While much of the noteworthy historic architecture of the world is being lost in the name of progress, there is one place where time proven form and function is not only preserved, but still flourishes.   It is close to Tibet, in the Yunnan Province of China, in the Naxi town of Lijiang.  Naxi (Naw-she), is the name of the native minority which still makes up about 50% of the population.   The original village in Lijiang is called Old Town and has pretty much fallen prey to commercialism.  Today it is a maze of hundreds of shops interspersed with restaurants and inns.  This is a “must-see” for anyone who visits the area.  But the purist seeking the “real” China is drawn to the outlying farming villages which are still occupied, preserved and maintained very much the way they were when they were built 1000 years ago. 

OLD TOWN                 

 But the purist seeking the “real” China is drawn to the outlying farming villages...

The Naxi’s developed a basic living compound that is well suited to the environmental and cultural needs.  Since no one has ever been able to improve upon the design, it is still in use today.  It consists of three gabled buildings in a “U” shape with a garden wall enclosing the “U” creating an inner courtyard.  Between the wall and one of the buildings is a gate which provides the only entrance to the compound.  These typical family dwellings make up an entire farm village composed of hundreds or as few as twenty five of these units.  The size is determined by the amount of arable surrounding farmland.  Most villages have a school and the larger ones a marketplace.  The compounds themselves are built as close as 3’ to 5’ apart with 12’ wide cobbled roadways woven in.  The roadways produce a morning and evening rush hour flow of people, livestock and one-cylinder tractor-like vehicles off to the fields or returning home for the day.

...cobbled roadways produce a morning and evening rush hour flow of people...

One leg of the “U” shaped structure makes up the living compound.   This story and a half building comprises the family area, sleeping area and the kitchen.  This building has an 8’ to 10’ deep covered porch which faces the inner courtyard and provides an extension of the family area and a place to serve tea to guests.  The one half story above can be used for sleeping space or food storage.  The sides of the upper floor are opened or have wood lattice screens to allow air circulation for the drying of grains such as corn and rice.

...no one has ever been able to improve upon the design...

The bottom and the other leg of the “U” provide livestock shelter and crop storage.  The actual livestock may consist of pigs, cows, water buffalo, donkeys, chickens or ducks.  The upper ½ wall facing out and the lower and upper walls facing the inner court are open for air circulation.  It is not uncommon to see the entire upper floors with bushels of corn on the cob, strung together and hanging to dry.  When marriages occur, these buildings may be converted to living quarters to include as many as three generations in one compound. 

The courtyard has many uses, the most common of which is a threshing floor for processing the local grains.  It is not uncommon to grow fruit and ornamental shrubs and flowers here also.  Pets such as wild birds captured and caged may also occupy this space.        

...wild birds captured and caged...

The gate consists of double doors with an opening width of  5’ to 6’.  The outer gate is one of the more decorative parts of the compound.  It is probably indicative of the prosperity of the household.  Some are very creative and ornate and some are ready to fall off.  Most of the gates are wood but in a concession to the modern age, some have been replaced with steel.  The gate is sometimes closed, but not locked.

...the roofs do not vary.

While there are slight variations in design from compound to compound, the roofs do not vary.  They are gabled and tiled with the ridge upturned at the ends and the gables upturned at the eaves.  The upturned roof elements are believed to bring good luck. There is a carved ornamental board hanging down from the apex of the gabled end.  It represents two fish which are a symbol of good fortune and prosperity.     Where the half-round roof tiles end at the eaves, each is capped with a tile having the Chinese symbol for long life. 

...each piece is formed and fitted to it’s adjoining member with precision.

Naxi house wall construction is a combination of timber frame and masonry.  The exterior walls of the compound are composed of sun baked brick made of clay and straw or native rock with mortar joints.  The entire exterior may be coated with a coat of plaster.  Often the masonry work may be a combination of as many as four types of rock or brick.  The upper brick is sometimes set in a herringbone pattern with spaces between the joints to allow for air flow.  Posts are embedded in the masonry gable end wall and extend up to the ridge beam and two intermediate roof beams.  2x3 rafters are laid over the beams and the roof tiles are laid directly on them.  Second story floors are beam and joist with board decking.  Most of this lumber is hand hewn.  No nails or other fasteners are used in the construction, but each piece is formed and fitted to it’s adjoining member with precision.  The same construction is used in the new buildings as the ones that are hundreds of years old.

...on our path to technological excellence and elegant grandeur...

It’s interesting to think about what would happen if someone were to draw a set of plans for a traditional Naxi compound and submit it to their local building jurisdiction in the USA.  It would come back with so many red correction lines on it that it would be rendered unreadable.  But yet their design founded in simplicity and function works so well and has satisfied the requirements for shelter and social needs in this society for so many people for so long. While our code books grow thicker every year, the Naxi’s continue to build their simple nonconforming structure with the same proven results. It makes me wonder if on our path to technological excellence and elegant grandeur, if we haven’t lost some thing in the “progress.”

Bruce Butler, AIBD,     HOME