Who knows the origin of Dongbeikang?

Kang is a common heating equipment in northern rooms, and Manchu people also introduced it into the palace. There are many kangs in Shengjing Palace, with several bunks in one room, which not only solves the problem of sitting and lying, but also keeps the indoor temperature high through the heat dissipation of so many kang surfaces. For example, the Guanluo Palace in the East Palace, a palace with seven healthy faces, and the palaces in Linzhi, Yanqing and Yongfu are also the same. Moreover, not only in each palace, but also in the two doors of Chongzheng Hall where the duty personnel rest and stay, there are fire-resistant beds and fire sites, which shows that it is a common phenomenon to lay fire-resistant beds in the palace.

People have lived in the northeast kang for at least 1000 years. According to ancient books, the Nuzhen people (Manchu ancestors) who lived here during the Liao and Jin Dynasties "lived on wooden beds in the surrounding rooms, where there was a fire and they ate and lived on them". The so-called "ring room" means that there are kangs in more than one direction. Later, it was the "Zhuan Kang" and "Zhuan Kang" built by Manchu dwellings, which were connected on three sides: south, west and north. They are usually called "meatball kang" or "bending kang".

In the past, the traditional houses of Manchu in Kanto were generally "pocket houses", and the door opened on the east side rather than in the middle. The room that enters the door is the kitchen, and the room on the west side is connected by two or three rooms. The length of the indoor south and north kang is equal to that of the house, commonly known as "Lian Er Kang" or "Lian San Kang". Because it is for people to live, sit and lie down, the kang surface is more than five feet wide, and it is also called "North-South Kang" or "Opposite Kang". The west kang on the front is relatively narrow and can only hold things. The open space between kang and kang is called "homestead" In fact, most of the indoor plane space is occupied by kang, so people's indoor life is mainly on kang. Guests at home, please sit on the kang first; Eating, reading and writing on weekdays are on the kang table; Children are also playing games such as "Galaha", playing almonds and spinning ropes (commonly known as "stock exchange").

The main function of kang is to keep warm. Because kang is burned by a cooking stove, as long as you eat and boil water, kang is hot. In winter, in order to keep out the cold, some people build a flue under the indoor ground, which is called "fire ground" or "underground kang". In the particularly cold season, increase the fire to raise the room temperature. Although it is freezing outside and dripping into ice, the indoor kang surface radiates heat with the ground and is still warm as spring.