Traditional Chinese Villages Bulletin, 2015 May

CATALOGUE

PREFACE Preface to TCVB2 May 12, 2015 Everyone who supported the TCVB inaugurated in January 2015, deserves our sincere gratitude whether you read it or shared it. We shall continue to devote ourselves to sharing the best experiences and practices of the conservation and rehabilitation of Tradition Chinese Villages.

Today, the number of Traditional Chinese Villages with national designation has reached 2,555, from every province of China. Although for years scholars have been carrying our valuable research on the morphology of vernacular dwelling in China, there is big opportunity to further the systematic research throughout China, with support of the big data. The first article of this issue is an example of such research.

03 A Tentative Typology of Traditional Chinese Villages

09 The Shaxi Rehabilitation Project as an Opportunity in Monument Preservation A Western perspective under Chinese cultural conditions

It’s really a pleasure but not a surprise to see that the Traditional Chinese Village has evoked international interest in recent years. With sponsorship from the World Monument Fundand support of the local authority, the Sino─Swiss cooperation on the rehabilitation of Shaxi in Yunnan province, in south─west China, starting as early as 2000, is one of such enlightening projects which encouraged inter─cultural understanding.

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In order to rehabilitate traditional villages, vernacular architecture need to be renovated as a significant part of contemporary practice in China. Two projects, one by the professional team in Yunnan and one by passionate rural dwellers in Zhejiang, share a common commitment to combine the built environment with nature, to integrate the improved vernacular building technique and new utilization standards.

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Public participation, and engaging the community as well, should be a key link of the chain of urban/rural planning or sustainable development, especially for a “Living Heritage” such as Traditional Chinese village. Practical lessons learnt from rural Taiwan prove invaluable and inspiring for the revival of Traditional Villages of the mainland.

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Last but not least, the appreciation of the Dong Villages in southwest China, from the view of traditional social organization, planning and vernacular building technique as well, will show the irreplaceable ethnic culture and village landscape of Chinese Dong minority.

Dr. Ing. HUO Xiaowei

Village Conservation and Sustainable Development From the Perspective of Building Local Communities─Taiwan’s Experience

Erhai Twin Hostel A Contemporary Innovation of Traditional Timber Frame

An Environmental and Architectural Declaration The Case Study of theVernacular Eco─Houses of Anji

29 Conservation of the Cultural Landscape of Dong Village A Village Located in the Mountainous Areas of Southwest China where the Traditional Way of Life is Still Practiced

Director of RCHCC, THUPDI SPURS Fellow of MIT

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A Tentative Typology of Traditional Chinese Villages

Professor LUO Deyin Professor Luo earned his PhD degree of Architecture from Tsinghua University in 2003. As Associate Professor lecturing on Architectural History in Tsinghua University, he also devoted himself to the research and conservation of Chinese vernacular architecture and traditional villages.Since 2012, he was Vice Chairman of the Committee of the Conservation and Development of Traditional Village at the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development.

E-mail:luody@tsinghua.edu.cn

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Photographs are provided by the authors.

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I . Introduction In 2012 the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural Development (MoHURD), the Ministry of Culture (MoC), the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH) announced a new classification designation for architectural heritage in rural areas – Traditional Chinese Villages. By 2014,2,555 villages had been listed under this new category.

Listing as many villages as possible in such haste has been motivated by the radical urbanization process China has been experiencing in recent years. In the 1950s,most of the four million extant villages in China would probably have met the present day criteria required for the designation of traditional Chinese villages if they had survived. Regrettably many of those that are still extant have now been irrevocably altered to an extent that they no longer qualify for listing. There is a strong sense of urgency in the professional community to protect the Chinese ancestral character and identity as embodied in China’s historic villages.

II . Necessity for a Typology As the number of designations continues to grow, it is now time to consider a typology for this latest category of rural heritage to assist in its classification and management. A crucial step is the creation of the theoretical basis and rationale on which specific assessment criteria could be developed. Mr. ZHAO Hui, Head of the Department of Village

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and Township Development, MoHURD noted that the three distinguishing criteria for Traditional Villages relate to human settlement, built heritage and intangible heritage. If a village can meet at least two of the above three criteria it qualifies for designation. Although this may be an efficient means of designating Traditional Villages, alternative evaluation criteria could be applied.

