Green Buildings Made of Yellow Earth
Sunken courtyard dwellings are commonly seen along the Yellow River in Shaanxi, Shanxi and Henan provinces in northern China where the soil is super compact, almost like concrete. Though built with yellow earth, they are green buildings. Very green.
A typical sunken siheyuan would have a yard about 6 metres deep with an area size of more than 100 sqms. Around this private open space, 10 or 12 or 14 rooms are dug off the central courtyard, each three metres high from floor to the top of the arched ceiling, eight to twelve metres deep from the front door to the back of the wall.
This traditional Yellow Earth-style residence has a history of over 2000 years. It utilises the materials readily available nearby, occupies the least farmland and leaves a minimum negative impact on the natural environment.
COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS
Feb 9, 2019
Eric Horrobin
I wonder if the issue of water would be dealt with by drainage. Modern times could use sump pump, but otherwise would need somehow to have water pass through the cave-dwelling.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Looks like An ENTRY to A BUNKER CELL ๐
There Could Be A WELL Dug Right in The Center of The SUBTERRANEAN HOUSE, Where RAIN WATER is Collected ๐ Most OLD CHINESE COURTYARD HOUSES have That in The OLD DAYS ๐ In Each House ๐
All Things Chineseย
The Yellow Plateau region does not rain often and when rains it does not rain heavily and when on the occasions it rains heavily the highly compact thus dry soil in the courtyard would absorb the water in no time.
I believe some better-equipped sunken dwellings do use drainage or water pit or open ditch but they may not be much use as the super dry soil in the courtyard would suck all the water as soon as it rains.
COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS
Feb 22, 2019
Rony Ton
้คไบๆๆ็ๆๆฐด็ณป็ตฑ็ไฝ็จๅฐไนพๆธด็้ปๅ้ซๅไพ่ชช๏ผไธ่ฆ่ชชไธๅคฉ๏ผๅฐฑ็ฎไธๅๅๅคฉใๅๅๆ็ๅคง้จ๏ผไนๅๅคฉ้็้๏ผ็พไธๅๆถ
All Things Chinese
You’re absolutely right.๐
Eric Horrobin
So now there is water in the well. Nice ๐
All Things Chineseย
There should be water in the well even without rain, otherwise, what’s the point to have a well – The region seldom has decent rains.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Nice ARBOR Above The WELL ๐
All Things Chinese
Without raised brick border around, the soil can be easily washed into the well during the rain and the underground water can be contaminated. But with the border, it won’t be able to function as a drainage pit for the courtyard.
Eric Horrobin
So the water in the well is drinkable? Or used to water the garden.?
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Maybe Used for CONSUMPTION in BAD TIMES like DROUGHT ๐ And RAIN + SNOW – Used in GOOD TIMES ๐
Eric Horrobin
Ah Yes! Maybe a boil water advisory when necessary to use. ๐ค
Mile HsiangYang Lee
A WELL – The Water is Usually HARD WATER as Compared to PROCESSED WATER with FLUORIDE – Which is A SOFT WATER, Which We are Used to in NORTH AMERICAS ๐๐๐๐๐
All Things Chinese
I believe it’s drinkable after having distilled for a while.
Mile HsiangYang Leeย
Distilled? ๐ฎ I Guess, You Would Need A FLASK + A FUNNEL + A BEAKER + A GAS STOVE + A WIRE GAUZE etc etc ๐ DISTILLATION PROCESS – I Learned That When I was 12 Years Old in The School Lab. It Almost Exploded in My Face ๐ฆ
All Things Chinese
Chinese traditionally used large ceramic vets to store and distill water fetched from a river.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Ahhhh… Like Those for SOY SAUCE + KIMCHI …..Waiting for FERMENTATION? ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฎ
All Things Chinese
They put kind of stuff similar to alkali into the water which helps bring all junk down to the bottom.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Alkali? ๐ฎย VINEGAR, Right?
This traditional Yellow Earth-style residence has a history of over 2000 years. It utilizes the materials readily available nearby, occupies the least farmland and leaves a minimum negative impact on the natural environment.
With the ability to maintain a stable temperature during all seasons, being windproof, noise-proof and quake-resistant, it is an inspirational example of environmentally sustainable residential housing design that has its core concept rooted in a culture that respects and reflects the world around it.
The Decline of the Tradition
Entering the 21st century, the locals began to tore down the sunken residences and built on-ground houses.
COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS
March 7, 2019
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Abandoned? Old Village? ๐ฎ SHANXI PROVINCE? ๐ฎ All Scooped Up by ALIENS + DISSECTED for BIOPSY SAMPLES? ๐ฑ
David Crosswell
There are many deserted, or near-deserted villages in China now. If there are any inhabitants, it’s the older people: the young ones have joined the rural drift, into the cities to find work.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Sounds like JAPAN ๐ The YOUNG are in BIG CITIES + Many Old One have Passed On – HOMES Abandoned ๐ฉ JAPANESE GOVT is AUCTIONING Them Off. If You Want to LIVE in JAPAN + Could Afford JAPANESE COST of LIVING + LIFESTYLE, It’s A GOOD OPTION to Consider ๐
SEAN PAN
To completely eliminate poverty in the whole country by 2020, there are custom made plans to urbanize those populations to where social services are available.
