Hakka Dwellings: Surrounding Dragon House
Surrounding Dragon House
The styles and forms of Hakka Dwellings have changed in different historical periods and in different regions, including Yuanzhai, Surrounding Dragon House, Zoumalou and Sijiaolou. But the most representative one is the dragon enclosure. Surrounding Dragon House is a typical Hakka residential building with Central Plains characteristics. Hakka surrounding dragon house, together with Beijing's quadrangle, Shaanxi's cave dwelling, Guangxi's pole column style and Yunnan's seal, are called the five traditional residential building forms with the most local flavor in China, and are called one of the five characteristics of China residential buildings by Chinese and foreign architectural circles. According to the investigation by historians, this kind of residential building is very similar to the house type of the noble courtyard in the Central Plains, which has its historical origin. Hakka ancestors originally belonged to the Han people in the Central Plains, and moved south to the mountainous areas bordering Jiangxi, Guangdong and Fujian for reasons such as war and famine. After the Hakka ancestors moved south to settle in Lingnan, they not only spread the advanced farming techniques of the Central Plains, but also maintained the original traditional style of the buildings and houses.
first, the overall layout of the enclosure
the overall layout of the enclosure is a big garden, and in the overall shape, the enclosure is a taiji diagram.
The first half of the enclosure is a half-moon pond, and the second half is a half-moon building. The joint of the two halves is separated by a rectangular open space, which is tamped and paved with concrete. It is called "Wo Ping" (or Ditang), which is a place for residents to exercise or dry. At the junction of "Wo Ping" and the pond, a high or low stone wall is built with lime and small stones. The short one is called "wall ridge" and the high one is called "zhaoqiang". Half-moon pond is mainly used for stocking fish and shrimp, watering vegetable fields and storing water to prevent drought and fire. It is not only a natural fertilizer warehouse, but also a natural sewage purification pool.
The building in the second half is a square main building in the middle. There are "three buildings and two horizontal buildings" and a surrounding layer; There are "three buildings and four horizontal buildings" and two surrounding floors. The smallest enclosure has a building area of thousands of square meters, and the largest is tens of thousands of square meters. Some big dragon houses are inhabited by hundreds of families and hundreds of people. Generally speaking, "three buildings and two horizontal buildings" are the majority of one enclosure. There are three dragon houses with two horizontal walls, including upper hall, middle hall and lower hall. There is a patio between the halls, which is separated by wooden screens, which can be opened and closed as required. There are north and south halls, upper and lower corridors, toilets, drawing rooms, wing rooms, study rooms, living rooms, etc. around the hall, which are patchwork and have clear priorities. The building structure is low at the front and high at the back, which is beneficial to lighting, ventilation, drainage and sewage discharge.
the main house-the outer layer of the horizontal house is a half-moon enclosure, some of which are one enclosure and some are two enclosures, hence the name of the enclosure. The arc-shaped enclosure guards the main room, forming a defensive barrier. The windows in the enclosure are generally small, which are natural observation holes and shooting holes, so it is convenient to use bows and arrows, soil guns, soil guns and other martial arts to fight against the attacking enemy. In fact, the design and architecture of the dragon house had a great relationship with the situation of the Hakkas at that time. Hakkas are Han Chinese who migrated from the Central Plains to the south since the Tang and Song Dynasties. Most of them live in remote mountainous areas and are squeezed out and bullied by local people. In order to unite and resist aggression and survive, they have to live together and build a defensive castle-style house-the Dragon House, to resist the intrusion of bandits and local people. There is also a solid multi-storey "turret" in the dragon enclosure, which can be used to store food and forage, and can also shoot the invading enemy from a commanding height. If bandits come to harass and rob, as long as the gate and half door are closed, the villagers will carry weapons into the dragon enclosure and turret to fight.
second, the cultural spirit implied in the dragon enclosure
first, it reflects the traditional virtues of Hakka people, such as unity and mutual assistance, respect for the elderly and the virtuous, courtesy and civilization, and knowledge and understanding. Small rockeries, fish ponds and bonsai are generally arranged in the large and small patios in the enclosure. All kinds of flowers and trees are carried around the "flower head" in the half garden behind the main house and the half-moon pond in front of the main entrance. The forest on the hill behind the enclosure is called "Dragon Clothes", and it is forbidden to cut down. The whole building is hidden among the evergreen trees, with flowers and birds all year round, and the environment is beautiful and Jing Ya.
