Why do Dai people live in bamboo houses? Residential characteristics of Dai bamboo house

Most Dai people in China live in Yunnan, where tall phoenix bamboos grow everywhere. Dai people use local materials to build bamboo houses, which is easier than building brick houses. Yunnan is rainy and humid, and the climate is warm all year round, while bamboo buildings are very cool and comfortable to live in. Because the bamboo building is very high from the ground, it has the function of preventing moisture and insects. Over time, it has been passed down from generation to generation, becoming a characteristic residential building of the Dai people.

Bamboo House is a landmark building of Dai family. Mainly refers to two or more floors of bamboo structure building, which belongs to a dry film building in the south. According to different uses and shapes, it can be divided into hotel buildings, dining teahouses, scenic buildings and landscape buildings. It is very suitable for viewing, accommodation, catering and other purposes of tourist attractions, green and close to nature. Bamboo houses are mainly distributed in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan, China and Dai and Jinuo areas in Dehong Prefecture.

The shape of Dai bamboo building is a dry-column building with a herringbone roof. Xishuangbanna has a tropical monsoon climate with abundant rainfall. The herringbone roof is convenient for drainage and will not cause water accumulation. Dai's bamboo buildings are generally two-story high-rise buildings. High-rise buildings are designed to prevent the ground from getting wet. The ground floor of the bamboo building is generally uninhabited and is a place for raising poultry.

Upstairs is where people live. This floor is the center of the whole bamboo building. The interior layout is very simple, generally divided into two parts, a hall and a bedroom. The hall is located at the entrance of the wooden ladder, which is relatively open. There is a big bamboo mat in the middle, which is a place to entertain visitors and discuss things. There are balconies and corridors outside the hall. In the corridor of the balcony, there are Dai's favorite water tools, such as bamboo tubes and water tanks. There are also Dai women here.

Legend of Bamboo House

According to legend, in ancient times, there was a young man named Paya Samuti in the Dai family. He wants to build a house for the Dai family, so that they will no longer live in the wild. He tried several times and failed. One day it rained heavily and he saw a dog lying on the ground. It rained heavily, and the rain ran down the thick dog hair. He was inspired to build a sloping shack. Later, the Phoenix flew in and kept waving its wings at him, asking him to build the roof into a herringbone, and then gestured to Paya Samuti in a high-legged independent posture, asking him to build the house into a two-story high-legged house. Paya finally built a beautiful bamboo house for Dai's family according to Phoenix's wishes.