David Crosswell
Yes, but Japan wouldn’t be an option for me.
China, yes, but not Japan.
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Yes – CHINA is DIVERSE with Many CULTURES ๐ JAPAN is Just NOT ๐
Even The MAJORITY HAN – CHINESE PEOPLE, The CULTURE + CUSTOMS + CUISINES + LINGUAL FRANCA + LINGO – It Varies from CITY to CITY, PROVINCE to PROVINCE ๐ It’s Even More So for The Other 55 ETHNIC MINORITIES in CHINA – KOREAN, MONGOL, MANCHU, RUSSIAN, UIGHUR (TURKIC), KAZAKH (TURK – MONGOL), KRYGYST (TURK – MONGOL), HUI (CHINESE MOSLEM), HMONG (VIETNAMESE TRIBE), DAI (THAI) etc etc ๐ Enjoy ๐
Just Curious – Why JAPAN is Not An OPTION? ๐ฎ FUKUSHIMA? ๐ฎ
David Crosswell
Just not an option for me for a number of reasons. I’m steering more in the direction of the Xi-Putin thought process, and Japan is just a little too `American’.
Niggers Stink
China has tons of abandoned villages. The old ways are dying out and most look to the cities these days. Sad but that’s the future of Earth.
Iacovos Florides
Great for airsoft!
A Trend to Revive the Tradition
However, the trend starts to change now as more people have realised on-ground houses have issues with the local climate conditions which are extremely windy and dry. To start with, cracks would appear on the walls of the houses months after they were built.
Do you think the ancient Chinese on the Yellow Pleatues never knew there was such a thing as on-ground buildings? I don’t think so. But they chose to stay in their sunken residence, which must be for a good reason.
Now, some have rediscovered the advantages of sunken courtyard dwellings. For one thing, cave residences are renowned for being warm in winter and cool in summer without a need to use air conditioning.
COMMENTS FROM GOOGLE PLUS
Feb 10, 2019
Mile HsiangYang Lee
Is That CARPETED FLOORING?ย
No HEARTH or A FIREPLACE? ๐ฎ
All Things Chinese
No, that’s a brick paving floor and bamboo mat fire bed.
The fire bed keeps warm all day heated by hot air underneath fed by a brick range stove next door through a brick channel between the two.
After all, the temperature in the cave is rather consistent all year round.
Mile HsiangYang Leeย
BAMBOO MAT? Like JAPANESE TATAMI? FIRE BED? ๐ฎ Ahh….Yes. I’ve Seen That in SHENYANG CITY – LIAONING PROVINCE – Just Across The Border to NORTH KOREA ๐
All Things Chineseย
Bamboo mats are commonly used in China during summer.
Have you ever slept on a fire bed? It must be very cozy.
When I visited Changchun, Jilin province, in winter, I lived in a modern flat with heating where there is no fire bed. I’ve never seen a real fire bed in my life. ;-(
Eric Horrobin
Why is it called fire bed? Is it really warm?? It may be a solution for the homeless people in American.
Wait it’s kept hot by the air from fire in the next room. D’uh I should pay attention when I read. ๐
All Things Chinese
Fire bed is unique in northern China where the temperature can be below minus 20+. When I visited Changchun in China’s northeast, it was -22 and I was told to cover every part of my body when going out including my face otherwise my nose or ears would fall off ;-D
The fire bed is built with bricks with a tunnel underneath. The bedroom (also a living room) is next to the kitchen, so on the other side of the wall is a brick stove range. When cooking, the hot air rolls through the tunnel to underneath the brick bed.
The bed keeps warm all day and the residents (especially women) would spend all their time in the bed sleeping, eating and doing needlework.
Do you see a small table on the bed? That is a dinner table.
On cold and long winter nights, the men would sit on the fire bed sipping warm rice wine and chewing roasted peanuts for hours in flicking candlelight.
When guests come, they are invited to sit on the bed by the table, sipping warm rice wine with the male host and the women in the family would make extra dishes like quick stir eggs and pickled pork or beef slices. Then the host and the guests would chat away and sometimes tell some ghost stories while the kids are around to listen.
Before sleep, a woman would sweep the bed with a small broom just like you might sweep your kitchen floor.
Then everyone would sleep on the same fire bed and enjoy the wolf howling-like sound from the northwest wind outside and have sweet dreams.
The next morning when they open their eyes watching out through the window (fire beds are always next to the window), they find the land is draped in a white wedding gown …. wow …. snow!
I’ve never seen a real fire bed but I believe my description should be quite accurate.
