Why is Xiamen called CuO?

Xiamen is called CuO because CuO is a kind name for house and home in Minnan dialect, and it is also a traditional residential building of Minnan people.

Measures refer to the whole house, and words related to the house. For example, neighbors are called CuO Bian, landlords or homeowners are called CuO Zhu, big houses are called Zhu, stone houses are called Shi CuO, wooden houses are called Chai CuO, and houses are called CuO Zhu.

Cuo refers to home, hometown and related figurative usage. For example, my family's name is Cuoli, and my family's name is Ruancuo. If you have time, come to my house for tea and call it "Come to Ruancuo for tea when you have time".

Cuo is the most commonly used word as a place name, which is widely used in villages, covering almost all Fujian-speaking areas in Fujian, Taiwan, Guangdong and Qiong. For example, there are Huangcuo and Songcuo in Xiamen, Xiaocuo in Quanzhou and Shicuo in Putian. These village names with the word "Cuo" usually begin with the ancestral surname, single surname or big surname of the village.

The Characteristics and Style of Cuo

The ancient houses in southern Fujian are mainly "official houses", so they are also called "slave palaces". In many areas, they are also called "red brick houses". Like palaces, they are magnificent and typical of ancient houses in China. Their main characteristics are: sitting back and forth, facing south, three or five rooms.

"Light Hall and Dark Room" is the layout feature of ancient buildings in southern Fujian. The middle hall is spacious and bright, and it is a place to worship ancestors, gods and receive visitors. The back wall is separated by a big wooden door that can be opened and folded. It is usually closed and separated from the back porch. The back porch can be arranged as a small study or a private gathering place. On both sides are the east and west rooms, which are the main rooms. There is a purlin in front of the big house, which is a place to wash and dress. There is a back room behind the big room, which is the bedroom or storage room for ladies-in-waiting and concubines.