The wooden building construction skills of the Dong people in Congjiang

Guizhou
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The drum tower and flower bridge of the Dong nationality in Guizhou Province have a very long history. They originated in the primitive society of the Dong nationality and are a unique ethnic architectural style created by the Dong people in their long-term life practice. The drum tower is the symbol of the Dong village and also a symbol of the prosperity of the Dong village. It occupies a very important position in the minds of the Dong people. It has developed from a simple stilt-style card room. The structure adopts a cloud-piercing overall frame and wooden structure system that is strung up and down. The Dong drum tower in Liping County integrates towers, pavilions, and other architectural forms. It has the uprightness of pagodas, the magnificence of pavilions, and the beauty of pavilions. The drum tower is a high-rise building in the Dong village. It is generally 3 to 5 meters high and 7 to 10 meters wide at the bottom. The eaves are stacked, covered with green tiles, and decorated with various colored sculptures. Some of these Dong drum towers are surrounded by railings, and some are open with a fire pit in the middle, and there are benches around for people to rest. The construction technique of the Dong ethnic drum tower in Congjiang County has a history of more than 300 years. The Dong people have built 108 Dong drum towers with local fir wood, which are distributed in the Dong village surrounded by mountains and rivers. Among them, Zengchong Drum Tower has been listed as a national key cultural relic protection unit and has become the representative of the Dong drum tower in Congjiang. The structure of the Dong ethnic flower bridge is very clever. It makes full use of the principle of leverage. The large and small pillars, beams, purlins and railings are all made of fir wood that is abundant in Guizhou. The structure is rigorous, the craftsmanship is exquisite, the momentum is majestic, and the appearance is spectacular, showing the unique style of Dong ethnic architectural art. The construction technique of drum towers and flower bridges is the crystallization of the wisdom of the Dong people and has high scientific and cultural research value. The Dong ethnic drum tower and flower bridge integrate a variety of architectural forms and are rich in local characteristics of ethnic minorities. When building the Drum Tower and Flower Bridge, the Dong people used bamboo rulers and their own system of design and construction symbols, forming a unique craft system. The construction techniques of the Drum Tower and Flower Bridge have thus become an important part of Chinese national architectural culture. Dong craftsmen have preserved this precious skill intact to this day through the method of master-apprentice relationship and oral and personal teaching. Only by doubly cherishing and protecting it can it be better inherited and developed.

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