III . Cultural Significance as the Rationale in the Designation of Traditional Villages The Burra Charter adopted by Australia ICOMOS in 1979 was an important milestone in putting forward the concept of ‘cultural significance’ as the basis for assessing the values of a heritage site.

Despite having its share of critiques, the Burra Charter reflects international understanding of the process of assessing the values of a heritage site. The World Heritage List could be regarded as a typology of world heritage. Sites are listed after a thorough assessment of their values or cultural significance and the List has now developed to a stage where it truly reflects the diversity of our global culture. In view of the above it seems logical to use the assessment of cultural significance as the rationale for the designation of Traditional Villages under four main categories: culture and geography, ethnicity, sub-ethnicity and indigenous peoples as opposed to migrants from outside this region.

1.Region where Culture and Geogra-

phy are the Prime Elements for the Assessment of Cultural Significance.

Area 1 of the Map of Chinese Traditional Village Locations is designated as a geographical and cultural area that includes most of eastern China along with Sichuan Province and Chongqing (refer to the map in the Chinese version of the Journal). In this area cultural and geographical values are important elements of cultural significance. The Han Chinese is the predominant ethnic group in this region and the architectural features and traditional culture found in these villages reflect the origins of its inhabitants. The villages in this geographical area have many common features that have been influenced by intangible cultural such as the patriarchic clan system, pantheism and the imperial examination system. Many of the cultural landscapes are similar and the understanding and importance of fengshui on villages and their settings share many common elements. The architectural layout and styles of residential courtyards and community facilities such as temples and private schools also share many similarities. Provinces such as Shangxi, Shaanxi and Zhejiang are particularly rich in cultural resources and can be divided into sub-regions which have their own individual cultural characteristics.

2.Area 2: Ethnicity is thePrime Element for the Assessment of Cultural Significance Area 2 of the Map of Chinese Traditional Village Locations is a region where the assessment of cultural significance of villages primarily focuses on ethnic

features. This area covers northwestern China, Inner Mongolia, and the western and southwestern regions. Although the rural population of this region is ethnically diverse, each village settlement has one dominant ethnic group which has a distinguishing influence on the village’s physical location and layout as well as its architectural features and cultural traditions. The Dong who are concentrated on the borders of Guizhou, Hunan and throughout Guangxi are known for their distinctive Ganlan architecture. The Hani in Honghe, Yunnan have created houses which, while looking like mushrooms and are similar to the Dai’s structures in southern Yunnan, have different cultural traditions: the Hani’s celebration of the Angmatu and Kuzaza festivals are radically different from the Dai who belong to the Theravada Buddhist sect (based on the Pali Canon) and celebrate the Buddhist New Year festival of Songkran.

3.Area 3: Sub-ethnicity as the Prime Element for the Assessment of Cultural Significance Area 3, the sub-ethnic region, covers the far south of China including Guangdong Province and the southern areas of Fujian Province but excludes the provinces of Hainan and Taiwan. While the rural populations of this area are ethnically diverse the differences between the various rural groups are not sufficiently dissimilar to categorize them into different distinct ethnic groups. In this area cultural significance is primarily assessed through sub-ethnic characteristics. In ancient times Han migrants from

Tentative Typology of Traditional Chinese Villages

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the central plains integrated with the local indigenous peoples creating a fusion of culture, technology and ethnic lines quite distinct from their original ancestors on the central plains and the mideastern regions of China. Five distinct sub-ethnicities have now been formally recognized, the Hakka, Cantonese, Minnan (southern Fujian), Chaoshan (southeastern Guangdong) and Leizhou (tip of the peninsula in southwestern Guangdong). All traditional village settlements in this area of southern China are led by patriarchic clans that often drew up detailed schematic layout plans for their villages prior to construction. These are clearly visible in ethnic Cantonese villages which are noted for their ‘comblike’ layout as well as the circular ringed castle-like towers of the vernacular structures of the Hakka.

4. Area 4: Indigenous Peoples and Migrants as the Prime Element for the Assessment of Cultural Significance

people and the Cantonese have integrated with the local Li and Miao ethnic groups.

