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Building a home above land or water
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GANLANSHI fangwu, or stilt houses, are dwellings built on piles and raised over the surface of either land or water.
They appear mostly in areas south of the Yangtze River and the southwest regions of the country, which have wet climates and frequent flooding.
The houses are earthquake resistant due to their light structure and they are also easy to build because they don’t need a lot of ground leveling work like other buildings.
According to archeological discoveries from the Yuyao Hemudu Heritage Site of Zhejiang Province, as well as those from other historical sites around the country, Chinese people began to build stilt houses some 6,000 to 7,000 years ago.
The Hemudu people, who are said to be the first to cultivate rice, lived in long, stilt houses and historians believe their Neolithic culture was greatly affected by two major floods. People in these areas have inherited this ancient architectural technique and have developed a variety of stilt houses due to their local living conditions and environment.
On Hainan Island, the Li ethnic people build stilt houses resembling overturned boats. They feature thatched roofs hanging down to the ground. It is said that such stilt houses hold up better during typhoons.
Most stilt houses are usually erected on piles 20 to 30 centimeters in diameter and are made of timber and bamboo. The timber is used mainly for the house frames and bamboo is used to make beams, rafters, floors, walls, stairs and railings. All building parts are joined by tenon and mortise works or flat bamboo strips.
Such houses often feature a thatched roof, but some use tiles to protect against strong winds.
Stilt houses are usually built on riversides or along gentle mountain slopes. Space underneath is generally used for storage or to raise chickens, ducks, pigs, sheep, rabbits and, if the gap is big enough, cattle.
Most stilt houses are two-story structures but in some areas there are three-story versions.
Under the influence of Buddhism and the Han people’s architectural styles in northern China, the central room on the second floor is invariably used as a sitting room with a shrine and fire pit. Families eat their meals and share time together around the fire pit. The rooms on either side or behind are often used as bedrooms.
Some stilt houses are stand-alone dwellings while others are joined by long verandas or bridges.
In many areas where ethnic minorities live in southwest China, stilt houses are still widely used. But some have become tourist attractions and others have even been turned into hostels to accommodate tourists.
For example, Fenghuang Ancient Town in Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Minorities Autonomous Region in western Hunan Province features beautiful stilt houses along the Tuojiang River. They attract millions of visitors very year.
侗族鼓楼 (dòngzú gǔlóu)
Drum Towers of the Dong People
Gulou, or drum towers, were built in the center of cities to either send out warnings of pending invasions or to mark the hour.
But the drum towers of the Dong people, an ethnic group living in southern and southwestern China, are unique from those built by Han people.
The stilted structure, which could reach more than 20 stories high, served as a place of gathering.
They were equipped with a long drum, and whenever there were important events, the village head would beat the drum to assemble the villagers.
Dong drum towers were built purely of timber and appeared in different shapes such as squares, hexagons or octagons. They are often richly decorated with wood carvings, clay figurines and colorful paintings.
A drum tower is part and parcel of a Dong village even in nowadays. Villagers often gather in the tower to sing, dance and socialize.
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