What are the cultural connotations of Diaojiaolou in Xiangxi?

Xiangxi Diaojiao Building belongs to the category of ancient Ganlan architecture. It is the traditional residential style of Miao, Dong, Zhuang, Buyi and Tujia ethnic minorities in mountainous areas.

The natural conditions here are known as "three days without sunny days, three miles without flat land", so the mountain ancestors created a unique "Xiangxi Diaojiao Building".

There is an ancient legend about the origin of Diaojiaolou in Xiangxi Tujia nationality:

Long ago, Tujia ancestors lived in caves or under big trees and made a living by hunting and fishing. In the sky, Zhang Tianwang saw that Tujia people lived in caves and under big trees for generations, and their lives were very hard. He wants to borrow a temple from the East Sea Dragon King and give it to Tujia people.

Zhang Tianwang said this when he arrived at the Dragon Palace in the East China Sea and met the Dragon King. The dragon king thought, my temple is too big and heavy for you to move. So I agreed.

Zhang Tianwang came to a temple with three legs and two riding legs and lifted it with his hand. When the Dragon King saw it, he regretted not agreeing. I had no choice but to say, "Give it back to me after use."

King Zhang Tian said, "I'll pay it back in seven days."

Zhang Tianwang came to the Tujia Caotang with a temple, and told the Tujia people to land with three pillars and two pillars hanging in the air, imitating a diaojiao building with three pillars and two rides in Xiangxi.

Seven days later, the Dragon King came to find Zhang Tianwang and returned to the palace. King Zhang Tian said, "If you want it, I will pay you back." When it comes to temples, I throw them by a river and put them on both sides of the river. "Move it yourself!" Knowing that he couldn't move, the Dragon King had to return to the Dragon Palace angrily.

From then on, every rainy season, the dragon king will be angry and flood, letting the river wash away the temples on the river. During the flood season, people can't cross the river from the temple. So people put a dragon knife under the bridge, and the dragon never dared to go straight into the temple building again. People not only have houses to live in, but also it is convenient to cross the river.

Diaojiaolou in Xiangxi is not only the crystallization of the long-term struggle between Tujia ancestors and nature, but also a true portrayal of their bumpy fate. The origin and development of Tujia Diaojiaolou can be roughly divided into two stages: before Tang and Song Dynasties and from Tang and Song Dynasties to the end of Qing Dynasty.

Before the Tang and Song Dynasties, Tujia ancestors were still in a semi-primitive period. Production depends on slash-and-burn cultivation, and a considerable part of it is still in the primitive hunting state. Its "house" is a "three-stable fork" built with branches and leaves, also known as "nest shed", which has poor function of sheltering from wind and rain. If attacked by wolves, tigers and leopards, you can only do nothing.

At that time, their ability to resist nature was still very poor, especially the beasts, snakes and scorpions posed the greatest threat to them. In order to get rid of their threat, Tujia ancestors tied branches and vines to the waist of big trees deep in the jungle to form houses. On the ground, leaves can be used to shelter from the wind and rain, and on the ground, they can be used to avoid wild animals.

Because this "house" is suspended in mid-air and there is no support below, it is named Diaojiaolou.

From the Tang and Song Dynasties to the end of the Qing Dynasty, Xiangxi implemented the Jimi prefecture and county system and the Tusi system. The upper class of Tujia people had the opportunity to get in touch with the Han people, absorbed part of the Han culture and improved their residence.

In particular, the chieftains of past dynasties paid tribute to the imperial court every year and witnessed the palace architectural art with their own eyes. In addition, with the continuous development of pottery industry at that time, it was not difficult to produce a small amount of adobe tiles, so there were house buildings such as bucket arches, cornices and carved wings.

However, due to the mountainous terrain and the specific environment of low temperature and low humidity, the structure of the pole-column hanging foot building in Xiangxi has not changed. In the meantime, most of the lower Tujia people also moved from trees to the ground, using oil bamboo or branches as boards and thatch as tiles, forming a thatched architectural style of "a thousand capitals falling to the ground".

The diaojiao building in western Hunan is built on the mountain. It is a two-story wooden frame made of Chinese fir, which is abundant in the local area. Because of the slope, the columns stand on the slope with different lengths. There is no partition wall on the lower floor of the house, which is used as pigsty, cowshed or stacking farm tools and sundries.