IV .Conclusion The authors believe that with the establishment of the new rural heritage category of Traditional Chinese Villages it is now time to research the development of a typology that may assist with the assessment of the cultural significance of these villages. In a first attempt the authors suggest that one approach worthy of consideration could be categorizing China into four distinctive areas, each with an overriding criterion that should be the prime factor to consider during the assessment process. Obviously some village settlements, especially those in border areas, may be difficult to categorize neatly into one specific type and further comparison with villages in surrounding areas will be necessary to refine the model.

Area 4 is designated as the Indigenous Peoples and Migration region of China.

This area covers China’s northeast, the provinces of Taiwan and Hainan and is distinguished from the other areas due to the intermingling of various ethnic groups. In northeast China the Han Chinese migrated from the central plains and integrated with the Manchu, Korean (Chaoxian) and Daur. In Taiwan Province, migrant Minnan and Hakka groups have integrated with the indigenous Atayal, Amis and Bunun are ethnic groups.

In Hainan Province migrant Minnan

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Tentative Typology of Traditional Chinese Villages

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The Shaxi Rehabilitation Project as an Opportunity in Monument Preservation A Western perspective under Chinese cultural conditions

I .Preliminary Remarks II .Geographical situa– from Switzerland to tion of the Shaxi valleys China in the province of YunIn 2002 I took part in a joint Swiss-Chi- nan nese project in Yunnan Province near Lijiang. The Shaxi Project is somewhat of a role model for China in that there are similar rural cultural landscapes with intact villages and traditional structures which would be of value to retain as complete units and to develop further.

As a large country in which agriculture still has an important place in the economy, it is worthwhile to develop spatial planning. Different from the booming cities of China where development threatens to make a city burst at the seams, basic planning could be undertaken in heritage villages creating a sustainable environment for residents for future generations and should include a regulated and logical preservation of the overall situation. Particular attention should be paid to raising the living standards of the local community.

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Shaxi lies in western Yunnan near the Yangtze River (Tiger Leaping Gorge) in Jianchuan County (Dali Autonomous Prefecture) between Lijiang and Dali Old Town. The Bai are the dominant ethnic group in this area with some Yi living here as well. It is an ideal location for the development of soft tourism such as the Shaxi Rehabilitation Project, which is attempting to set up a framework for long-term development of the Shaxi Valley.

Autonomous Prefecture of Dali under the Zurich-Kunming sister state/city partnership to identify development possibilities for these administrative districts. The ETH-Institute initiated the “Shaxi Rehabilitation Project” (SRP) for the socio-economic development of the Shaxi Valley in Jianchuan County. In 2001, the World Monument Fund placed Shaxi Valley on the list of the hundred most endangered cultural properties of the world and financial support for the project was promised.

From the beginning the conceptual study for the Shaxi Rehabilitation Project was based on a vision and cultural assessment of the historic trade route from Yunnan to Tibet (Tea and Horse Caravan Trail) which is of enormous importance in the history of China. The Shaxi Project is only a small mosaic stone in the larger concept of a “Regional Heritage Route” in Yunnan.

IV .The conceptual part of the Shaxi Project An analysis of existing problems which needed to be addressed in the project resulted in the following subsections: 1.Marketplace restoration (Preservation of the building structures of the historical marketplace and its setting in Sideng) 2.Village preservation

III. Partners in the Shaxi Project: Chinese-Swiss cooperation In 2000, experts from the Institute of Spatial Planning and Landscape Development (IRL) of the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) were invited by the Jianchuan County government of the

Photographs are provided by the authors.

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V .The results of the restoration of the Sib Denx Marketplace in Shaxi

3.Sustainable development of the valley (Further economic development of the Shaxi Valley with agriculture and soft tourism. Preservation of the landscape and surrounding setting in Shaxi Valley and soft development.)

4.Ecological sanitation (Improving sanitation with ecological compatibility) 5.Poverty alleviation (Taking into consideration the requirements of the population) 6.Events and dissemination (Promulgation experience, planning, and technical know-how which was gained in this project.)

