Cave Dwellings Study In West Of Shanxi And Northern Of Shaanxi

The research of the Cave Dwelling Houses started from the 1940s, and the huge research team gradually came into being after 80s with the appearance of a large number of publications such as papers and monographs. The characteristics of the unique energy saving and the ecology balancing of the Cave dwellings are worthwhile as reference for today's architecture design. The Cave dwelling houses from the cave form to the loess caves to cold kiln, and finally to caves and housing mixed with decorative caves dwellings courtyards, which are the primary green architecture with most local culture, are the source of "living" culture.The cave dwellings can be classified into six regions in China (Shaanxi, Shanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Henan, Southwest of Hebei). The Cave dwelling houses in Western Jin and caves residence in Shaanxi Province which are occupying the two huge regions are the typical cave dwellings. The types and layout gimmick of the both cave dwelling houses are based on the local people's real life, local customs and natural life, which are the experience results from people's long-term accumulating. These cave dwelling houses are completed by the broad masses by their own hands, rated as " the typical buildings with no architect to design ". However, because two places are located in different natural conditions with different historical environments and social backgrounds. As a result, there are many differences in local styled the caves dwelling houses in both macro-perspective and micro-perspective.This thesis studies the cave dwellings in Western Jin and Shanbei with the actual research and investigation, starting from archaeology, theology, sociology, and architecture, etc.. It also analyzes and compares the natural environments, the site concepts, cave types and the elements of the constitutions of the cave dwelling houses. This part in detail describes some representative cave dwellings selected from either places, and it points out the law of both similarities and differences of the local-styled cave dwelling houses. Hopefully through this comparative analysis, Chinese traditional local-styled dwelling houses can be excavated and be valued as the experience for modern architectural design and become the useful data for the further research of the living environment.The thesis can be divided into four chapters:The first chapter is the introduction to expound the research background, development course, distribution types and related results of the cave dwelling houses. The second chapter overviews the cave dwelling houses in Northern Shaanxi and Western Shanxi. From natural conditions and human conditions, a comparative analysis of the cave dwellings and yard portfolio monomer is made and a detailed analysis of the composition and open space of the basic elements is offered. For example, courtyard, Zhengfang, wing, Daozuo, an gate, etc. are discussed in detail as the basic analysis by comparing two typical cave settlements in the ancient cave-city MiZhi, Shaanxi and Qikou town in Western Jin, Shanxi. The third chapter, taking the ancient cave-city MiZhi and Qikou town as an example of the dwelling settlements and compositions are analyzed. MiZhi as a ancient cave city and Qikou as a ancient town respectively represent the most typical specific instances for the composition of elements by analyzing the elements of settlement within specific yard. By selecting the four representatives of the courtyards, this part comprehensively analyzes both the similarities and the differences of the cave yard space and further explains the causes. The fourth chapter is to analyzes the building technology and decorative arts of the local-styled cave dwelling houses in Western Jin and Shanbei. Through analyzing materials used ornamental characteristics of the of two cave local-styled dwelling houses the unity of the Chinese local-styled dwelling houses in adornment art are embodied.