Li Boat-shaped House Building Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
According to Song-dynasty records, the ancient dwellings of the Li people adopted a stilt-house (ganlan) architectural form. Li villages commonly contained short-legged granaries shaped like boat-shaped houses; these are an evolved form left over from the ancient stilt dwellings. In the long course of historical development, Li dwellings gradually evolved from the stilt type into the boat-shaped house and the gold-shaped thatched house. In recent years, the government has attached importance to improving the living conditions of the Li people, adopted measures for dwelling renovation, and advanced it year by year, planning to completely eliminate thatched boat-shaped houses by the end of 2007.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The traditional residence of the Li people resembles a covered boat in external form and a boat cabin in its interior, hence the name "boat-shaped house." The Li boat-shaped houses in Jiangbian Township, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, reflect this evolution while displaying the distinctive architectural art style of the Li. Under these circumstances, the craft of building Li boat-shaped houses has lost any room to play its role, and faces the danger of complete extinction. The formal constraints of the boat-shaped house are at the same time its technical essentials: the body is long and narrow, with no beam frame dividing the interior into several rooms; the whole house's weight is borne by the side wall frames and end props, so the walls may be opened with windows as needed, and it is no problem to leave only a door on one side; the roof pitch is steep, catching the heavy rains of the Li island's rainy season; all materials are taken from local bamboo, timber, and thatch, with short transport distances, so a single household can prepare materials and build it themselves within half a year. The short-legged granary shares the same origin as the dwelling, only further lowering the raised ground floor to just enough for damp-proofing; this detail in turn proves that the boat-shaped house indeed came by gradual reduction from the stilt type.
Walls and props as the load-bearing frame
Without beams, the side frames and end props carry the load, so walls can be opened at will and the interior stays clear like a cabin.
Erecting on a slope
Pitched along the slope, the dwelling sits low at the entrance and high inside, separating living from storage.
The short-legged granary
Granaries with short legs keep the boat-like outline of the raised prototype while reducing it to the height needed against damp.
Divergence into gabled thatched houses
The stilted form diverged into boat-shaped houses and gabled thatched houses, two answers to different local conditions.
Building from what grows nearby
Bamboo, timber and thatch grow close by, so a household can build without outside help.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The boat-shaped-house method is among the Li the result of layer upon layer of reduction. According to Song-dynasty records, the earliest stilt buildings were elevated, their components standing off the ground; the short-legged granaries still seen in Li villages today, shaped like boat-shaped houses, are regarded as a surviving evolved form of the stilt dwelling—the layer of structure that lifted the whole house off the ground was omitted, and the house rose against the earth, becoming boat-shaped. Thereafter the dwellings split into two lines, the boat-shaped house and the gold-shaped thatched house: the former is framed along the slope, the latter takes a gable roof. In terms of distribution, the places that preserve this form and serve as living specimens are the Li villages in the mountainous center of Hainan Island, of which the Li boat-shaped houses in Jiangbian Township, Dongfang City, Hainan Province, are a representative: the house shape resembles a covered boat, the interior space like a boat cabin, with living and storage both compressed into the low boat body. Local sourcing is the premise that allowed it to survive: the bamboo, timber, and thatch come from the hills behind the house, and a single household can prepare materials and build it themselves without waiting for others. The dwelling-renovation of the late 20th century rapidly shrank the usable space of this form; with thatched boat-shaped houses planned for complete elimination by the end of 2007, the occasions for actual building on site disappeared, and the craft survives through village-site protection and oral documentation.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Li boat-shaped house is a typical expression of the traditional architectural culture of the Hainan Li people, and has important research value. It is necessary to adopt measures to protect it.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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