Chongqing is built on mountains and surrounded by two rivers. Due to the topography, all buildings need to be built sequentially along the hillside. When talking about the "houses" of Chongqing people, we have to talk about the famous and characteristic building - Diaojiaolou.
Because the Yangtze River and Jialing River cross the urban area, they create two rivers and four banks. Therefore, everywhere along the riverside and hillside in Chongqing, there are square wooden buildings supported by a few fir poles, which are called stilted buildings. Diaojiaolou, as a unique traditional residential form in Chongqing, can be traced back to before the Eastern Han Dynasty. At present, most of the residential buildings on stilts preserved in Chongqing were built after the 1930s and 1940s. Old Chongqing people will never forget Linjiangmen, Shibanpo, Hualong Bridge, Houci Street, Chuandaoguai and other stilted buildings with the characteristics of southwest residents.
The stilted buildings in Chongqing have unique characteristics, just like the famous saying of Li Tiaoyuan, a famous scholar in central Sichuan: "The two ends of the stilted building are lost in Chuanxindian, and the three sides are facing the river." With the mountains on the back and the river, it is exactly The uniqueness of Chongqing's Diaojiaolou is the most beautiful place. I remember the stilted building in my childhood memory. In the evening, when the sun sets, the golden and soft sunlight shines on the undulating buildings scattered high and low. With the lights, I look from a distance: on the hillside, sometimes it is bright, sometimes dazzling, and sometimes vague. , just like a freehand painting of flowing landscapes, with shades of light and dark; in the river, the waves are sparkling, like pearls, with groups of twinkling lights connecting both sides of the river, enlivening the entire city.
The stilted buildings in Chongqing reflect the tenacious will of Chongqing people. While the courtyard houses reflect the grandeur and stability of Beijingers, and the Shikumen buildings reflect the sophistication and openness of Shanghainese, Chongqing's stilted buildings can highlight the unique spiritual charm of Chongqing people. Since Chongqing has many mountains and land is in short supply, our ancestors relied on the mountains and adapted to local conditions. They used wooden slats and bamboo squares to suspend fictitious houses to take advantage of the situation of "the sky is flat and the earth is uneven". On the top, shuttle houses were added, and buildings were built along the mountain. These stilted buildings are either pierced structures or bundled structures, and are very crude. Looking from a distance, if it is a room alone, it looks crooked and swaying, as if it will fall down if the wind blows. If they are in a row, you squeeze me and I lean on you, holding hands, shoulder to shoulder, embodying a kind of team spirit. Chongqing people have lived in stilted buildings like this for two to three thousand years. In the event of a flood, the water will overflow; in the event of a landslide, the soil will wash away; in the event of wind and rain, the wind and rain will blow. Year after year, people continue to resist nature, defeat it time and time again, and build the stilted building stronger and stronger. The simple stilted building is a shelter built by Chongqing people for thousands of years under poor economic conditions and making full use of natural conditions. It best reflects the tenacious spirit and indomitable will of Chongqing people.
The Diaojiaolou in Chongqing is the cultural heritage of Bayu. Nowadays, large tracts of stilted buildings no longer exist. As a characteristic of Bayu folk houses in mountain cities, stilted houses have gradually formed a unique stilted building culture and are a beautiful landscape in the bustling city. The renovation of old houses in Shibanpo, the urban balconies in Hongyadong, etc. all reflect the charm and culture of Chongqing's Diaojiaolou. The wooden slats turned into stones, the bamboo walls turned into brick walls, and the cornices and walls were carved with dragons and phoenixes, like a necklace inlaid on the neck of a modern city, emitting streams of shining light. These buildings, either attached to the cliff or on stilts, have the feeling of "flying over the cliff". They are like a humanities and art museum. They constitute the unique residential style of Chongqing, a graceful mountain city. They fully demonstrate the wisdom of Chongqing people and make Bayu Unique ancient buildings are reasonably protected, and historical culture and customs are effectively continued and passed down in modern life.
With the development of the economy and the progress of civilization, the living environment of modern buildings has become more technological, comfortable and beautiful. The simple stilted building can no longer become a house for Chongqing people to live in. It can only be regarded as an ecological symbol. , for people to watch and review. Diaojiaolou has become a historical witness of Chongqing’s urban development.