大埔县有个“华侨之乡”百侯镇，亦是“文化之乡”，历史上出过上百位文武进士、举人、翰林，可谓壮哉。今天去到客乡，新旧建筑间点缀着不少当代乡村文化的亮点，乡舍乡道干净整洁，农民在田间劳作，如画如诗。

　　作为世界文化遗产，遍布五邑大地的碉楼和古村落，则融合了中国传统乡村建筑文化与西方建筑文化的独特建筑艺术，具有典型的华侨文化的特质。点式碉楼与成片民居的结合，既有抵御匪患的功能，又体现了侨乡人民传统环境意识、风水观念、人文理念的优 美结合。可惜的是，那些散落乡间、独处田野、千姿百态的精美碉楼，人去楼空，任由风雨侵蚀，令人惋惜不已。与其他民居不同的是，乡村碉楼和民居群之间少有现代水泥建筑，较好地保留了原始风貌。

　　Four Residential Houses in Guangdong

　　The four residential houses in Guangdong are Traditional Guangdong building, Chaoshan residence, Hakka round house and Kaiping Diaolou.

　　No other region can have such many different styles of folk architecture like Guangdong. Architecture is a form of expression that reflects historical context, ethnic culture, geographical environment, folk customs and other factors. Understanding the basic characteristics of Guangdong architecture is helpful for understanding the folk customs and production life of rural folks in Guangdong. Traditional Guangdong building is centered on the Greater Pearl River Delta region and radiates to the western part of Guangdong, which is the "living fossil" of Guangdong culture. The mansions and ancient villages that can be preserved today are basically idle, and some famous ancestral halls have become the places for religious activities, clan activities and tourism. 

　　Chaoshan residence is widely distributed in the coastal areas of eastern Guangdong. The large-scale architectural complex of village retains the tradition of living in the family since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Chaoshan residence combines the wisdom of Chaoshan people for thousands of years and has unique cultural connotations. From the architectural styles of "four horse trailers", "four-point gold" and "downhill tiger", we can feel how Chaoshan people respect the humanity and nature seriously. It is a pity that only a few inhabitants live there and many buildings in rural areas have been decayed with the years. Now in the countryside, a variety of cement buildings were built nearby the ancient residence.

　　Due to many battles and migrations with other nations in the history, Hakka people finally settled in the mountainous areas of northeastern Guangdong, which is the location of the Hakka round house. With the gregarious characteristic, the large Hakka round house inhabited by hundreds of families and the tall building has the function of protection for resisting enemies. Although Hakka people live in remote mountains, they pay attention to education. Baihou Town in Dapu County is honored "hometown of overseas Chinese" and "hometown of culture" because hundreds of scholars and intellectuals came from here in the history. Today, the old and new buildings in Hakka village are dotted with the characteristics of contemporary rural culture. The clean and tidy townships and the working farmers in the fields create a poetic and picturesque beauty.

　　As a world cultural heritage, the Diaolou (clock towers) and ancient villages scattered throughout the Wuyi area are unique architectural art that combines traditional Chinese rural architecture culture with Western architectural culture, and has the characteristics of typical overseas Chinese culture. The combination of point-style towers and slabs of residential houses not only has the function of resisting the enemies, but also beautifully combines the traditional environmental awareness, concept of Fengshui and humanistic concept of overseas Chinese. It is a pity that many of those beautiful buildings are empty without resident, and they scattered in the rural fields and exposed to wind and rain. Different from other residencies, there are few modern cement buildings between the Diaolou and the residential groups, which retain the original features.