The best cave dwellings are a special and ancient form of residential architecture on the Loess Plateau, with strong local characteristics.

Cave dwellings on the Loess Plateau have a long history. Cave dwellings were once famous around the world for their unique architectural forms and their characteristics of being warm in winter and cool in summer, saving energy and space. Sunken cave dwellings are even more famous for their original ecological concepts and unique The traditional Chinese courtyard space has been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars. According to the construction method, cave dwellings can be divided into three types: cliff type, sunken type and independent type.

The sunken cave dwelling is the most unique type. It is a large square pit dug underground on a relatively flat and open loess land to form a courtyard. Underground cave dwellings (sunken cave dwellings), also known as patio cave dwellings, pit dwellings, underground cave dwellings, cave dwellings, etc., are rare architectural forms in the world and are a wonder in the history of residential buildings.

Now it is mainly distributed in western Henan, Longdong, southern Shanxi and northern Shaanxi (Shaanxi). The sunken cave dwelling is an ancient earthen building. It is a negative architectural form created by subtraction. Its construction techniques are relatively complex and reflect the outstanding wisdom of the ancients. The pit yard construction techniques include complete design regulations, design modules and craftsmanship, most of which are consistent with modern architectural concepts.

Regional distribution of cave dwellings

Shaanxi cave dwellings are mainly distributed in northern Shaanxi, referring to cave dwellings in Yan'an, Yulin and other places in Shaanxi Province. It is built along the mountains and underground of the Loess Plateau. It is a form of cave dwelling in natural loess. It is widely used by the local people because of its advantages of being warm in winter and cool in summer, not destroying the ecology, not occupying fertile land, and being economical and economical.

There are many types of cave dwellings in northern Shaanxi, including earth kilns on the ground, earth kilns with stone joints, and stone kilns on the ground. Generally speaking, stone and brick kilns are the most common in cities, while in rural areas they are mostly earth kilns or earth kilns with stone joints. The main forms include Dikeng kiln, Yanya kiln and Sui kiln. According to preliminary statistics, since liberation, the total number of kiln dwellers in China has reached 110 million, and there are currently 40 million people who still use the kiln method.

Its distribution area is mainly in the economically underdeveloped central and western regions. Many poor households live in earth caves that have been in disrepair for a long time. Due to natural disasters such as heavy rains, floods, landslides, and mudslides, cave houses are in disrepair and are on the verge of collapse. , the vast number of people living in kilns are facing life danger at any time, and we hope that those with knowledge of the matter will inform the people so that their lives and safety will not be threatened.

The above content refers to Baidu Encyclopedia-Cave Dwelling