www射-国产免费一级-欧美福利-亚洲成人福利-成人一区在线观看-亚州成人

Global EditionASIA 中文雙語Fran?ais
China

On a mission to restore old Hakka houses

Master craftsman fights to protect cultural legacy in southern Jiangxi

By ZHAO RUINAN in Nanchang | China Daily | Updated: 2025-06-20 00:00
Share
Share - WeChat

When a rare snowfall blanketed Longnan city in Jiangxi province in January 2024, Zhong Yanpeng — a national inheritor of the technique of building Hakka enclosed houses — grew concerned. "These houses are most vulnerable in rainy or snowy weather," Zhong said.

Concerned that the cold weather could endanger these houses, he rushed back from Guangdong province to Longnan.

Zhong arrived equipped with tools and a team of maintenance workers to care for the Yan Yiwei Hakka enclosed house in Yangcun village.

With a history dating back to more than 350 years, the four-story structure is the tallest of a number of old fortified residences in the vicinity of the village.

Nestled in the mountains, Hakka enclosed houses — similar to tulou found in the neighboring Fujian province — have their origins in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), when migrants from northern China settled in the south.

These migrants, known as the Hakka, which means "guest families", adapted to their new environment, developing their own dialect, customs and unique architectural style.

Jiangxi is home to over 500 historical Hakka round houses, with 376 of them located in Longnan. Due to their imposing structure, some architects liken them to Oriental Roman Castles.

With decades of experience in repairing Hakka enclosed houses, Zhong has worked on numerous structures, including Guanxi Xinwei, Yan Yiwei, Wushiwei and Xichangwei.

After conducting a routine inspection, Zhong lightly tapped the walls of the enclosed houses with a small hammer, saying, "The rammed earth is still tightly compacted."

Zhong explained that the repair materials include a mixture of lime, clay and sand, blended with unconventional ingredients such as brown sugar, egg whites and sticky rice.

After fermenting for 15 days, the mixture is combined with cobblestones and tung oil, then compacted into thick, durable walls. These walls used to provide protection against invaders and also served as living spaces.

This architectural style was added to China's tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites by the National Cultural Heritage Administration in 2012.

The construction of Hakka enclosed houses in southern Jiangxi involves a variety of building techniques, making it highly complex.

"There used to be very few people who understood this," Zhong said.

In the 1980s, when Longnan faced a shortage of local craftsmen and embarked on emergency repairs of the enclosed houses, restoration work encountered significant challenges.

Growing up in a village in Longnan, Zhong developed a fascination for carpentry craftsmanship from a young age. At 16, he began learning traditional woodworking skills and later took on the maintenance of ancestral halls after completing his apprenticeship.

Since then, he has formed an inseparable bond with the restoration and protection of enclosed houses, dedicating over 50 years to their preservation.

To enhance preservation techniques, Zhong traveled to Jiangsu and Fujian provinces to study. He consulted experts and scholars, interviewed former residents and meticulously verified information, accumulating valuable experience in the protection of enclosed houses. "Each Hakka enclosed house bears a specific historical and cultural imprint," Zhong said.

"These houses must be restored to their original state, adhering strictly to ancient methods in terms of dimensions, formulas and materials. This is the essence of the Hakka enclosed house construction technique."

In 2024, Zhong was honored with the Jiangxi Good Person award.

Like other traditional skills, he is primarily concerned with how to pass on restoration techniques to future generations. "The continuity of this skill is currently my most pressing concern. As the eldest, it is my responsibility to lead by example," Zhong said.

He willingly shares his insights and experience in repairing work with anyone who asks and recommends relevant historical and cultural materials.

In May 2018, Zhong was named a national inheritor of the Hakka enclosed house construction technique in southern Jiangxi.

Under his guidance, over 50 individuals have dedicated themselves to traditional craftsmanship, engaging in the restoration of enclosed houses. The Longnan government has also made significant efforts to revitalize these old enclosed houses.

By the end of 2023, Longnan had restored nearly a hundred enclosed houses, with over 40 of them being revitalized for active use.

Li Minghua, Zhong's nephew, has become a representative inheritor of the Hakka enclosed house construction technique. "I have trained six apprentices, some of whom show great potential. However, young people are not very interested in preserving these old houses. They prefer to work on modern housing renovations in the city," Li said.

The youngest member of Li's team is over 40 years old.

"The number of people who can master the Hakka enclosed house construction technique is very few," Lin said. "We grew up in these enclosed houses, and protecting and restoring these enclosed houses is our lifelong mission."

 

An aerial photo shows the enclosed house of Wushiwei in Longnan city, Jiangxi province. LU WEN/FOR CHINA DAILY

 

 

Zhong Yanpeng walks out of Wushiwei, an enclosed house he helped renovate, in Longnan. LI LINXUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

 

 

Zhong works at the renovation site of an enclosed house in Longnan. LI LINXUAN/FOR CHINA DAILY

 

 

Today's Top News

Editor's picks

Most Viewed

Top
BACK TO THE TOP
English
Copyright 1995 - . All rights reserved. The content (including but not limited to text, photo, multimedia information, etc) published in this site belongs to China Daily Information Co (CDIC). Without written authorization from CDIC, such content shall not be republished or used in any form. Note: Browsers with 1024*768 or higher resolution are suggested for this site.
License for publishing multimedia online 0108263

Registration Number: 130349
FOLLOW US
主站蜘蛛池模板: 视频亚洲一区 | 肥婆毛片| 日本久久网 | 国产成人精品男人的天堂538 | 亚洲综合天堂 | 玖玖精品在线视频 | 亚洲成a人片在线看 | 成人亚州| 亚欧在线观看 | 亚洲午夜在线 | 高清在线一区二区 | 一级特黄特色的免费大片视频 | 手机看片日韩日韩 | 国产一级aaaaa毛片欧美 | 美女视频全部免费 | 日韩中文字幕在线视频 | 一级黄色大片 | a一级毛片录像带 录像片 | 动漫一级毛片 | 国产a区 | 91在线国产观看 | 91久久精品国产91久久性色tv | 女人张开腿让男人插 | 国产精品人成人免费国产 | 男女牲高爱潮免费视频男女 | 久久精品国产一区二区三区 | 性日韩精品 | 91热成人精品国产免费 | 久久最新免费视频 | 国产成人一区二区在线不卡 | 国产日韩欧美自拍 | 黄色日韩网站 | 精品一区二区三区高清免费不卡 | 亚洲福利视频精选在线视频 | 成人免费观看视频久爱网 | 精品欧美一区二区在线观看欧美熟 | 亚洲一级毛片免费看 | www.久久在线 | 成年人免费小视频 | 欧美亚洲日本视频 | 日韩一级大片 |