The upper floor of the diaojiao building is inhabited and divided into living room and bedroom. The gallery extends around it for the owner to work and rest in the gallery. Most of the colonnade columns do not fall to the ground, which is convenient for the passage under the colonnade. The main support function is a number of beams picked out from the floor, and the colonnade column is an auxiliary support, which makes the colonnade stably suspended in the air.

The diaojiao building on the mountain, the upper floor is ventilated, dry and moisture-proof, and it is the living room; The average house type is 4 rows of 3-room houses or 6 rows of 5-room houses. The average house is 5-column 2 riding, 5-column 4 riding, and the big house is 7-column 4 riding and 4 courtyard.

There are 4 rows of fans with 3 rooms, with a hall in the middle and Rao rooms on the left and right sides for living and cooking. Rao's room is divided into two halves by pillars, with a fireplace in front and a bedroom in the back.

People outside the bedroom are generally not allowed to come in. There is a fireplace in the hall, and the family eats around the fireplace, which is spacious and convenient. Because there are windows, it is bright, well lit and well ventilated. Family members often do manual work and rest here, and it is also a place to receive guests.

On the other side of the hall, there is a wide corridor connected with it. There is a railing half a person's height outside the corridor, and there is a row of benches inside. Families often rest here, and mothers will dress up their daughters here during festivals.

Some pillars of these porches don't touch the ground, so people and animals can pass under them. The weight of the porch is entirely borne by the selected wooden beams. Xiangxi diaojiao building looks beautiful, smart and chic, and wants to fly; Comfortable living, dry and breathable, ventilated and daylighting; Its architectural art embodies the philosophical thought of "I am flat if the ground is uneven".

Some diaojiao buildings in Xiangxi are three stories, except for the tiles on the roof, which are all made of Chinese fir. The pillars of the house are all cut out of big Chinese fir, and the pillars are all connected by straight sleeves with Chinese fir of different sizes, although none of the nails are strong.

There is also a hanging building around the house, and the eaves of the building are like wings. The walls of the house are closely inlaid with cedar boards, and the delicate inside and outside are coated with tung oil, which is clean and bright. The third floor is airy, dry and spacious. In addition to being used as a living room, there is also a small room for storing food and things.

There are cloisters on three sides of Xiangxi Diaojiao Building, and the hanging wooden railings are carved with auspicious patterns such as Wan Ziwen, Xizi, hippopotamus chef and square. The hanging column is octagonal square, and the bottom is often carved with hydrangea, golden claw and other shapes.

Xiangxi Diaojiao Building has two floors, with windows on the upper floor and sunny ventilation. The window lattice is carved with flowers and plants such as phoenix rising, magpie climbing plum, lion rolling ball, peony, camellia and chrysanthemum. Simple and elegant, beautiful and practical, with the characteristics of national housing.

There are various forms of diaojiao building in Xiangxi, and the types are as follows:

Single hanging, the most common form, is called "hanging at one end" or "key head". It is characterized in that only the wing on one side of the main room is hung, and the lower part is supported by wooden columns.

Double crane, also known as "double crane" or "dustpan mouth", is the development of single crane, that is, there are hanging wings at both ends of the main room. Single cranes and double cranes are not formed in different regions, mainly depending on economic conditions and family needs. Single crane and double crane are often in the same place.

Four-in-one-water type is developed on the basis of double-hanging type, which is characterized by connecting the upper parts of the hanging feet on the two wings of the main house into a whole to form a quadrilateral. The downstairs of the two wing rooms is the gate. After entering the gate, this quadrangle must climb several stone steps to enter the main house.

Double-chamber crane is developed on the basis of single crane and double crane, and it is added with a layer on the basis of general hanging foot building. Single crane and double crane can be used. The form of flat crane and diaojiaolou is also developed on the basis of single crane, which has both single crane and double crane.

Its main feature is that it is built in a flat dam. According to the terrain, it didn't need to hang its feet, but it just lifted its wings and supported them with wooden posts. The ground supporting the wooden column is flush with the ground of the main house, so that the wing is higher than the main house.