Mao'ao Stone Houses Introduction
The stone houses in Miao'ao are a paradigm of "local materials." The stone used comes from coastal sandstone, while the wooden framework is made from bamboo sourced from the nearby mountains. The roofs were traditionally thatched with wild grass. The stone houses in Miao'ao can be broadly categorized into three different patterns and construction methods. The first type is a dragon-shaped layout made of random stones, which is the most common and economical technique. The walls are constructed from natural pebbles of similar size or roughly trimmed stones, exhibiting a rugged beauty. The second type is a straightforward, horizontally laid method, where stones are trimmed to uniform heights and stacked layer by layer horizontally, resulting in neat and orderly walls. The third type is a traditional Sanheyuan-style (three courtyard) building, where the construction technique, strength, and cost are relatively higher. The walls are made from processed stones of equal length, leaning at about a 45-degree angle, with the joints intertwining in a zigzag pattern resembling the character "人" (ren), which is quite distinctive.
