Chapter 6 Section 2 Characteristics and Social Functions of Hakka Traditional Residential Houses

Hakka traditional dwellings, represented by earthen buildings and enclosures, are of different types and styles.However, their sturdiness, safety, closure, and family cohesion are their outstanding common features. The existing round and square earth buildings in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi generally have a history of two to three hundred years or even five or six hundred years.They have been washed by wind and rain, strong earthquakes and typhoons, and they are still safe and sound, standing majestically among the mountains.The author's ancestral home "Jumeitang" also has a history of about 200 years.

Such a solid dwelling is inseparable from careful selection of housing sites, scientific design, materials and construction methods.Now we will only make some explanations from the building materials and construction methods of the earth building. The walls of the tulou are thicker at the bottom and thinner at the top, and some are as thick as two meters.When tamping, first dig a deep and large wall trench in the wall foundation, tamp it down, bury large stones as the foundation, and then use stones and mortar to build the wall foundation.The walls were then rammed with plywood.The raw material of the earth wall is mainly local clay laterite, which is mixed with appropriate amount of small stones and lime, and after repeated crushing and mixing, it is made into what is commonly known as "cooked soil".Some key parts should also be mixed with appropriate amount of glutinous rice and brown sugar to increase its viscosity.When tamping, it is necessary to bury fir branches or bamboo slices in the middle of the earth wall as "wall bones" to increase its tension.In this way, after repeated tamping, an earth wall like reinforced concrete was built, and a layer of lime was applied on the outside to prevent wind and rain erosion, so it is extremely strong and has good wind and earthquake resistance.According to the "Yongding County Chronicles", a major earthquake occurred in 1918, which lasted 20 minutes, but the earth building has always stood upright.

Historically, the Hakka people were originally Han people in the Central Plains. After they moved south to the mountainous areas on the borders of Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi, in order to prevent robbers from robbery and beast attacks, the earthen buildings and enclosures they built were well-guarded and extremely safe. For example, in an earthen building like an ancient castle, there are no outward-facing windows on the first floor, or only slender stone windows like bullet holes; every room on the second and third floors has large outward-facing windows, which are good for lighting and circulation. The air has once again become a gun hole for watching the enemy's situation and shooting outward.The door frame and threshold of the Tulou gate are made of stone, and the door panel is about 10 centimeters thick.Some gates have several gate holes embedded with bamboo tubes obliquely. If there are bandits attacking the gate, they can shoot down and pour boiling water.Some tulou gates are equipped with fire-proof water tanks. If an invading enemy sets fire to the gate, just press the switch, and water will flow down the gate to extinguish the fire and protect the gate.The earth buildings are already extremely strong, but as a precaution, some earth buildings have rammed sandwich walls.In case the outer wall is blasted away by artillery fire, the tulou will still be supported by the sandwich wall, so it will be safe and sound.There are all kinds of complete living facilities in the earth building: the deep water well in the courtyard is the water source during the siege; there are grain processing equipment such as rice paddles and pestles in the building... All these make it difficult for the bandits to attack for a long time.As for those with towering watchtowers at the four corners, it is even more deterring for bandits.

Hakka dwellings, no matter the earth building, the surrounding house, or the Wufeng building, every room, hall, and patio in it are connected by corridors, lanes, and stairs, making life convenient for residents.However, they are completely closed to the outside world.Tulou generally have only one main entrance and one back entrance, or one main entrance and two side entrances; Enclosed houses, horizontal houses of encircled dragon houses, and semi-circular enclosed houses all have gate towers.In case of robbers and robbers, as long as the door is closed, it will be tightly sealed. Hakka Tulou, Waiwu, Wufenglou, etc. are generally large in scale.Yongding "Chengqi Building" has more than 400 rooms and an area of ​​5376 square meters. The "Yujing Building" has five floors, with an area of ​​10,336 square meters, and there are 51 halls alone.

Such a huge dwelling is precisely to adapt to the characteristics of living together. "Chengqi Building" once lived in 80 households with more than 600 people.The Luo family's Wailong House in Jiaoling, Guangdong, the author's hometown, has more than 300 rooms, where 50 Luo families and 350 people live together.Although there are many households, since there are many rooms, halls, and courtyards, the halls, courtyards, and several rooms can be used to form small living units, so that the residents can find their own place and look elegant and comfortable. It is worth mentioning that the "heart" of the earth building and the surrounding house - the ancestral hall.On weekdays, this is the place where the patriarch gathers the parents of each household to discuss matters; during the New Year and festivals, each family of the clan brings various offerings and comes here to worship the ancestors; After saying goodbye to the ancestors in the ancestral hall, you can cover your head and step out of the pavilion by stepping on the big round plaque that symbolizes reunion; when the old man passes away, the ancestral hall becomes a mourning hall... In this way, an ancestral hall will unite the family harmoniously , to share the happiness of the family.