The columns, beams, beams and doors in the enclosure are carved with vivid patterns such as landscapes, flowers and birds, birds and animals, and painted with bright and dazzling paint, which looks magnificent, antique and magnificent. Generally speaking, a dragon enclosure is inhabited by a close relative family, who live in harmony with each other, respect the old and love the young, and respect each other as guests. On holidays, men, women and children gather in the upper hall of the main house to worship their ancestors, and dance dragons and lions, beating gongs and drums and enjoying themselves, showing a scene of joy and peace.
second, the style of Hakka dragon enclosure house is the inheritance of the original residential style. According to archaeological data, the Banpo clan and Longshan clan in the middle and late primitive society in the Yellow River basin lived in an area composed of dozens of square and round rammed earth houses. This shows that the Hakka people's concept of living subconsciously contains their recovery and reference to some of their ancestors' housing experiences.
thirdly, the architectural features of the dragon enclosure are also the projection of ancient yin and yang thoughts.
It is embodied in the philosophy of "harmony between man and nature". In case of unsatisfactory terrain, adjust the seating direction by adding a half-moon flower terrace or pond or building half door to achieve the balance of yin and yang and adapt to the environment. This thought of yin and yang was later mixed with a lot of witchcraft culture that pays attention to "feng shui house field", such as the old saying: "Feng Shui is indispensable to the world, and it is all supported by yin and yang".
Fourth, it embodies the traditional clan concept.
Hakka residential buildings are large in scale. On the one hand, they show the habit of Hakka people living in groups. Because, whether in the long journey or in a new place, Hakka people have difficulties that are difficult for one family to overcome, and they have to rely on their own surnames to live together; On the other hand, the residents in the house allocate rooms according to seniority and rank, and ancestral tablets are arranged in the center of their buildings for future generations to worship, which reflects the traditional family ethics of Hakka people to some extent.
When the Hakkas build a new house, they usually hold the custom of "moving to a new house", which is called "shaming". It will be safe and auspicious to ask Mr. Feng Shui to drive away the "three evils". On the day of moving, there are big banquets and sacrifices to the gods.
See Hakkas
Hakkas, also known as Heluolang. Hakka is a distinctive Han nationality, and it is also one of the most widely distributed and far-reaching Han nationalities in the world.
the history of Hakka people
The ancestors of Hakka people originated from the Central Plains and migrated from the Central Plains to the south, which is a branch of the Han nationality in the south of China. Because I am in a foreign land, I call myself "Heluolang" because I am attached to my hometown Heluo (Luohe Valley centered on Luoyang). On the one hand, Hakka culture retains the mainstream characteristics of Central Plains culture, on the other hand, it contains the cultural essence of the local ethnic groups. Hakka people often take those talented men as examples, inspire and educate their children and grandchildren, and learn from their predecessors who have made great achievements. Some people say: Where there is the sun, there are China people, and where there are China people, there are Hakkas. Others say: where there is sunshine, there are Hakkas; Where there is a piece of land, Hakkas live in groups, work hard and reproduce. Hakkas are known as "Oriental Jews" because they travel all over the world, emigrate to the world, and there are many successful people in overseas business circles.
the first migration to the south was in the Qin Shihuang era. After Qin Shihuang unified China in 221 BC, for political and military needs, 6, troops were sent to "March to the south". South of Qin Jun, from the Fujian-Guangdong-Jiangxi border into Jieling (that is, Jieyang Mountain, now 15 miles north of Jieyang County), reaching the boundaries of Xingning and Haifeng counties. In 214 BC, Qin Shihuang sent another 5, soldiers to "defend Wuling in the south" (now Guangdong and Guangxi). These soldiers have long been "guarding the five ridges and crossing the miscellaneous places." After the death of Qin, two groups of Qin soldiers who went south stayed in the local area and became the first Hakkas.
