Source: Why is the Hakka earth building in Yongding dominated by "wood" structure?

In order to understand the reasons why the buildings of Fujian Tulou, including Yongding Hakka Tulou, are dominated by "wood" structure, we must first understand the origin of Fujian Tulou. In history, due to the uniqueness of earth buildings, they not only played a role in settling down, but also played a great role in defending soldiers and bandits. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, making life convenient. As a result, villagers in counties near Yongding, including Nanjing and Hua 'an in Zhangzhou, have hired a large number of wall rammers from Gaotou and Hukeng in Yongding to their villages to imitate the architectural style of Yongding earth buildings and build various earth buildings.

There are probably the following reasons for the civil structure of Yongding Hakka earth building:

The first is the architectural concept. Hakka ancestors suffered a lot and pursued good luck and well-being. Therefore, when rammed earth building, it is more about looking for spaciousness and harmony between Yin and Yang. They build houses not only to look good, but also to thrive. Simple and lightweight wooden houses have become their best choice.

The second is values. Previously, the biggest difference between East and West was religious belief. The mainstream buildings in the West and the Middle Ages were built for the gods, which were magnificent, timeless and powerful. Earth buildings are built for people in this world, just like palaces and other buildings in previous dynasties. Therefore, the pursuit of lasting and rich western architecture adopts stone structure; Hakka ancestors who just wanted to live a stable life used wooden structures.

The third is cultural orientation. Hakka ancestors inherited the essence of traditional culture and paid attention to the cultural consciousness of geomantic omen and five elements in architecture. The five substances in the five elements are gold, wood, water, fire and earth, which correspond to the five directions of west, east, north, south and middle respectively. Of the five materials represented by the Five Elements, only wood and earth are considered by Hakkas to be the most suitable for building houses for people to live in, so the basic material of Yongding earth building is "civil", because people live in a space covered by "earth" (wall) and supported by "wood" (beams and columns). The west has a special feeling for stones since ancient times. In ancient Greek mythology, people abused by floods were recreated by stones, and stones were the materials for creating westerners. Therefore, it is natural to use stones to build buildings, which is the biggest difference between eastern and western cultural orientations.

Exploring the differences in the use of materials between Yongding Hakka earth building and western architecture will help us to deeply understand the profound cultural background of Hakka earth building, the profound architectural art of Hakka ancestors, their values and immortal contributions, and inspire our sincere love for Yongding Hakka earth building.