CONSTRUCTION OF CHUANDOU TIMBER HOUSES IN SOUTHWEST CHINA: TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNITY

Year 2018, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 71 - 82, 01.03.2018

Ren Congcong Lı Sımıao

Abstract

For people living in the rural mountainous areas in Southwest China, building a chuandou timber house means more than merely making a shelter in which to live. Constructing a house involves multiple events and rituals that bestow an emblematic quality on the dwelling. In addition, these varied activities unite the home owner, the carpenters and the villagers who participated in the construction as an integral community. By studying the role of each group in the construction process, we can understand how this mutual building system is sustainable in a less developed society with fewer commodities. Mountain settlements are rich in forest resources but depend mainly on manual labour and suffer from a lack of building space. This research focused on the construction technology system involved. The research also investigated the rituals that the master carpenter performs, with the aim of establishing how he cooperates with other helpers and how he establishes his role as a spirit medium on the construction site. We found that the mark-ink craftsman holds the knowledge of certain building skills, which are passed down to disciples and relatives and are unique to the areas they are practised. In addition, the mark-ink craftsmen hold power in their relationship with home owners because of their ability to curse the house. This affects fee negotiations and conflict resolution. We examined the special techniques that mark-craftsmen use to mark mortise dimensions and match tenons and how these skills are performed with precision and agility. In addition, the skills and tools used for this vary from culture to culture in the mountainous regions. Chuandou timber houses currently face two problems: They need to be reformed to meet the needs of modern life but also need to maintain their original features to maintain their relevance for the tourism industry. Nowadays, many houses that are made of concrete and bricks are being covered with timber boards to make them look like traditional timber houses. Through this research, we hoped to show that chuandou timber houses, along with their technologies, are products of the living culture of the mountain villages. These houses have their own vitality and the potential to be adapted to the needs of modern society

Keywords

Chuandou, Technology system, Rituals, Community, Carpentry

References

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