Tujia stilted building materials
Diaojiaolou is the place where the Tujia people live. Most of them are built according to the mountain situation, in the shape of a tiger sitting on it. The best house area is "green dragon on the left, white tiger on the right, Zhuque in the front and Xuanwu in the back". Pay attention to the orientation, either sitting west to east, or sitting east to west. The hanging turret on the hillside is supported by wooden pillars on the flat ground and has two floors. The upper floor is ventilated, dry and moisture-proof, and is used as a living room; the lower floor is a pen for pigs and cattle or used for stacking debris. The average house size is a house with 4 rows of fans and 3 rooms or a house with 6 rows of fans and 5 rooms. A medium-sized house has 5 pillars and 2 bays, or 5 pillars and 4 bays. A large family has 7 pillars, 4 bays and a courtyard with a courtyard. For a 3-room structure with 4 rows of fans, the main room is in the middle, and the left and right rooms are called rooms, which are used for living and cooking. The room is divided into two halves with the central pillar as the boundary, with a fire kang in the front and a bedroom in the back. There is a curved corridor on the stilted building that goes around the building, and the curved corridor is also equipped with railings. In the past, stilted buildings were usually roofed with thatch or fir bark, or with slate roofs. Nowadays, stilted buildings in western Hubei are mostly covered with mud tiles. The construction of stilted buildings is a major event in the lives of Tujia people. The first step is to prepare all the wood. The Tujia people call it "cutting the green mountains". They usually choose chun trees or purple trees. chun and purple are auspicious because they are homophonic for "spring" and "zi", which means spring is always big and descendants are prosperous; the second step It is the processing of beams and column materials, which is called "building large codes". Patterns such as Bagua, Tai Chi diagrams, lotus seeds and so on are also painted on the beams; the third process is called "fan fan", which is to put the processed beams and columns into Connect the tenons and arrange the wooden fans; the fourth step is to "erect the strong pillars of the house". The owner chooses an auspicious day and asks the villagers to help. Before erecting the beams, they must sacrifice the beams, and then everyone works together to erect the rows of wooden fans. , at this time, firecrackers were blasting, and neighbors sent gifts to congratulate. After erecting the strong pillars of the house, it is time to nail the rafter corners, cover the roof tiles, and install the board walls. Wealthy people would also decorate their roofs with sky-high eaves, carve dragons and phoenixes under the corridors, and decorate the wooden railings of their balconies. The Tujia people also plant flowers, grass, and various fruit trees in front and behind their houses. However, they do not plant mulberries in the front and peaches in the back because they are unlucky because they are homophonic with "mourning" and "escape". There are many advantages to building on stilts. The elevated floor is ventilated and dry, and can protect against poisonous snakes and wild beasts. Debris can also be stored under the floor. The Diaolou also has distinctive ethnic characteristics. The elegant "silk eaves" and wide "walking rails" make the Diaojiao Tower unique. This type of stilted building has been more successful in getting rid of primitiveness than "railing" and has a higher cultural level. It is called the "living fossil" of Bachu culture.
There are many forms of stilted buildings, and the types are as follows:
Single-suspended type, which is the most common form, is called "one-suspended" or "single-suspended". "Keyhead". Its characteristic is that only the side rooms on one side of the main house are suspended in the air, supported by wooden pillars below. The double-suspended type, also known as the "double-headed crane" or "zuojikou", is a development of the single-suspended type, that is, there are suspended wing rooms at both ends of the main room. Single-suspended and double-suspended types are not determined by geographical differences. They mainly depend on economic conditions and family needs. Single-suspended and double-suspended types are often located in the same place.
Four-water style, this form of stilted building is developed on the basis of the double-slung style. Its characteristic is that the upper parts of the stilted building at both ends of the main house are connected together to form a Siheyuan. The main door is at the downstairs of the two-bedroom house. After entering the main door of this kind of courtyard house, you have to go up a few stone steps to enter the main house.
Two-house hanging type, this form is developed on the basis of single hanging and double hanging, that is, adding another layer to the general stilted building. Suitable for both single and double cranes. Flat-ground hoisting type, this form of stilt building is also developed on the basis of single hoisting. There are both single hoisting and double hoisting. Its main feature is that it is built in a flat dam. According to the terrain, there is no need for hanging feet, but the wing room is lifted up and supported by wooden pillars. The ground where the supporting wooden pillars are placed is flush with the ground of the main house, so that the side rooms are higher than the main house.
Features The most basic feature is that the main house is built on the ground. Except for one side of the side room that is connected to the ground and is connected to the main house, the other three sides are suspended and supported by pillars. There are many advantages to building on stilts. The elevated floor is ventilated and dry, and can protect against poisonous snakes and wild beasts. Debris can also be stored under the floor. The Diaolou also has distinctive ethnic characteristics. The elegant "silk eaves" and wide "walking rails" make the Diaojiao Tower unique. This type of stilted building has been more successful in getting rid of primitiveness than "railing" and has a higher cultural level. It is called the "living fossil" of Bachu culture.
People still plant flowers, grass, and various fruit trees in front of and behind the house. However, mulberries are not planted in the front and peaches are not planted in the back, because they are homophonic with "mourning" and "escape", which is unlucky.
The structure of the hanging turret built against the mountain is supported by wooden pillars on flat ground and divided into two floors, saving land and making it cheaper to build. The upper floor is ventilated, dry and moisture-proof, and is used as a living room; the lower floor is a pen for pigs and cattle. Or used to store debris.
The average house size is a house with 4 rows of fans and 3 rooms or a house with 6 rows of fans and 5 rooms. A medium-sized house has 5 pillars and 2 bays, or 5 pillars and 4 bays. A large family has 7 pillars, 4 bays and a courtyard with a courtyard. For a 3-room structure with 4 rows of fans, the main room is in the middle, and the left and right rooms are called rooms, which are used for living and cooking. The room is divided into two halves with the central pillar as the boundary, with a fire kang in the front and a bedroom in the back. There is a curved corridor on the stilted building that goes around the building, and the curved corridor is also equipped with railings.
Some stilted buildings are three-story buildings. Except for the roof tiles, the top and bottom are all made of fir. The pillars of the house are drilled out of large fir trees, and fir trees of different sizes are connected diagonally between the pillars. Although they do not require a single iron nail, they are still very strong. There are also hanging towers around the house, and the eaves of the buildings are turned upward as if they are about to take flight. The four walls of the house are made of fir boards with grooves and close panels, and the inside and outside are painted with tung oil to make it clean and bright.
The bottom floor is not suitable for people to live in. It is used to raise poultry and store farm tools and heavy objects.
The second floor is the place for eating and living, with bedrooms inside, and outsiders are generally not allowed inside. Outside the bedroom is the main room, where there is a firepit. The family eats around the firepit. It is spacious and convenient. Because there are windows, it is bright, well-lit and ventilated. Family members often do handwork and rest here, and it is also a place to receive guests. There is a wide corridor connected to it on the other side of the hall. There is a half-person-high railing outside the corridor and a large row of benches inside. The family often rests here and mothers dress up their daughters here during festivals.
The third floor is ventilated, dry and very spacious. In addition to being used as a living room, it also has small rooms for food storage and storage.