The skill of building fences for Salars

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: the skills of building fences of Salar people

Applicant: Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province

Item No.: 968

Project No.: VIII - 185

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional art

Region: Qinghai Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province

Protection unit: cultural center of Xunhua Salar Autonomous County

Introduction to the construction techniques of the fence building of Salar Nationality:

Applicant: Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, Qinghai Province

The skill of building fences in ancient Salar dwellings in Qinghai province only exists in Mengda village, Qingshui Township, east of Xunhua Salar Autonomous County. In the Yuan Dynasty, Salar ancestors settled in Mengda village and began to build flat roof buildings. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, many fence buildings were built in Mengda and Baizhuang of Xunhua Salar Autonomous County of Qinghai Province and dahejia of Gansu Province, forming Salar style buildings with local characteristics.

The overall layout of the fence building is diverse, including the shape of courtyard, corner, horizontal and so on. The courtyard is composed of a gate, a building and a bungalow. The gate opens to the southeast, and the main building of the courtyard is the tower. Fence building usually has three, five or six rooms in shape, with two rooms in depth. The bottom layer of the building wall is made of stone fence, and the upper layer is made of wood and fence, and can climb up the building by inclined board ladder. The wall base is made of stone and mud, the wall is rammed with soil, and the decoration of doors and windows is also particular. The eaves, balustrades and lintel eaves on the second floor are generally decorated with wood carvings, with various patterns and colors, and are extremely exquisite. The building is spacious and elegant. Most of the gates are made of four columns and two beams, and some of them are passageways at the bottom of the building. There are flower beds in the house for planting flowers and fruit trees.

The construction technique of the fence building of the Salar ancient dwellings is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Salar people, and also an important part of the architectural culture of China's ethnic minorities. It has important reference value for the study of the social, historical, economic and cultural conditions of the Salar people.