Yaodong
- This article is about humanly-excavated caves used as dwellings, especially those in north China called yaodongs, as opposed to natural caves.
|
A yaodong (Chinese: 窰洞) or "cave house" is a particular form of earth shelter dwelling common in the Loess Plateau in China's north. They are generally carved out of a hillside or excavated horizontally from a central "sunken courtyard".[1] [2]
The earth that surrounds the indoor space serves as an effective insulator keeping the inside of the structure warm in cold seasons and cool in hot seasons. Consequently, very little heating is required in winter, and in summer, it is as cool as an air-conditioned room.[3]
The history of yaodongs goes back centuries, and they continue to be used.
[edit] Types of yaodong
There are two types of underground yaodong:
- those dug in loess cliffs, on the side of the valley: a typical example is the troglodyte city of Yan'an;
- those dug around an excavation conducted at the surface, serving as interior courtyard, called yaodong-well or sunken courtyard (photo cons).
There are also yaodong built wholly or partially outdoors, with an arch structure semicircular inspired by the underground dwellings and the construction of underground yaodong no longer allowed, the new homes of this type, vaulted to adobes are now common among farmers in the area.
More elaborate yaodongs may have a façade built with stones with fine patterns carved on the surface. Yaodongs can also be constructed with stones or bricks as stand-alone structures. The inner side wall is usually plastered with lime to make it white.
[edit] Origins of yaodong
The first type yaodong underground dwellings date from the 2nd millennium, China's Bronze Age and, according to Chinese tradition, the Xia Dynasty. Chinese scholars generally believe that this type of habitat has developed mainly from the Han dynasty (-206 to 220), along with a progressive improvement of construction techniques to the dynasties Sui ( 581 to 618 ) and Tang (618 to 907). But it is during the dynasties Ming ( 1368 to 1644 ) and Qing (1644 to 1912) that the pace of construction reached its peak.[4]
[edit] Geographic distribution
The yaodong homes are common on the Loess Plateau of China in the North and are found mainly in four provinces: Gansu, Shanxi, Henan, and the Hui Autonomous Region of Ningxia.
In the Qingyang region especially, the ratio of cave dwellers to non-cave dwellers is the highest found anywhere in China.
[edit] Construction techniques
 |
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. |
[edit] Notable examples
Many thousands of people died in collapsed yaodongs in the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake.
The most famous yaodongs in China are perhaps those in Yan'an. The communists led by Mao Zedong headquartered there in 1935-1948 and lived in yaodongs. Edgar Snow visited Mao and his party in Yan'an and wrote Red Star Over China. An estimated 40 million people in northern China live in yaodongs.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
[edit] Further reading
Golany, Gideon S. Chinese Earth-Sheltered Dwellings. Honolulu: University of Hawaii, Press, 1992.
[edit] References
- ^ Ivana (2003). "Ancient underground courtyards sinking out of sight". www.chinaculture.org. P.R.China: Ministry of Culture. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. http://www.chinaculture.org/gb/en_curiosity/2006-02/14/content_79287.htm.
- ^ "Xiachenshi huangtu yaodong minju yuan luo chuyi [A preliminary discussion of sunken loess land cave dwellers' courtyards]" (in Chinese). Architects (Jian-zhushi) 15: 75–82. 1983.
- ^ "Advantages and Disadvantages of Earth-Sheltered Homes". USA.gov. U.S. Department of Energy. 2011. http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10130. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ Golany, Gideon (1992). Chinese earth-sheltered dwellings. Indigenous lessons for modern urban design. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.
- ^ Lloyd, J & Mitchinson, J: "The Book of General Ignorance". Faber & Faber, 2006.
