Bamboo building is the traditional residence of which ethnic group in China

The Bamboo House is the traditional residence of the Dai ethnic group in Xishuangbanna, China.

The Dai people mainly live in Xishuangbanna region of Yunnan, which is located in the subtropical zone, with warm seasons, small temperature difference, more precipitation, humid climate, and wide distribution of bamboos and trees. The unique environmental characteristics and resource advantages have created this kind of housing structure of the bamboo buildings, which has become the main choice of the inhabitants to build their houses, with more than 1,000 years of history.

The Dai bamboo buildings are mainly constructed of bamboo, and the walls are also made of bamboo weaving, with high permeability, so the houses have better ventilation performance; secondly, the lower floor of the Dai bamboo buildings are for livestock, and the people mainly live in the second floor, and the people's residences are not in direct contact with the surface of the ground, so it can isolate some of the water vapor from the surface, and play the role of moisture-proofing.

The structure of the bamboo building

China's Dai bamboo building is mainly dry-rail type structure, divided into the upper and lower two layers, the lower layer is about seven or eight feet high, there is no wall around the main purpose is to tether livestock and pile up miscellaneous goods, the upper layer of the main people and place valuables, distribution of the host family's bedrooms, living rooms, and drying platforms, the first two layers are connected to a wooden ladder, most of the roof is a double-sloped. The first and second floors are connected by wooden stairs, and most of the roofs are double-pitched. The Dai Bamboo House is mainly made of bamboo, the skeleton of the house is built with thick bamboo, the walls are made of woven bamboo gabions, the floor is mostly made of bamboo gabions or wooden boards, and the roof needs to be paved with grass.

The main part of a bamboo building consists of pillars and beams, which are processed from bamboo. The pillars are the main support structure of the bamboo buildings, which are usually made of larger diameter bamboo, which is processed through peeling and grinding to support the whole house. The unique construction of bamboo buildings makes full use of the material properties and processing technology of bamboo, showing an ecological and environmentally friendly architectural style.