TuJia’s Architectural Style
 2016-12-20 16:49:29   Zhangjiajie Tourism Information Website  

The Tujia people like living in groups, and the houses of the Tujia, known as Diaojiaolou are very functional and similar to those of Miao. The house is made of wood, with tile roof, up-turned eaves, and balcony with carved wooden handrails. On the lower floor, there is livestock; while the girls’ bedrooms are kept upstairs. The central room on the second floor is where ancestors are enshrined and worshipped. This is also the place for family activities and entertaining guests. The bedrooms are often on the left of the central room while the kitchen is on the right.Diaojiaolou has many merits. It is well-ventilated, damp-proof, and it protects against snakes or bugs. The handrails are useful for hanging clothes and other agricultural produce.

The Tujia areas are of high altitude with low temperature and humid air. The Tujia people have usually built their villages at the foot of a mountain or on the lower slopes near a water source. The members in a village belong to the same clan and their village is named after the surname of the clan.

Translated by Sophia