The second southward migration was in the period of "Five Disorders in China" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. At that time, in order to take refuge, some Central Plains residents moved to the border areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi. Later, due to the confrontation between the North and the South, about 96, people from the Central Plains moved south to both sides of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River. Part of the population flows into Gannan, and part of it enters Fujian and Guangdong through Ningdu and Shicheng.
The third southward migration was during the Huang Chao Uprising in the late Tang Dynasty. First, the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty brought great disasters to the people and forced a large number of Han people in the Central Plains to flee south. During the Huang Chao Uprising in the late Tang Dynasty, a large number of Han people from the Central Plains fled to Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi. For example, Li Meng, the imperial clan, moved from Chang 'an to Bianliang and then moved to Gubi Township, Ninghua, Fujian. Gushi people, Wang Xu and Wang Chao, responded to the Huang Chao Uprising and led five thousand peasant rebels from Guangzhou and Shouzhou to Jiangxi, resulting in a sharp increase in the population along the border of Fujian and Jiangxi.
The fourth southward migration was during the Southern Song Dynasty and the late Song Dynasty. Jin people invaded, built Yan Nan Du, and some officials and scholars moved to Taihu Lake basin. Another part of the gentry or crossed Dagengling in the south and entered Nanxiong, Shixing and Shaozhou; Or along the flood, Kyrgyzstan, Qianzhou, and then from Qianzhou to Tingzhou; Or stay in counties in southern Jiangxi. At the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Yuan army went south in a big way, and a large number of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Jiangxi Song people fled from Putian to Chaoshan, the coastal area of Guangdong, to Hainan Island.
the fifth southward migration was in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. At that time, the Hakkas living in southern Jiangxi, eastern Guangdong and northern Guangdong migrated to Sichuan, Hunan, Guangxi, Taiwan, central Guangdong and western Guangdong because of their large population and limited land. This large-scale migration is called "Westward Movement" in the history of Hakka immigrants. Hakka in Sichuan basically originated from this "westward movement". At that time, the population of Sichuan decreased sharply due to war, plague and natural disasters, and the Qing government especially encouraged immigrants to fill Sichuan from Huguang.
The sixth southward migration was during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom in the mid-19th century. At that time, in order to avoid war, some Hakkas migrated to South Asia, and some were lured into indentured labor and taken to Malaysia, the United States, Panama, Brazil and other places.
In addition to the above six large-scale southward migrations, some Han people in the Central Plains also fled to the south because of droughts and floods, and others settled in the border areas of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi through official relegation, business and study tours in previous dynasties. However, not all Han people who moved to the south became Hakkas, and only those from Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi departments and people from this department were called Hakkas.
According to statistics, the Hakkas living in Chinese mainland are mainly distributed in Guangdong, Jiangxi, Fujian, Sichuan, Hunan, Hubei, Guizhou, Taiwan Province, Hong Kong and Macao, with a total population of over 5 million, accounting for 5% of the Han population. Abroad, Hakkas are mainly distributed in more than 8 countries and regions such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore in Southeast Asia, Japan and North Korea in East Asia, the United States, Canada and Brazil in America, and Britain, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria in Europe, with a population of 3 million.
Hakka ancestors originally lived in the north, and later moved to the south of the Yangtze River, where they lived in Jiangxi, Guangdong, Fujian, Hunan, Taiwan and Qionglai provinces, and gradually spread abroad and all over the world. Gannan is the first stop for Hakka ancestors to move south, and it is also one of the areas with the largest number of Hakka people living in the most concentrated areas. The origin of the title "Hakka" is related to the migration of Hakka ancestors. As far as their place of residence is concerned, these people are "guests" who moved from other places. It can be said that without migration, there would be no such title as "Hakka".
There are various reasons for Hakkas' migration. In the early days, it was mainly due to the stress of disasters. Such as brutal war, floods, droughts, insects and other catastrophic natural disasters and the epidemic of plague. Every large-scale war in the history of China has almost caused a great migration of Hakkas. According to historical records, there was a great migration of Hakka ancestors in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Just imagine, in the long years, the "Five Hus and Sixteen Countries" are constantly in flames of war and full of sorrow. Can you survive if you don't escape? It is said that it was at that time that our ancestor Chen left his native land in western Henan and moved to Jiangxi and finally settled in Ganxian. "how much brighter the moonlight is at home!", at first, our ancestors may just want to stay for a while, but they will get used to it gradually. So he built houses, reclaimed fields, raised pigs and cattle, and lived for a long time. From temporary guest residence to permanent home. In this way, it will be a Hakka forever!
