The stilted buildings of Tujia nationality spread over the adjacent mountain areas of Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou and Chongqing belong to the typical pile-dwelling architecture in southern China. Zhangjiajie is home of Tujia nationality, and the stilted buildings are easily to see while you travel in Zhangjiajie.
History of Tujia Stilted Buildings
Stilted buildings are not only a typical residential building style of the Tujia people, and they are also a materialized symbol of Tujia culture. For thousands of years, Tujia people have taken materials from the local area and built buildings in the mountains, emphasizing the harmony between man and nature. They have also integrated their pray for happiness and peace, yearning for a good life, and customary rituals of praying for happiness into the construction process of the stilted buildings. Thus, unique building skills of stilted buildings of Tujia nationality are formed.
Features of Tujia Stilted Buildings
Tujia people built special DiaoJiao Buildings, also known as the Stilted Buildings in mountainsides. With woodcarving on windows and traditional design, DiaoJiao Buildings are in harmony with environment. In general, DiaoJiao Building made up of main house, additional house and tower. Each wall of the house is supported by four columns. DiaoJiao Building has two stories. The suspending corridors around the second floor install wood baluster. With flying eaves and checker windows, the house is elegant. In the autumn, corn and chili bunches suspend in corridors.
Pretections of Tujia Stilted Buildings
Under the impact of modern industrial civilization, the inheritance of building skills of stilted buildings of Tujia nationality has gradually entered an embarrassing situation. Therefore, they have been included in the list of intangible cultural heritage and become the object of protection. In the context of the protection of intangible cultural heritage, re-recognizing the building skills of stilted buildings of Tujia nationality plays an important role in protecting and promoting the national traditional culture and has an unignorable reference value for the design of modern residential landscapes.
Where to see Tujia Stilted Buildings?
In the area of Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi Tujia & Miao Autonomous Prefecture, the stilted buildings are built in countryside. Traveling to Zhangjiajie and Fenghuang Town, you will see more stilted buildings easily. Major atractionas with the stilted buildings are listed as below:
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