A yaodong (natively 窰 [iɤ] in Jin Chinese,[1] or 窰洞 [jɑʊ tʊŋ] yáodòng in Beijing Mandarin) is a particular form of earth shelter dwelling common in the Loess Plateau in China's north. They are generally carved out of a hillside or excavated horizontally from a central "sunken courtyard".[2][3]
The earth that surrounds the indoor space serves as an effective insulator, keeping the inside of the structure warm in cold seasons and cool in hot seasons. Consequently, very little heating is required in winter, and in summer, it is as cool as an air-conditioned room.[4]
The history of yaodongs goes back centuries, and they continue to be used. As of the early 2000s, between 30 and 40 million people in northern China still lived in yaodongs,[5][6] a number rapidly decreasing as millions move to more modern dwellings nearby or as move away as part of urbanization in China.[7]
- ^ 邢向东; 王兆富 (2014). 吴堡方言调查研究. 中华书局. pp. 127–129.
- ^ Ivana (2003). "Ancient underground courtyards sinking out of sight". www.chinaculture.org. P.R.China: Ministry of Culture. Archived from the original on 2012-01-14.
- ^ "Xiachenshi huangtu yaodong minju yuan luo chuyi" [A preliminary discussion of sunken loess land cave dwellers' courtyards]. Architects (Jian-zhushi) (in Chinese). 15: 75–82. 1983.
- ^ "Advantages and Disadvantages of Earth-Sheltered Homes". U.S. Department of Energy. 2011. Archived from the original on 2012-08-17. Retrieved 2011-09-28.
- ^ Lloyd, J & Mitchinson, J: "The Book of General Ignorance". Faber & Faber, 2006.
- ^ Jiaping, Liu; Wang, David; Liu, Yang (2002). "An Instance of Critical Regionalism: New Yaodong Dwellings in North-Central China". Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. 13 (2): 63–70. ISSN 1050-2092.
- ^ "National Geographic Out of Eden Walk". National Geographic Out of Eden Walk. Retrieved 2024-09-23.