It is said that the ancestors of the Tujia people moved to western Hubei because their hometown was flooded. At that time, the ancient trees were towering, thorns were thick, and jackals, tigers and leopards were everywhere. The "dog paw sheds" built by the Tujia ancestors were often attacked by wild beasts.
For the sake of safety, people burned tree fires and buried bamboo knots inside. The light of the fire and the sound of firecrackers scared away the attacking beasts, but people were still often threatened by venomous snakes and centipedes.
Later, a Tujia old man came up with a solution: He asked the young men to use the ready-made big trees to make a frame, bundle the wood, then spread the wild bamboo strips, then build a frame on the top to cover the roof, and repair it. They built large and small houses in the air, where they ate and slept.
From then on, people were no longer afraid of attacks by venomous snakes and beasts. This method of building houses in the air later developed into stilted buildings.
Extended information:
There are many forms of stilted buildings, and the types are as follows:
Single-suspended type, which is the most common form , some people call it "head hanging" or "key head". Its characteristic is that only the side rooms on one side of the main house are suspended in the air, supported by wooden pillars below.
Double-suspended type, also known as "double-headed crane" or "zuojikou", is a development of the single-suspended type, that is, there are suspended wing rooms at both ends of the main room. Single-suspended and double-suspended types are not determined by geographical differences. They mainly depend on economic conditions and family needs. Single-suspended and double-suspended types are often located in the same place.
Four-water style, this form of stilted building is developed on the basis of the double-slung style. Its characteristic is that the upper parts of the stilted building at both ends of the main house are connected together to form a Siheyuan. The main door is at the downstairs of the two-bedroom house. After entering the main door of this kind of courtyard house, you have to go up a few stone steps to enter the main house.
Two-house hanging type, this form is developed on the basis of single hanging and double hanging, that is, adding another layer to the general stilt building. Suitable for both single and double cranes. Flat-ground hoisting type, this form of stilt building is also developed on the basis of single hoisting. There are both single hoisting and double hoisting.
Its main feature is that it is built in a flat dam. According to the terrain, there is no need for hanging feet, but the wing room is lifted up and supported by wooden pillars. The ground where the supporting wooden pillars are placed is flush with the ground of the main house, so that the side rooms are higher than the main house.
Function:
The main room is used to worship ancestors, welcome guests and handle weddings and funerals. It is divided into two floors, the first floor is used for storing sundries. The second layer is used for living and storing food, which can keep it dry, solves the problem of high humidity in mountainous areas to a certain extent, and makes it easier for people to live.
Construction methods:
Select a house site, check the Feng Shui, level the foundation, prepare materials, cut materials, push materials, install stone blocks, exhaust fans, make beams, erect the house, and raise the beams , eaves cutting, house decoration and other ancillary projects. In short, there are complete procedures and different techniques from selecting the house foundation, preparing materials, erecting the house, to finishing the decoration.
Diaojiaolou has rich cultural connotations. The Tujia folk residential buildings pay attention to the dragon veins, are built according to the situation and the deification phenomenon of human beings and gods, and also have a very prominent concept of space and cosmology. The Diaojiaolou of the Tujia people are not only unilaterally in the embrace of the universe and nature, but the universe is also in the embrace of the universe and nature.
This concept of space that accommodates the universe is very obvious in the song of the Tujia people's beam ceremony: "One step forward, look at the beam, a round of Tai Chi is in the center, and the one yuan line begins to show auspiciousness. Take two steps up , beaming with joy, with the word "Qian Kun" on both sides, the sun and moon will be enjoyed forever in pairs..."
The "Qian Kun" and "Sun and Moon" here represent the universe. In a sense, the Tujia Diaojiao House becomes closer and more intimate to the universe subjectively, making houses, people and the universe integrated and inseparable.
Baidu Encyclopedia-The Legend of Diaojiaolou