When discussing living space, modern China has seen vast improvements. By 2016, the average per capita residential area in China reached 40.8 square meters. But space varies greatly—while people in northeastern China might enjoy larger homes, residents in Beijing or Shanghai would consider 40.8 square meters a luxury. But what about ancient times? Let’s take a journey back to the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD) and see how much space people really had.

The Tang Dynasty Land Distribution System

The Tang Dynasty implemented the “Equal-Field System” (均田制), a policy where the government allocated land to its citizens. This included residential land, meaning that people did not have to purchase property. According to Tang laws, a household of three was granted one mu (亩) of land for building a home, with an additional mu for every three extra family members. A Tang Dynasty mu was roughly 522 square meters, meaning even the most ordinary citizen had a sizable plot—at least on paper.

However, reality often differed from legal provisions. The actual available space was often smaller, and the total area included courtyards, not just buildings. Furthermore, this allocation mainly applied to rural areas, where land was abundant. City dwellers, on the other hand, faced much tighter constraints.

Urban Housing: How Big Were City Homes?

A fascinating glimpse into urban Tang residences comes from the Dunhuang Manuscripts (敦煌文书), which contain records of property disputes and legal cases. One such case involves a commoner named Ma Falu (马法律) in Dunhuang, a second-tier city at the time. His house had five rooms: a central hall (中堂), an east room (东间房), a small east room (小东房), a west room (西间房), and a kitchen (厨房). The total indoor living space was around 82 square meters, with a courtyard expanding the property to 171 square meters.

This case reveals several interesting trends about Tang Dynasty homes:

  • Large Central Halls: The main hall was often the largest room, typically over 20 square meters. This aligns with historical records emphasizing the importance of this communal space in Tang culture.
  • Spacious Kitchens: Kitchens ranged from 15 to 23 square meters, as cooking involved large stoves and significant space for food preparation.
  • No Mention of Toilets: Surprisingly, historical records rarely mention bathrooms in these homes, suggesting that chamber pots or public facilities were the norm.
  • Estimated Average Home Size: Urban middle-class homes likely covered around 200 square meters, including courtyards.

Mansions of the Elite: How the Rich Lived

While ordinary city dwellers made do with a few hundred square meters, the Tang elite lived in grandeur. Take the famous poet Bai Juyi (白居易), who, as a high-ranking official in Luoyang, owned a house with a pond, a bamboo grove, and a small bridge. His residence covered 17 mu, or about 8,800 square meters—a private park by today’s standards.

Even more extravagant was the residence of General Guo Ziyi (郭子仪), a Tang military hero who held a position equivalent to today’s vice-premier. Historical records state that his estate in Chang’an (modern-day Xi’an) occupied a quarter of the Qinren Ward (亲仁坊). In the Tang era, a “ward” (坊) was a designated residential district similar to a modern neighborhood. Qinren Ward measured over 1 km in length and 500 meters in width. This means Guo’s home spanned around 150,000 square meters—twice the size of Tsinghua University’s campus today.

With such a massive estate, how did Guo Ziyi’s family manage it? Well, they had 3,000 family members! One can imagine the scene: family members bumping into each other and realizing they were related only after a long conversation—“Oh, you’re from the East Courtyard? No wonder we’ve never met before!”

Cultural Impact and Modern Parallels

Tang Dynasty housing patterns reflect the broader societal structure of the time. The Equal-Field System aimed for fairness but often fell short, especially in urban areas. Large courtyards emphasized family gatherings, a tradition still seen in classical Chinese architecture. Meanwhile, the massive estates of the elite remind us that wealth disparity is nothing new.

Today, while most people don’t live in 150,000-square-meter mansions, the importance of home as a cultural and social hub remains. Whether in Tang Chang’an or modern Shanghai, the size of one’s home has always been a marker of status. But unlike the Tang elites, at least modern people don’t have to send WeChat messages to locate their long-lost cousins in their own backyard!