Dongmadi Gully Pit Dwelling Complex

Dongmadi Gully Pit Dwelling Complex

The Dongmadi Gully Pit Dwelling Complex is located in Dongmadi Gully Village, Xuejiawa Township, Ningwu County. The village has deep loess soil, strong winds and sand, and a cold, dry climate. To adapt to the local environment, the villagers creatively adopted this architectural form. A pit dwelling is created by digging a square pit into a hillside, forming an artificial cliff about 4–5 meters high, then using a method similar to digging cave dwellings to hollow out rooms along the cliff face.

The entire village has fewer than 20 residents, all living in pit dwellings. There are currently nine courtyards remaining. Some are unoccupied and severely damaged. The courtyard of villager Gao Jiusuan is relatively well-preserved. It is square-shaped, with each side measuring 13 meters. Each side features a three-room cave dwelling, and in the northwest corner of the yard there is a water passage room (drainage system). The main gate of the courtyard is located in the southwest. The phrase “you can climb the mountain without seeing it, and enter the village without spotting houses” vividly describes this type of architecture. (From “A Collection of Cultural Relics in Xinzhou”)

Source: Xinzhou Website

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