The Building Techniques And Art Of The Bai Traditional Courtyard House In China

There are over 1.6 million people of the Bai nationality in China. Most of them live in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan province, while others are distributed in the Guizou, Hunan and Sichuan provinces, as well as other parts of Yunnan, where they are said to have immigrated from Dali to other places during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The typical style of Bai People's homes is the "San fang yi zhao bi" or "Si he wu tian jin" complexes. These structures, which consist of a number of rooms enclosing a central courtyard, have a long history and high architecture value, and are the most popular dwellings in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture. The Bai people have lived in such houses for hundreds of years, and continue to build them to this day.The main focus of this thesis is the techniques and art of the Bai People's traditional courtyard house. Its method is to conduct a survey of the complete building process of these structures, and through this, explore every aspect of their construction. Amongst the areas to be examined are the building techniques of the Bai courtyard house, their earthquake resistant wood structure, and their method of assembly from prefabricated parts. By investigating the construction of the Bai people's traditional dwellings and the rituals accompanying their building process, we can discover the rich regional architecture, culture and character of the Bai nationality.Through participating in the whole construction process and acquiring the oral tradition of architectural expertise and technique from local Bai artisans, we may better research and protect the architectural and cultural heritage of the Bai People's traditional courtyard house.