Sideng lies picturesquely on the main river of the valley and can be reached by a beautiful, arched bridge. The village settlement is largely intact. Its layout is in the form of a closed village with a southern entrance gate and narrow, interconnected clay houses which are grouped around an old, picturesque square. This market place gives way to the Xingjiao temple and a Ming dynasty (1368-1644) theater stage. Many of the older houses have facade paintings and carving. The restoration and reconstruction measures were showing how a fundamental, forward-looking concept for the development of regional communities can be implemented.

During my time as a guest on the project I could see how my Chinese colleagues and administration representatives reacted to our proposals. The western principle of monument preservation states that where no earlier condition is known it is better to retain the present one. But after a long time researching conservation in China and after becoming more familiar with Chinese culture, I finally understood what the Nara Document on Authenticity in1994 means for Asian cultures. For Asians, ‘there are no fixed criteria to judge value and authenticity of a cultural property; rather it must be appraised within the cultural context to which it belongs’.

My most interesting experiences in the Shaxi Project were with the use of historic building craftsmanship and

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materials. During restoration only traditional techniques were used, including the erection of walls with air dried clay bricks, the manufacturing of roof tiles, facade plasterwork using lime, carpentry techniques for the repair of existing wood structures, stone masonry work for the foundations, plastering and historical painting techniques for the restoration of historic fresco paintings.

IV .Conclusion The Shaxi Rehabilitation Project (SRP) has received several international citations including the World Monument Fund (2004) and UNESCO (2005 AsiaPacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation). The SRP was cited by an international organization as setting a new technical and social benchmark for the implementation of sustainable monument preservation activities in the Dali Region of the Province of Yunnan (China).

Dr. Christian RENFER Born in 1943, he studied Architectural History, History, and Ethnography in Zurich and Vienna, with a dissertation on Zurich Farm House in 1973. From 1995 to 2005, he was the Leading Monument Maintenance Director of the Canton of Zurich. Since retirement from civil service in 2006, he become a Federal Monument Maintenance Expert on behalf of the Swiss Federal Department of Culture, and worked extensively with Chinese universities including Tsinghua, Tongji, SEU and Taipei.

The Shaxi Rehabilitation Project as an Opportunity in Monument Preservation

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Village Conservation and Sustainable Development From the Perspective of Building Local Communities─Taiwan’s Experience From 1980-1990s rapid industrialization in Taiwan resulted in an enormous flow of people from the countryside to towns and cities. The rapid urbanization of the province created social and environmental issues in rural areas. While the government began to work on the building of local communities in the countryside in the 1960s, it was a top-down approach with little attention paid to fostering local initiative and innovation. By the 1990s nongovernment organizations and grassroot organizations began to proliferate in this field and created their own programs which helped foster innovation as a way to advance rural development and growth. In 1994 the government acknowledged the role of these organizations in dealing with rural issues and government adopted a general policy to build local communities to address rural stagnation. Work undertaken by these

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organizations in the 1999 post-earthquake reconstruction demonstrated the effectiveness of adopting communitybased solutions. In 2000 the government established the Local Communities Building Promotion Committee to encourage the further diversification of community-based initiatives.

Taiwan’s Experience in the Building of Local Rural Communities 1.Community─led Heritage Conservation.

Previously local rural authorities and residents were not part of the decisionmaking process for the designation and conservation of built heritage. The government now invites local authorities and the community to participate in

the general planning process. In 1997 a decision was made to relocate Wanggong Temple in Yilan County. At that time the temple was not listed as a heritage site as it was only built 68 years earlier. However the local community had a strong attachment to the temple and more than 1,000 people participated in the relocation process which was accomplished using manual labor without machinery. This achievement created an unprecedented feeling of pride amongst the local village community and resulted in the temple becoming the community center for the village.

technique has been revived and improved with help from professionals and scholars. The maintenance of traditional crafts is a great source of pride to the local community.

2. Cultural Values and Intangible Cultural Heritage During the process of building local communities great importance has been attached to the conservation of intangible cultural heritage, traditional arts and crafts and folklore. This approach has not only resulted in the conservation of cultural heritage but also led to the development of industries related to traditional culture. In Yilan County the traditional wooden clog production

Photographs are provided by the authors.

