What does Alcove mean in Fujian

The Alcove is a common type of residential architecture in Fujian and even in the southern region.

In Fujian, Alcove usually refers to large building groups in villages or towns, which are made of lime, masonry and timber, and are based on the comprehensive architectural styles of Southeast Asia, overseas and the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

The Alcove can be divided into two categories: the Tang Alcove and the Ancestral Hall. Tang Alcove is the residence of family and clan ancestors, including the front hall, the main courtyard and the back alcove, which is distributed in the rural areas of Minnan and Minxi in Fujian Province.

Whenever important traditional festivals, such as coming of age and other major ceremonies, it is common for people in the village to bring their meals and worship their ancestors in these alcoves in the order of the alcoves and do some blessing activities inside the alcoves, and then finally enjoy the wine and food that they brought with them. This custom is one of the unique cultural phenomena in southern Fujian and demonstrates the social function of the alcove.

Ancestral halls, on the other hand, are places where ancestors are worshipped and are also used for other collective celebrations and meetings. In Fujian, ancestral halls tend to be of high status and scale, and are renowned for their majesty and beauty.

In an ancestral hall, the most important thing is the activity of worship. Ancestors are the guardians and helpers of more and more people in the family, and during the rituals, the worshippers burn incense and pray for their ancestors, set off ceremonial flowers, play music and sing songs, and express aspects of culture and faith.

In the western part of the Jinjiang area in Fujian, there is also a special form of alters called adobe alters. Adobe houses are called adobe houses because their walls are made mainly of adobe made of wheat straw, and the walls are no longer the old house walls that are thick with moss and green.

Because of its own fluffy nature, adobe can be heated up or cooled down very quickly, which nurtures and concentrates the culture of clothing in the mountainous areas of western Fujian.

Overall, as one of the representatives of traditional Chinese architectural culture, Alcove carries the heritage of historical, national and regional culture, and at the same time, it is also one of the most important windows to show the charm of traditional culture and the direction of development in the contemporary modern society.

In the future cultural construction, the inheritance and development of Alcove culture as one of the priority development goals, to carry forward the traditional culture and better promote the development of cultural and creative industries.