Yards Surrounded by Fruit Trees

3 min read

The distinctive housings of Uygur, Hui, Xibe, Uzbek, Manchu, Daur and other ethnic groups are generally designed as rectangle flatroofed houses or backing houses(with a herringbone roof). Each house has its own yard, where the flowers and trees and fruit trees are grown. The houses are usuallydesigned with wall windows, and doors and windows are usually decorated with paper-cut, such as that of Hui People and Xibe People. The modern buildings are mostly designed for urban residents of various ethnic groups.

The Uygur people attach great importance to landscaping and protection of living environment. The Uygur housings usually have their own yards, and they generally consist of two parts: the courtyard and the house. The courtyard is spacious and is usually split into the foreyard, backyard and the side yard. The Uygur people like to plant flowers and fruit trees in the courtyard, and there are grapes or fruit trees almost in front of and behind all the houses. The courtyard door is generally designed as a double door, so the horse and donkey carts can pass through. People adopt methods such as edge piping, pattern pasting, engraving and so on to make various pictures on the door. With the house at the center,a deeper front porch is designed in front of the house which faces the courtyard. Below the front porch are a kang (a heatable brick bed) table and a bed for people’s outdoor life in the summer. In the hot summer, people live outside of the house instead of living inside.

Above the front porch are the tree shade and the grape trellises, under which people may feel extraordinarily cool even at noon. Some people also make a broad wooden bed by plank in front of the house. Look into the deep night sky and watch the glittering stars, and all the annoyances will disappear. Along the lanai is the shade of the grape trellises, which creates a major spot for outdoor activities and provides coolness in the summer. In summer and autumn, the whole family may sit under the grape trellises and eat various kinds of fruits planted in their own yards, which is fabulous. The backyard and side yard are usually used as an orchard.Xinjiang is the hometown of melons and fruits.

Almost all Uygur who live in the countryside have an orchard in their residences.There are not only apricots，peaches，mulberries，pears，but also plums，red dates，figs，walnuts，apple trees and so on in the orchard.Besides grape trellises in the foreyard，there are also varieties of grapes in the orchard.

Uygur people are also flower lovers and they usually plant some roses，Chinese roses，evening primroses，sweet-scented oleanders and so on.When the blooming season comes，the Uygur girls and women will pick a flower and put it in their hair on the temples；the Uygur men will also pick a flower and hold it in their hands，enjoying its fragrance while walking.Smelling the sweet scent of flowers is quite a fascinating experience.Besides agricultural production，the Uygur farmers also like to raise sheep and cattle.Every family has at least one donkey，not only used in daily life but also used as major transportation for going to the Bazaar and visiting relatives.The sheepfold and stockyard are usually built at one side of the courtyard，in the orchard or at the fringe area between the orchard and the foreyard.The Uygur courtyards and houses are not only adapted to the environment，but also have highlighted its usefulness，seamlessly integrating dwelling，sightseeing，stock keeping and gardening.