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3.Ecological Values and Agri-cultural Tourism

4. Community Development and Cohesion

Natural environmental features and ecological resources provide rural communities with wide-ranging opportunities for development. Prior to the 1999 earthquake, Taomi Village in Nantou County was considered one of the poorest village communities in Taiwan. It had a population of 1,200 people. During the post-disaster reconstruction, academics from nearby Jinan University proposed the creation of an eco-village to transform this traditional village into an education center for organic agricultural production and ecological conservation. Now the local ecology has become the inspiration for teaching about biodiversity. Arrangements for homestays with local villagers have now been put in place facilitating greater cultural interaction within the entire region as well as creating a new source of income for the villagers. Each year the village hosts over 2,000 visitors who come to live with the villagers and study at the education center.

Training is also provided on how to develop a local community and raise public awareness in the conservation of rural heritage. Program activities such as pottery, tailoring, computer skills, traditional Chinese music and ecological awareness are offered to villagers to better equip them with the skills needed to develop their local community as well as provide educational activities for visitors. The crucial elements in ensuring success in community development are strong feelings of identification that villagers have towards their village community and a feeling of pride that promotes collective action 5.Diversified Participation and Assistance Non-government organizations (NGOs) and non-profit organizations (NPOs) can play a vital part in a local community’s capacity building. The New Homeland Culture and Education Foundation established in Yilan County provides a good example. The Foundation facilitated workshops to assist the community identifying values that are important for the local community and has organized training courses in other areas for members of the local community. Specialists such as community planners and academics from Jinan University have also contributed to an enhanced public awareness of community values and the role of the local community, combined with technical solutions to assist with the operations of the education center and its courses. Local authorities still

have an important role to play in providing guidance, funding and oversight.

Conclusion Traditional approaches to the conservation of rural heritage and the development of rural economies has simply tended to emphasis the provision of the ‘hardware’ required rather than the ‘software’ needed to make the ‘hardware’ run effectively. Greater attention must be paid to supporting local communities to enable them to be responsible for their own development. This will lead to improved environmental conditions and greater public awareness of social and cultural sustainability. The participation of actors from all parts of society and government in this process will greatly enhance a community’s capacity for self-organization which is the basis for sustainable development and heritage conservation in rural settings.

CHEN Zhenhua Master in sociolog y, Tsinghua University, National Registered Urban Planner, intermediate economist; Deputy Director of Research Center for Master Planning at Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute. Main research focuses are urban development strategy, urbanization and urban-rural integration, with more than 30 academic papers published.

YAN Lin S h e wa s awa r d e d P h D a t t h e S ch o o l o f Architecture, Tsinghua University in 2010. As Director of the 4th Department of General Planning Center at THUPDI in Beijing, she is devoted to integrated urban-rural development and characteristic town and village planning, especially rural community development planning research.

Village Conservation and Sustainable Development

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Erhai Twin Hostel A Contemporary Innovation of Traditional Timber Frame

ZHAO Yang Born in Chongqing. After graduation from Tsinghua University, he established his own practice, Zhaoyang Studio, in 2007, and worked closely with Standardarchitecture in Beijing. In 2010, he attended Harvard Graduate School of Design and received Master degree in architecture.

H e w a s a w a r d e d t h e 2 0 1 0 WA C h i n e s e Architecture Award. In 2012, he was selected the inaugural architectural protégé of the acclaimed Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative..

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Photographs are provided by the authors.

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I .Background The tourism boom in Yunnan province is breathing new life into Erhai Lake with development in this area adopting an unconventional model. Unlike urban property development, individual hostels are built upon plots of land leased from local villagers. The lease is a 20year tenure and once the term of the lease is up, the hostel and the plot of land are returned to the villager. This new innovative model has created a new architectural style sympathetic with the original fabric.

Erhai Twin Hostel, located on the Jinsuo Islet, is one such inspiring creation to the southeast of the lake. The traditional Bai ethnic fishing villages have become a major tourism attraction in Dali. The limestone on the tiny island has been

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used to line the banks of the lake and is also used as building material which villagers carve using traditional artisan skills, a tradition of which the community is extremely proud.

II .Schematic Design The Twin Hostel is located on the northern end of the islet with a magnificent view of Erhai Lake making it an ideal choice for the construction of the hostel.

