Ancient Heritage of Ethnic Architecture

Guangxi ethnic architecture has a distinctive style, in particular the stilted Ganlan house form of the Zhuang, Yao, Miao and Dong peoples. In the Zhuang language, Ganlanmeans a storied house with raised living quarters. These houses are built on timber columns standing on stone column bases. The stone columns bases on the house frontage are comparatively tall. The house is usually built as three floors the ground floor is for keeping cattle, pigs and poultry; the living quarters are at the mid-level; and the third floor is for storing corns and less frequently used farming tools. Tenon an ortise joints are used throughout not a single nail is employed, hence the tight and firm structure of these buildings.

The Dong are well known for building wooden covered bridges and drum towers, using only highly skilled carpentry and not a single iron nail. Each column is connected with other elements through numerous apertures in various sizes. These precisely designed solid structures can last two or three centuries. The renowned Chengyang Covered Bridge in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous District is a key cultural relic site under State protection and a must-see tourist destination.

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