Chapter 6 Section 6 Building Logs as Nests

"Dwelling in caves and wild places in ancient times" ("Yi Xici II"), our ancestors lived in natural caves or in the wilderness at the beginning.With the improvement of intelligence, people also began to consciously build their own residences.Some may be inspired by some animals digging holes, digging caves on hills, which is what is said in ancient books: "When the ancients were born, before there was a palace, they lived because of digging caves on hills" (" Mozi·Jianyong Pian").Some may be inspired by birds making nests in trees, and build nests with wood and branches on trees, so they are called Youchaoshi.It is said in ancient books: "In ancient times, there were many animals and few people. So the people lived in nests to avoid them. They picked up oaks and chestnuts in the daytime and perched on trees in the evening. Therefore, they were named (ancient common name) as the people of the nest family. "("Zhuangzi Robber Zhi [zhi Zhi] Chapter").This is the earliest construction activity of human beings. Living rooms, palaces, pavilions, and even today's high-rise buildings are all developed from this starting point.

Entering the Neolithic Age, the construction skills of our ancestors had taken a big step forward.In drier areas, a kind of house with wooden and mud walls was built, which may have developed from cave dwelling.Its architectural styles are divided into semi-crypt and ground buildings, circular and square buildings, etc.The original village ruins discovered in the Yellow River Basin belong to such buildings.In more humid areas, stilt-style buildings appeared, which may have developed from nest dwellings.The so-called dry column building is to use dense wooden piles as the foundation in the lower part of the house to form an overhead dry column structure, and then build a rectangular or oval house on it.The residential site discovered in Hemudu, Yuyao, Zhejiang Province about 7,000 years ago belongs to the stilted building.This kind of architecture can still be seen in the southern region, especially the ethnic minority areas in Yunnan. Of course, it is much more advanced than the original era.