The property is owned by two brothers, which has proven to be problematic in the creation of a continuous spatial experience. To overcome this problem, a seventy meter corridor was designed to connect the two buildings with a triangular courtyard used as a service center for guests. The best rooms are found where guests can enjoy the picturesque

vistas while basking in the sun.

III. Construction Erhai Lake and its surrounds are extremely picturesque. The ripples on the lake surface, the wisps of cloud floating in the sky and the small boats sailing on the lake form a serene landscape that only nature could create. Building stone is in plentiful supply from quarries in the mountainside. The traditional craftsmanship that has passed down from generation to generation among the Bai ensures that the timber components are carved with great refinement.

Experienced artisans are also invited from nearby villages to take part in the innovative design process. A traditional grid of 3.8m is used which allows greater flexibility in design. The timber framework has been simplified, especially the single-pitched roof, while preserving a traditional Chinese architectural theme. Stones are laid into walls using the local sanchahua bond, creating different effects between the exterior and interior. Timber pillars stand waist high in the wall in accordance with Bai tradition. For improved waterproofing, planks are covered with a double membrane in the area between the rafters and tiles. A ceremony to celebrate the completion of the timber frame, is held on an auspicious day with rituals, chant-

ErhaiTwin Hostel

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ing and a banquet for all –even laborers from nearby villages are invited.

IV .Conclusion The Erhai Twin Hostel is one of the innovations in the renewal of Traditional Villages in Yunnan Province. They are part of contemporary developments undertaken for tourism. The development of tourism in this area has altered the traditional economic structure and has created new requirements for architectural structures to meet new demands.

Instead of a one-size-for-all solution, each building has to consider its own unique setting and consider an appropriate design where traditional vernacular architecture is combined with modernity.

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ErhaiTwin Hostel

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An Environmental and Architectural Declaration The Case Study of the Vernacular Eco─Houses of Anji

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I .Background

II .Five TestBuildings

As China’s rural economy has developed over decades of reform, new houses are changing the appearances of age-old villages. However Mr. Ren Weizhong, a worker living in rural Anji County, Zhejiang Province, is one of many ‘dissidents’ protesting about the environmental degradation and visual pollution of contemporary dwellings in the countryside. Ren Weizhong has developed his own ideas on construction not only to provide his family with a new modern dwelling but also as a declaration for more environmentally friendly rural housing that sits well within traditional rural landscapes!

In addition to affordability, innovation in vernacular building materials and construction methods are critical for a successful building system that could be used throughout China. Based on these requirements Mr. Ren constructed five experimental houses each with its own unique features.

House 1: A New Language Designed for a family of three, House 1 adopts the traditional Anji courtyard model and includes several innovations.

The main room is no longer partitioned but is an open space for dining and liv-

Photographs are provided by the authors.

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ing. The traditional open central courtyard has been enclosed with a roof for better protection from rain. Additional skylights are added to increase light in the main room. The former pitched roofs of the east and west side rooms have also been changed to flat roofs that can be used for drying grain or other functions. These areas are accessible from the second storey of the rear building. While House 1 emphasizes practicability over architectural traditions, construction costs are considerably reduced.

House 2:Recycling and Reuse The second experimental house uses recycled timber as the framework for the building. The main structure for the ground floor is erected and then the second floor is built on top of the ground floor framework. Pebbles are used on the exterior of the ground floor timber walls and light clay infill used for the second floor. This building can function

as a civic center with the first floor used for science exhibitions relevant to agricultural production and the second floor for conferences─even weddings. The message of House 2 is that recycling is a good option in areas where new construction is not yet affordable.

House 3:Modern Adobe Structures The idea for the next experimental house focused on vernacular building materials. In areas where there is an insufficient timber supply, rammed earth can be used as an alternative. Adobe structures have the advantage of enhanced load bearing capacity and structural stability. This particular house is constructed with curved roofing, French windows and a rear corridor which gives the house a sense of modernity in addition to its excellent thermal qualities.

House 4: Stand on Your Own If there are limited supplies of earth to use as building materials the solution is to use your own. Dig out a basement and use the excavated earth to build the house. The structure is also small enough to use split bamboo poles as a roof which gives the structure a natural feeling. This is also an environmentally friendly approach to construction.

