Chapter 26 Section 5 Dai Bamboo House

Dai bamboo house is another kind of stilt-style dwelling.Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province is an area inhabited by the Dai people. The topographical height difference here varies greatly, with mountains in the north, plateaus in the east, and plains in the west.The climate in the whole region is also very different. The mountains are 1,700 meters above sea level, which belongs to the temperate climate;Most of the Dai people live in the Pingba area, which has no snow all year round, abundant rainfall, and an average annual temperature of 21°C. There is no distinction between four seasons.So here, the stilt building is a very suitable form.Because bamboo is abundant in this area, many houses are built with bamboo, known as bamboo buildings.Thick bamboo is used as the skeleton, bamboo woven strips are used as the walls, bamboo strips or wooden boards are used for the floors, and the roof is covered with grass.Therefore, the materials used for the bamboo building are simple, and the construction is convenient and fast.The plan of the bamboo building is square (Fig. 24). The ground floor is mostly empty without walls, and is used for raising livestock and stacking sundries. There are halls and bedrooms upstairs. The front porch is bright and airy where the owner works, eats, rests and receives guests during the day; the balcony is the place where the owner washes, dries clothes, cools crops and stores water tanks.This corridor is an indispensable part of the bamboo building.Such a bamboo building can prevent moisture firstly, dissipate heat and ventilate secondly, avoid the invasion of insects and beasts thirdly, and avoid the impact of floods fourthly.Because the annual rainfall is concentrated here, floods often occur here, the downstairs is elevated, and the walls are made of bamboo strips with many gaps, so it is very conducive to the passage of floods.

The Dai people believe in Buddhism more and have many superstitions and taboos. There are Buddhist temples in almost every village.It is stipulated that houses are not allowed to be built on the opposite side of the Buddhist temple;Due to the disparity in economics, the houses of the people in the village cannot be compared with those of the head people in size and quality. However, many regulations have been made on the construction of houses. For example, three corridors are not allowed, six lattice doors are not allowed in the main room, and even the stairs are not allowed to be divided into two sections.These restrictions have indeed affected the technical development of residential buildings, making it impossible for a large number of residential buildings to maintain a long lifespan.