It is worth mentioning that there is a special way of migration. It is said that in order to build the Epang Palace, Qin Shihuang drove tens of thousands of "wooden guests" to logging in Gannan to rejuvenate the country, but they stayed there after they were not exhausted. This is probably the earliest ancestor of Hakka people in Gannan.
the process of migration must be difficult and dangerous. Help the old and bring the young, travel across mountains and rivers, and settle down in a strange place. Hakka ancestors cut through thorns and overcome obstacles, "opening roads on every mountain and bridging bridges when encountering water". They finally survived, forming a thriving folk group with tens of millions of people today.
the last procedure of migration is to build a house and settle down. A Hakka elder said: "The most important thing to settle down is to determine the location of the housing field. How to decide? It depends on feng shui. This geomantic omen is not the geomantic omen that Mr. Geography talks about superstition. Mainly take sunshine, look at the wind direction, be close to the water source, be close to the hard mountain and choose the highland. It is an ideal choice to sit facing south, facing the sun and leeward, with firewood near the water and wide vision. "
People often admire Hakka people for their diligence, courage, perseverance and wit. As a clan group, Hakka naturally experienced social reality and production reality in a more diverse and deeper level than other groups because of the long-distance migration of ancestors for generations, and it was bound to be tempered and nourished more and accumulated more experience in dealing with the relationship with nature and social interpersonal relationships. Therefore, there have been a large number of politicians, scientists, writers and entrepreneurs in the Hakka community ...
There are many theories about the origin of Hakka, the main ones are the theory of Hakka Central Plains and the theory of Hakka aborigines. The theory of Hakka Central Plains holds that the main body of Hakka is immigrants from the Central Plains, while the theory of Hakka aborigines holds that "the Hakka * * * is the same body produced by the amalgamation of the Han people who moved south and the ancient Vietnamese immigrants in the triangle area of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi, and its main body is the ancient Vietnamese people living in this land, not a few Central Plains people living in this area". From the Song Dynasty, the Han people in the Central Plains moved southward in a large scale, and arrived in Meizhou through southern Jiangxi and western Fujian, and finally formed a relatively mature and stable Hakka family. Since then, the Hakkas have taken Meizhou as their base and moved abroad in large numbers to the whole country and even all over the world. The "three Hakka States" are Jiaying, Ganzhou and Tingzhou.
When it comes to Hakka, the most famous one is their tulou. If you search for Hakka on the Internet, many items about tulou will appear at the same time. If you are a stamp collector, you should have noticed that one of the Fujian folk houses in the set of stamps of China folk houses is the Hakka earth building. Because most of the Hakkas lived in remote mountainous areas or deep forests, at that time, not only building materials were scarce, wolves, tigers, leopards and thieves were noisy, but also they were afraid of being harassed by local people, so Hakkas built a "defensive" castle-style building house like a tulou. In Fujian, earth buildings are divided into square earth buildings and round earth buildings, while round buildings are relatively rare.
It is estimated that everyone still remembers a joke about tulou: It is said that in the 196s and 197s, American spy satellites took photos of China, and they were surprised to find that there were many unknown large buildings, round or square, distributed in the mountainous areas of Fujian Province. After analysis, they were considered as "missile launching bases", and China's military strength should not be underestimated. It was not until the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States that Americans realized that the so-called "missile launching bases" were actually typical Hakka houses-tulou.
Of course, Hakka tofu is also very famous. The most famous tofu in China: Hakka fermented tofu, Sichuan Mapo tofu and Hunan stinky tofu. The latter two can only be regarded as side dishes and snacks, and only the Hakka people have upgraded tofu to a big dish and a main course. Even their songs about new houses contain tofu. For example, one of them sings:
Newly bought grindstones, and
wholeheartedly bought ground soybean milk.