House 5:Remote Cooperation This house is basically the same structure as in House 2 but is used as a residence. The architectural design was drawn up by Mr. Zhang Qin in France with Mr. Ren undertaking the project in China. Various aspects of the project were discussed using the internet. This new model of cooperation can be a useful way to introduce international professionalism to remote areas in China.

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III .Improved Vernacular Construction Mr. Ren believes that the following aspects of these five experimental structures are worth noting.

Rammed Earth Wall Rammed earth has been used as a building material since historic times in China. Adobe has good thermal mass and load bearing capacities, is sustainable and readily available in most locations.

On the negative side adobe structures are also susceptible to cracking, often have poor lighting and ventilation. The causes of structural failure are often uneven sedimentation, excessive moisture and clay content. Learning from the experiments, solutions have been developed to increase the thickness of the base earthen wall, to mix lime with sand in the soil, and to control the moisture level.

An Environmental and Architectural Declaration

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Windows in the Rammed Earth Wall The experiments have shown that windows in earthen walls have to be treated differently. For windows narrower than 60cm, the opening is cut out after the wall is built. The exposed surface is leveled with mortar and timber frames inserted into the space. For windows wider than 110cm, cement lintels and timber jambs and sills are fixed in place before the ramming takes place. Another way is to insert and nail jambs into the opening and fill the gaps with mortar to bind the window with the wall. However, it is important to note that openings should only be cut out after the rammed earth has been dried for two weeks.

Energy Efficient Roofs Another important aspect of the project concerns energy use. In summer the temperatures in Anji are so hot that the top floors are often uninhabitable.

Families are forced to spend the nights downstairs if possible. Otherwise air conditioners run continuously over night which is extremely expensive and environmentally unfriendly. One of the reasons for the first floor becoming excessively hot during the summer is that early buildings had no insulation under the roof tiles. Mr. Ren, after several trials, has found an innovative combina-

tion of a plank-foam-earth layer which has enhanced insulation performance.

Also, when the air vent is opened in summer, hot air disperses outside the building. In winter with the vent closed, warm air remains inside or may even be heated by connecting the vent with the fireplace or chimney. In one test when the external air temperature was 34째C in summer the internal temperature was 5째C lower.

IV .Conclusion Mr. Ren is a champion of unique vernacular architecture who has now been recognized for his work on these five experimental houses. Architectural students and tourist organizations are visiting Anji to learn about these innovative construction techniques. This is encouraging everyone who values village and rural life and there is reason to believe that the Anji model will become an inspiring example in China.

Zhang Mingzhen Master of Science in architecture engineering, graduate of Kunming University of Science and Technology. He is dedicated to the practice and study of rural houses construction. With experience accumulated from rural housing projects of Yunnan Province and Sichuan Province, he is now working with China New Rural Planning and Design.

Email: zhangmingzhen01@163.com

Ren Weizhong Born in Anji City, Zhejiang Province. He has been engaged in environmental protection since 1995, and surveyed and proved the source of Huangpujiang River. In 2005, he started his rural houses construction practice, and is dedicated to the research of house construction model which is low-cost, environment-friendly and with comfortable living quality.

Email: 593939449@qq.com

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An Environmental and Architectural Declaration

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Conservation of the Cultural Landscape of Dong Village A Village Located in the Mountainous Areas of Southwest China where the Traditional Way of Life is Still Practiced YAN Zhao ZHANG Yang ZHANG Jie ZHANG Jingjin LOU Jihao As members of the Institute for Historic and Cultural Cities of National Important of the THUPDI, Yan Zhao and her collegues devoted themselves to the conservation of Dong Villages in the past three years. To integrate the conservation planning with daily life of villager is one of their main concern.

Email: yanzhao@thupdi.com

The Dong are the 12th largest ethnic group in China with a population of 296 million. They are mostly located in the southwest of China, including the provinces of Guangxi, Hunan and Guizhou. The Dong are also found in Laos, where they are referred to as the Kang, and in Vietnam. The Dong can be traced back to the Qin and Han dynasties in 2nd Century BC.

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Photographs are provided by Bureau of cultural relics of Tongdao Dong Nationality Autonomous County,HuNan province.

