Keeping Boat Houses Afloat

The ancient dwellings of the Li ethnic group are grass and mud houses constructed in the shape of inverted boats. This technique of residential architecture was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage item in 2008.

Baicha Village in Dongfang City， Hainan Province， is the only place where boat-shaped dwellings remain. However， the villagers moved to a new locale a kilometer away， leaving the village empty like a film set.

“Empty houses are useless，” lamented a disappointed visitor after driving a long way to see the village. “Only people living here can revitalize the dwellings.” For many， the vitality of the village is more important than protection.

Renovation

Baicha villagers now live in brick houses coated with white paint and featuring broad gates and halls， which lack distinct ethnic flavor. The villagers never returned to their old houses to clean up， so the homes were left in shambles. With a subsidy they received from the government， it took villagers three months to renovate their previous homes， according to Huang Yangqiong， a staff member of Dongfang Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center.

“After refurbishment， the houses need to be waterproof and highlight boat-shape characteristics， otherwise they cannot pass inspection，” explains Huang. When constructing a boat-shaped dwelling， the builder first needs to erect a frame of wood and rattan before building the wall with mud and thatch and finally covering it with thatch – without a single nail and using only natural material.

The technique seems simple yet leaves the home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. However， only by cooking with firewood regularly can the houses be protected from rotting due to humidity and insects. Also， the structures cannot survive major storms and are highly flammable. Villagers need to reconstruct the thatched roofs every couple years.

Thanks to 12 art professors， Baicha Village escaped demolition. In 2007， Huang brought the professors to the remote village. “Pulling along a cart of oil paint， they were fascinated by the scenery，”Huang recalls. “They planned to stay five days， but ultimately stayed ten.” The professors dubbed Baicha Village beautiful from every angle and vowed to bring their students there to sketch every year.

Huang informed the professors that Baicha would be torn down to make way for new buildings. “They tracked down provincial officials to call for the protection of the boat-shaped houses，” says Huang. In the end， appeals from those from all walks of life and its own cultural profundity saved Baicha Village.

Resource Shortage

Of numerous similar old villages， only Baicha remains because Dongfang Municipal Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center lacks sufficient resources， admits Ou Guangying， director of the center. The center employs a staff of only four， yet manages two national-level， two provincial-level and 20 city-level intangible cultural heritage items within the city. Only 55-year-old Ou Guanying and 60-year-old Huang Yangqiong manage the Baicha Village program.

Greater efforts are needed to protect the old village after the exodus of its former inhabitants. “It’s hard to communicate with ethnic minorities because they speak little Mandarin and are generally reluctant to communicate anyway，” illustrates Huang. She notes that the best way to get to know villagers is to live in the village and make friends with them.

But more important is money. Huang reveals that it cost 800，000 yuan to renovate the dozens of boat-shaped houses. Also， launching a class to teach how to build boat-shaped houses requires more money. “We invited masters of the technique to guide learners，” notes Huang. “We had to pay their assistants as well. Those who helped with beams and columns earned 100 yuan a day and those who painted walls earned 50 yuan per day.”

Money seems to be the only way to motivate natives to protect their old houses. Some locals even intended to tear down newly refurbished houses because the last subsidy arrived late. Also， many materials such as couch grass are increasingly difficult to find. Ou explained that the thatch they used for renovation was collected from all over the city and they searched the hills for it. “Boat-shaped houses don’t have nails and their beams are bound with rattan， which is even harder to find than couch grass，” Ou continues.

Endangered Tradition

At present， protection of Baicha Village seems on the right track， but comprehensive revitalization still seems far away. According to Fu Wei， director general of Dongfang Municipal Culture and Sport Bureau， developing Baicha Village into a tourist attraction is the ideal method of rejuvenation， and the area features alluring mountains， watery landscapes， and karst caves in addition to the distinct houses.

Along with boat-shaped dwelling construction skills， brocade weaving， brewing and the traditional sports of the Li ethnic group also deserve to be preserved. However， the natives are growing more and more distant from their traditional culture. Although they still celebrate Shanlan Festival， their group’s most important festival， they have shrugged off many old customs.

“We haven’t held a bamboo stick jumping ceremony for over a decade，” reveals villager Fu Laoweng. “We just put on new clothes， visit friends， drink together and light fireworks.” The new clothes are modern threads rather than traditional ethnic attire. “We only wear ethnic costumes when we take part in activities organized by the government.”

“This is inevitable，” Huang explains. Many young people leave home to work， becoming even more detached from tradition. So， Huang plans to convert some boat-shaped houses into studios to teach villagers traditional Li ethnic craftsmanship such as bamboo and rattan weaving and brocading. By doing this， not only will those skills get passed on， but the products can also be sold to tourists. “The chairs they make out of leather and rattan without a single nail can last several generations.”

The government encourages the natives to move back to the old village by offering 300 yuan per household per month and a TV and expects more to return when the old village gets electricity next year. However， even returning villagers may have to get used to a major change： facing a heavy stream of visitors.