What are the traditional dwellings on the Loess Plateau in China?

The kiln is the Loess Plateau region is unique to a kind of residential, but also human "cave" development of the evolution of the physical evidence. Kiln construction varies according to the terrain, there are three kinds of flat roof, cliff and patio. Flat-topped kiln is built on flat ground with adobe or masonry; cliff-based kiln is shoveled vertically on one side of the hillside, and then dug and shaped on the flat surface; and patio-style kiln? Commonly known as tianjing kiln courtyard is in the flat ground dug a 6 to 7 meters of the four sides of the deep pit, and then in the four walls of the pit cut and dug 8 to 12 holes in the kiln to live. Some kilns also have small corner kilns for storing firewood, vegetables and other sundries to increase the area of use. Inside the kiln, a kang is made of adobe for people to rest. The exit is from the kiln in one corner of the kiln yard cut out of the slope to the ground, for the residents to enter and exit the stepped access.

There is a well dug on one side of the passageway for the use of water for humans and animals. Three to four meters away from the mouth of the well, there is a sweet potato cellar, which can store sweet potatoes, because the water in the well can maintain a certain temperature and humidity, so that the sweet potatoes are preserved very fresh and long-lasting. In the middle of the yard dug a seepage well 1 or 2, with the same depth as the kiln yard, one meter in diameter, the bottom layer of slag 50 centimeters or so, for the storage of seepage of rainwater, every 10 years or so to repair the digging once. Yard planted tung, pear and other tall trees. In addition to people living in the kiln yard, there are separate kilns for the kitchen, toilet, chicken coop, animal pens. Storage of grain with reeds into a hoard, the bottom of the wheat bran, grain, then covered with wheat bran and then sealed with mud, stored for three years and five years without insects, do not rot.

The kiln building has the characteristics of strong and durable, saving money, warm in winter and cool in summer, windproof and soundproof, anti-seismic. Winter temperature inside the kiln in Celsius 100C or more, the summer stays in Celsius 200C or so, the noon and night rest but also cover the quilt, people call it "natural air conditioning, thermostatic housing". Kiln installed TV, reception performance is good. With the increasing improvement of people's living standards, rural housing is also constantly being improved, many farmers built a two-story villa-style buildings. But the many unique advantages of the patio kiln yard is it can not be replaced, so many locals still live in the patio kiln yard. Now the local government has developed the Tianjing kiln courtyard "Nongjiaole" tourism program in this