Hakka Dwellings —— Introduction to the scenic spots in Weilongwu;

In the villages where Hakkas live in Lingnan mountainous area, people can see many Hakka residential buildings with unique style, simple and elegant, such as Wai Lung House, Zouma Building and Four Corners Building. Among them, the Hakka Dragon House is the most famous, and it is called one of the most characteristic buildings in China by Chinese and foreign architects. Dragon House was first built in Tang and Song Dynasties and prevailed in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Hakkas used the most advanced beam-lifting and bucket-piercing technology in the construction technology of the Han nationality in the Central Plains to build dragon houses in hilly areas or hillsides.

The main structure is "one entrance, three halls, two compartments and one enclosure". Ordinary enclosure houses occupy 8 mu, 10 mu, and large ones occupy more than 30 mu. Dragon House is a huge fortress of Hakkas. Bedroom, kitchen, hall, well, pigsty, henhouse, toilet, warehouse and other living facilities are all available, which is a typical epitome of China's feudal self-sufficient life. Different from many round dragon houses, the dragon houses around Heyuan are square, which are called "mansion style" and "turret style" Its shape is close to the traditional "quadrangle" in the north and its cultural connotation is deeper. There are more than 30 well-preserved Hakka houses around Xiantangwei Town, Dongyuan County, a suburb. Now this residential building, which has been transformed into a Hakka folk museum for tourists to visit, is a typical representative of Heyuan Dragon House. According to the records, it was built in Qianlong 17 (1749), and the back building was rebuilt and expanded by the owner, with 66 rooms, 24 halls and 12 patios, so this residence is 250 years old.

Tang Xian is a Longwei with large scale, complex structure and exquisite layout. There are not only bedrooms, bathhouses, study rooms and kitchens, but also a four-story pavilion. When you come to the pavilion, if you pay attention, you can notice that there are small square windows on the four walls of each floor. Some people may wonder, is it too stingy to light a lamp in such a small window? What I want to tell you here is that it is mainly a lookout hole and a shooting hole to defend against foreign enemies, and it is convenient to use weapons such as soil guns, soil cannons and bows and arrows to fight against invading enemies.

The design of the dragon enclosure was closely related to the situation of Hakkas at that time: Hakkas moved south to remote mountainous areas and were excluded and bullied by local people. In order to keep in line with the outside world, they have to live in groups and build castle-like houses with defensive functions. The most puzzling thing about this house is that there are so many courtyards and halls. Although this is a deep house, the light passes through several patios, and every corner is much brighter. The main hall is divided into upper, middle and lower floors.

It is said that Shangtang is the parking place for a century-old man when he comes back to life; The central hall is a place for ancestor worship and deliberation. Among them, the upper, middle and lower halls are separated by two screens. Generally, when a wedding is held, the screens in the lower hall are opened, and when a centenarian dies, the screens in the two halls are opened. You know what, my friend? Last year, many scenes of the first 10 episode of the TV series "The Story of Hong Kong" broadcast by CCTV to welcome the return of Hong Kong were shot in this Hakka "Grand View Garden".

Whether it is round or square, Longwei has the same characteristics in architecture: taking the north-south meridian as the central axis, east-west symmetry, low in front and high in back, clear primary and secondary, orderly position and regular layout. There are dozens or hundreds of residential units around the hall and patio, which is suitable for dozens, hundreds or even hundreds of people to live in one room. It's really amazing. Nowadays, most Hakka dwellings have been rebuilt, mostly in the form of single-family houses with reinforced concrete structures, and Longwei houses are no longer built, so the remaining Longwei houses are particularly precious. The design and architecture of the enclosure dragon house not only has the primitive details of the Central Plains but also the characteristics of the southern mountainous areas, which integrates science, practicality and appreciation, and shows the outstanding talents and superb skills of Hakka ancestors. Along with quadrangles in Beijing, caves in Shaanxi, "railing style" in Guangxi, and "a letter" in Yunnan, the surrounding dragon house has been praised by Chinese and foreign architectural circles as five characteristic residential buildings in China.

Now, the Dragon House has stepped out of the closed mountain and moved towards a vast world. It has become a historical relic and a strange landscape. The exquisite structure, wonderful layout and rich connotation of the Dragon House will leave a deep impression on people. Accustomed to modern high-rise buildings, it is not only a wonderful enjoyment, but also an increase in knowledge to look at antique Hakka dwellings.