Residential building
Residential house. The Tujia people’s residential houses are composed of four parts of the main house, side house, corner building and front door. Ordinary people only have the main house. Only well-off families have the main house, side house and corner building. Very rich families build quadrangles with courtyard brick walls on all sides. Most of the Tujia people’s houses are bungalows. The diameter of the column is thick, and the ratio of the column height is large. The eaves of the house should be wide enough to prevent the rain from eroding the siding. The roof is covered with grey tiles, as well as slate, thatch and fir bark. In order to ensure the stability of the structure, carpenters often reinforce the column foot through special techniques. The ridge and tile slope are often arc-shaped, in an effort to beautify the architectural lines and prevent the rain from leaking in.
Given an increasing number of family members, the Tujia people increase the wing and side rooms. The Tujia corner building is the most distinctive. It is located at one or both sides of the main house. One or more groups of bent frames are extended vertically outward from it and the main house. The length of each row of columns is chosen according to the terrain, forming the baluster building, namely the “corner building”.
Town. There are many “Yinzi houses” with firewalls in the town. These houses are composed of patios and pavilions. The undulating firewall, towering pavilion and exquisite decoration show the prominent position. Most of the houses along the street are combined with shops. The counters are exposed and decorated with carved railings. The houses along the river are overhanging stilted buildings, such as Wangcun Ancient Town in Yongshun County and Xichehe Town in Longshan County.
Hand-waving Hall. The Hand-waving Hall is divided into two parts of “Tuwang Temple” and “Hand-waving Plaza”. In the arch-shaped gate, the low wall forms a deep and long rectangular “Hand-waving Plaza”. At the top end of “Hand-waving Plaza” is “Tuwang Temple”. Such activities of the Tujia people as ancestor worship, praying for a good harvest, redeeming a vow to a god, welcoming spring, dancing and competition are often held here. “Tuwang Temple” is a stone tile building with a shrine housing “King of Eight Tribes” and ancestor gods. These ancient buildings reflect the folk crafts handed down by the Tujia ancestors, including the wood carving, stone carving, color painting and rock painting. There are Hand-waving Halls in Mati Village of Longshan County, Lihu Village of Baojing County and Shuangfeng Village of Yongshun County.
Taoism is a native religion in China, which was introduced into the areas inhabited by the Tujia people at the end of Han Dynasty. After Buddhism was introduced into China at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, it was gradually spread again in the areas where the Tujia people live nowadays during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties. With the spread of Taoism and Buddhism, many palaces and temples were built throughout the dynasties, including the famous Hall of Patriarch in Laosicheng of Yongshun County.
From the perspective of the extant Taoist and Buddhist buildings, their architectural styles and structure are basically the same as those of the buildings in the areas inhabited by the Han people, except that a religious building often integrates Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. Some religious buildings have added some Tujia architectural symbols, like Guanyinyan Temple with the architectural style of Tujia corner building.
Road and bridge
Arch bridge. There are single-arch and multi-arch bridges. There are stone forts at both ends of the single-arch bridge with one arch spanning the river bed, and there are stone piers in the middle of the multi-arch bridge with the arches connected with each other. The bridge deck is often equipped with wooden pavilions with angled cornices and ornamental engraving. Wooden benches are provided in the pavilion for pedestrians to take shelter from wind and rain. The renowned Xichehe Flower Bridge, located in Xichehe Town of Longshan County, was built in the 45th year (1780) of Emperor Qianlong’s reign in the Qing Dynasty. The three-hole bridge is a pavilion bridge with stone piers and wooden deck. There are Tai Chi diagrams on the top of the bridge. The bridge curtains on both sides are engraved with various patterns. Wooden balusters and flat benches are installed on both sides of the corridor.
Rock bridge. There are many rivers and streams in the areas where the Tujia people live. For the convenience of pedestrians, big rocks are laid at intervals to make up a bridge in the river with wide river bed and deep river foundation when there is no money to build a bridge. As long as the river water does not flood the stone piers, pedestrians can walk across the river. It’s quite common to find a rock bridge spanning a small river or stream.
Mausoleum
Ancient tomb of Tusi. There are many tombs of Tusi in Laosicheng, 16 kilometers east of Yongshun County. According to the investigation and statistics of the cultural relics department, there are more than 200 tombs in Laosicheng, most of which are the tombs of Tusi in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and their royal families. These well-preserved tombs are like small palaces with many rooms connected with each other. The brick walls inside are engraved with exquisite figures, flowers and plants. Most burial articles in the nanmu coffins are gold and silver ware, which show the prominent status of the dead. The tombs of Tusi in Laosicheng and the unearthed cultural relics are of great value for the study of the political, economic and cultural conditions of ancient Xiangxi during the Tusi period. In 1985, the tombs were listed as a key cultural relic site under provincial-level protection.
