Major Architectral forms of Chinese residences pt.III

13. Mongolian Yurts
Mongolian Yurts is a temporary building structure that fits the nomadic lifestyle of Mongolian herdsmen. It covers a circular area with a vault at the top. It usually fronts the east where the sun rises, thus preventing the west wind from blowing into the yurt. Meanwhile, the streamline of the yurt reduces the force of the wind from any direction. It only takes less than half an hour for Mongolian herdsmen to set up a yurt.


14. Uygurs Residential Buildings

Uygur is a nationality in Xinjiang Province, northwestern China, which is same to the Uygur ethnic group in central Asia countries. The residential buildings of the Uygurs has extra thick walls which prenvent the high temperature difference during day and night. The buildings has no side window, but only front windows and skylights as a way to prevent temperature difference. The area has rare rains, so the structure and material of Uygurs residential buildings are wooden frame with adobe walls. The interior of the buildings are splendidly decorated with plasters and plywood relief works.


15. Houses on Stils (Overhanging Houses) in Yunnan Province
The humid, hot climate of Yunnan Province makes the local people lift their houses from the damp ground. They usually use local materials such as bamboo and wood to build the stilts structure. Another purpose of lifting up the building is to protect residents against beasts. Overhanging Houses usually has roof with large eaves to block the strong solar radiation of that area. The interior of the building does not have good lighting, but has very good ventilation.


16. Lijiang Residential Building

Lijiang Residential Buildings are built by the Naxi nationality, and its style is a combination of central plain, Bai nationality and Tibet. The local landscape of Lijiang has streams running across the city. The Naxi people maximize the use of water by unique planning techniques.


17. Houses of Bai Nationality

There are two typical forms of Bai Houses: one is a courtyard with two storied buildings on three sides and a screen wall on the other; the other is a rectangular five-courtyard houses. The arrangement and layout methos of Bai Houses is pretty similar to that of the central plain architectures such as Beijing Courtyards. The major feature that distinguishes Bai Houses from central plain courtyards is its colorful and exquisite exterior decorations. The Houses of Bai are also built in a way that suits the local windy climate anf frequent earthquakes.


18. Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses

The typical style of Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is a 3 or 4 storied high houses built with thick enclosing walls. The windows of the houses are usually open toward the central courtyard. The windows and doors openning outside are usually very small and narrow. This design served for two purpose: denfense and keeping out the cold wind.
The interior plan of the Tibetan Fortified Manor Houses is also very interesting. The first floor is used for storage, the second floor for living, and the third floor for religious worship and grain storage. This relects the Tibetan people's social and religious pattern.