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II .Frugal Land Use Land use is divided between village units called dong which are unique to the Dong people. The average land holding per dong differs greatly. Agricultural land is general located in a small valley with a river or stream flowing through it and surrounded by mountains on all sides. Local populations are generally restricted to the number of people that available farming land can support. If the population increases to a number that is not sustainable agriculturally, people are required to leave the unit and migrate elsewhere. They use land, water and the forests to breed ducks, grow rice, harvest fish and plant trees.

III. Village Types

I .Physical Settings Dong villages can be found in the Miao mountains of the Yunnan Guizhou plateau through to the Nanling mountains, the southern regions of the Xuefeng mountains and along the Guangxi Rong river basin. Poor transportation networks into the region mean that they have had to rely on their natural environment and local resources. This also means that the traditional way of life has survived until the present which is quite rare in modern China.

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There are three main styles of housing in Dong villages that is determined by the location of the village, whether it is on the peak of the mountain, the mountain slope or in a valley. Villages on mountain peaks are small and have a stream running through them. Villages located on mountain slopes are generally constructed on terraces dug into the mountainside or on gentler mountain slopes. This is the most common type of village in this region. Villages tend to be very close to forests and available natural resources in these areas are better than those at the tops of mountains.

Where villages are in valleys they are often at a much lower altitude on more level ground. They tend to be larger and may often develop into local regional centres.

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V .Social Organization Dong society is organized around the concept of Kuan which can be described as a hierarchical social grouping. With a common ancestor or elder at its core, Kuan society links many households that are blood relatives to form a larger family unit. Each family unit constructs a drum tower that is regarded as a symbol of the family’s wealth and status.

Daily events and other social arrangements are agreed in formal Kuan agreements, the code of conduct for both individuals and society at all levels. It covers all aspects of social life from marriage, farming and everyday social interactions. The Kuan social order has been very effective in preventing any outside attack on Dong villages.

IV .Architectural Characteristics The drum tower in the village is generally considered as the village center with the village boundary being approximately 80m away. Individual family residential buildings have no enclosed courtyards and it is rare to have flat agricultural land in the immediate vicinity of the family house. Residential buildings are generally 170m² with a pond and road located close by. Public buildings in Dong villages reflect the local Gan-lan architectural style. The ground floor is constructed with an earthen floor which serves as the focus of a Dong’s family’s spiritual life.

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VII .Community Center Drum towers are considered the center of the Dong’s cultural and spiritual life.

They are located where fengshui is considered the best. All other buildings in the village must not exceed the height of the village’s drum tower. Drum towers also function as a type of totem pole and a spiritual symbol for each large family unit, where important events such as celebrating a baby’s first month of life and naming, as well as public gatherings, debates, official announcements, dancing and singing events are all.

VI .Respect of Nature The Dong have always attached importance to their harmonious co-existence with nature. Each time a child is born atree is planted to give thanks. The nearby forests are closely guarded and are often marked with a stone tablet as is the case with Fengshui Forest. The forest is regarded as having special divine powers that will protect the village from evil as well as ensuring sufficient rainfall and sunlight. Kuan agreements commonly include punishments for those who cause any damage to the forest.

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VIII .Spiritual Life The Sa altar is an important building structure that the Donguse for worship.

Sa is the goddess of the Dong. Most Sa altars are outdoors in areas where the fengshui is considered as particularly good either in the village itself or on the slopes outside or behind the village. There are three different forms of worship─general worship, worship during wartime and worship through singing the Duoye song. The Duoye is sung in the first lunar month of the year. Village youth visit other villages to compete in singing competitions with other villages. Before the commencement of the competition a song to Sa is sung near the altar or the drum tower.

IX .Conclusion Dong village life is the result of local villagers interacting with their surrounding environment and ecology over thousands of years. Local topography and lack of transportation in these regions has meant little contact with the outside world for hundreds of years and resulted in the creation of a unique culture finely attuned to the needs of their local environment. In 2012 these villages were placed on the World Heritage tentative list by China and Dongye has now been listed on the World Intangible Heritage list.

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Traditional Chinese Villages Bulletin appears twice a year.

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Part Articles are excerpted from TCVB Chinese Version.

On the cover and the back cover: photos of Dong Villages. Provided by Bureau of cultural relics of Tongdao Dong Nationality Autonomous County,HuNan province