Li boat-shaped houses

Li boat-shaped houses

The Li people’s thatched houses mainly come in two styles: the boat-shaped house and the pyramid-shaped house. Boat-shaped houses can be either stilted or ground-level (land-based), resembling boat sails in an arched shape, constructed with red and white rattan frames and covered with thatch or fan palm leaves. Pyramid-shaped houses use tree trunks as supports, bamboo strips for walls, and are then plastered with a mixture of straw and mud. The pyramid-shaped houses in Hongshui Village, Wangxiang Township, Changjiang County, are relatively well preserved.

Baicha Village is a natural village under Jiangbian Township, Dongfang City. The thatched houses in Baicha Village resemble boats turned upside down, and villagers commonly refer to them as “boat-shaped houses.” There are currently 81 boat-shaped houses remaining in Baicha Village, making it one of the best-preserved natural villages for such houses in Hainan. The boat-shaped house is a vessel of the outstanding architectural skills of the Li people. In 2008, the boat-shaped houses in the village were included in the national intangible cultural heritage protection list.

The thatched houses in Baicha Village are ground-level boat-shaped houses, long and wide, with low thatched eaves. This style is conducive to wind and rain resistance. The house is divided into front and rear sections, with doors at both ends. Three tall pillars stand in the middle of the thatched house—called “ge’e” in the Li language—which symbolize men. Six shorter pillars on either side are called “geding,” symbolizing women, representing that a family is composed of both men and women. The interior floor is made of clay, which villagers bring back from outside, level the ground, pour water over it, and then tread it flat with their feet before drying or airing it to make it smooth and hard.

Walking into Baicha Village, you’ll find numerous "long'ge" (bachelor’s rooms), cattle pens, pigsties, and grain storage sheds built on stilts above stone foundations. Villagers dressed in traditional tube skirts gather under the shade of trees to engage in tie-dyeing, brocade weaving, bamboo mat weaving, and pottery and woodwork. The three-stone stove used by the Li people for cooking, the bachelor's room where they live, the dugout canoe for travel, the bamboo tube rice they eat, and the mountain glutinous rice wine they drink—all of these elements of ethnic culture, distinct from modern civilization, are rare and unique, offering extraordinary tourism value for visitors.

The “long’ge” (bachelor’s rooms) in Baicha Village are places where young men and women meet and court. They are usually built in quiet spots at the edge of the village or next to their parents’ homes, exuding a primitive romantic charm.

Baicha Village is hailed as “the last ancient village of the Li people,” and its degree of preservation is rarely seen among all ethnic minorities in China. In addition to the boat-shaped houses, crafts such as brewing and brocade weaving have been passed down to this day in Baicha Village.

Jiangbian Township: A township under the jurisdiction of Dongfang City. Established in 1987, it is located in the southeastern part of the city, 38.5 kilometers from the municipal government. It covers an area of 191 square kilometers and has a population of 7,000. A simple road connects it to National Highway 225 in the north. It administers ten village committees: Bao Ying, Bu Wen, Xin Ming, Lao Cun, E Cha, Na Wen, Bai Cha, Jiang Bian, Shang Mei, and Chong E. Township enterprises include agricultural tool factories and wood processing plants. The main agricultural product is rice. Local specialties include white rattan, kapok, mangosteen, and agarwood. ... More details about Jiangbian Township++