The Lijiang's vernacular dwellings are the cultural and living crystallization of the Nahsi people. These dwellings are characterized by simpleness, freshness and natural beauty and are expression

(up and down) The old streets have recorded a lot of lyric times.

(up) The wood bridge in Dayan town.(down) A part of Sifang Street.

    Lijiang City with its own cultural and historical tradition has its own history of architectural development. The Lijiang vernacular dwellings have developed from vernacular dwelling models like "house in caves" "house on the trees" and "batten seam house of log construction" to those of "three terrace houses with one screen wall" and "quadrangle residential with 5 small yards" and "horse-mounted house with lapped corner joints".

    Obviously, the vernacular dwellings of the Nahsi nationality in Lijiang Area have undergone the evolution from batten seam houses to courtyard style of the Han nationality.

    The batten seam house is the primitive mode of the folk house of the Nahsi nationality in the Lijiang Area. This is a wood-structured house, its walls are vertically and horizontally built with barked timbers while its roof is covered with planks. The building material can be obtained easily from the local environment while it is simple to master the art of batten seam house construction.

    The original spatial mode of the batten seam house was only a yard which was gradually transformed into more regular amalgamated dwelling under the influence of foreign culture. Such a dwelling consisted of principal rooms, wing house (scripture hall), dress circle, bar straw house. The principal rooms are places used for family gathering, meetings, cooking and offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors. The wing house can also be called Buddhist religious scripture hall. It is usually a two-storied building. The second floor is bedrooms of Lama or room for worshiping Buddhist images while the rooms on the first floor are prepared for the bachelors or guests. The dress circle mainly serves as the bedrooms of the young maids. The second floor of gateway serves as the room for storage of straws while at both sides of the gate on the first floor are the cattle shed.

    The gate of Musuo people's building usually faces the east or north. The yard is always rather big where the wedding or funeral ceremonies could be held here. The structure of principal room is quite complicated. In the back of the room is a sandwich structure for food stockpile and serving as the bedroom of the old people. The right side of the principal room is the living room for housewife: in one comer of principal room is the top of the kitchen range and on the corner of which is placed a shrine on which placed the god statue, sacrifices, and vase. Under the kitchen range is the fire pit. The right side of the fire pit is prepared for the hosts while the left side is reserved for guests.

    There are two big columns in the room, one is called left column or male column while the other is referred as right column or female column. The grown-up ceremony of men will be held at the side of left column while that of women will be held at the side of the right column. Obviously the form of the batten seam house are inseparable to living conditions and living way of the agricultural society of the Nahsi nationality, because people's daily life, natural environment and technologies will decide its structures and modes. Of course, the spatial structure of the building has close relationship with people's religious beliefs, marriage status as well as family structure. Here, the buildings are given more cultural colors and symbolic significance by the initial ideology of the minorities.

    The traditional vernacular dwelling of the Nahsi people in Lijiang Area, however have absorbed more merits of courtyard building of the Hans on the bases of maintaining their good traditions.

    In 1921 Mr. Locher, an American scholar came to Lijiang area and began to study the Dongba culture of the Nahsi people. He made friends with the local people. The Lijiang people warmly received him because they did not exclude the alien culture. Locher's research findings have played an important role in helping the people both at home and abroad to understand Li Jiang better.

    The Nahsi ancesters adopted the open policy in culture. And for a long period of time, the Dayan ancient town was an important communication post on the Sichuan and Tibetan trade corridor while it objectively played the role of cultural corridor. Therefore the Nahsi people has a good tradition of worshiping the culture while being well versed in learning to absorb other progressive cultures. If you make a careful observation of Nahsi vernacular dwellings you may find the great influences of the tradition of the cultural integration on the art of folk house's construction. You can also find the architectural culture, forms and styles of the Nahsi, Han, Bai and Tibet nationalities in complete harmony.

    There are many types of common Nahsi vernacular dwellings: Three Terrace Houses with One Screen Wall, Front and Back Courtyard, etc. Among them, the most basic and common dwelling of the Naxi nationality in Lijiang is the Three Terrace Houses with One Screen Wall. The three terrace houses are characterized by higher principal room, lower wing rooms with one screen wall, which is distinct of what is primary and what is secondary. The long placer at the top had definite curve "face slope" so as to avoid heavy and rigid impression, while demonstrating its gentle and beautiful curves. The body of wall is appropriately tumbling in, which strengthened the impression of stability about the whole building. The surrounding walls are lower to the top. The ornamental perforated wood windows are installed at above the sills. Most of eaves are stretched-out to protect the plank from being wet by the rain; at the two ends of cross girders projecting from the gable is installed skirt board, which is called "' fire-sealing gable".

    In order to make the house more beautiful, some buildings are installed with the banisters in shape of the covered way. Finally, in order to reduce the dull atmosphere caused by the abrupt change of Chinese overhang eaves fascia and the exposing gable post the art of vertical weather-boarding are ingeniously applied, which can either protect the cross girders, or increase the art beauty of the whole building. A harmonious appearance of a building full of changing beauty has taken its shape through reasonable arrangement of principal room and wing rooms, screen walls, wall body and festoon decoration. The vernacular dwelling of "three terrace houses with one screen wall" have shown the superb architectural skills of the Nahsi nationality.

    The principal room of the Nahsi dwellings for the aged people usually faces the south and the wing rooms for younger generation on the east or west are slightly lower. The first floor is mainly for people's living while the second floor serves as warehouses. The courtyard is mainly paved with bricks or stones and beautified with flowers and grasses.

    The front of the Nahsi building is usually attached with a gallery which is an integral part of the Nahsi building in Lijiang area. Now some room's functions for dinner or receiving guests are substituted by the gallery. The country fair has been high developed in the Dayan ancient city since ancient time while the Nahsi people are good merchants. Therefore the vernacular dwellings overlooking the street will be used as shop front by the house-owner.

    As a matter of fact+ the real+ simple and natural life in the Nahsi vernacular dwellings has nurtured the moderate cultural mentality. Living in such a dwelling. you will feel the existence of the Nahsi culture.