Mao'ao Stone Houses Introduction
The stone houses in Miao Ao are a prime example of "local materials sourcing." The stones are made from coastal sandstone, the roof framework is made of bamboo sourced from the mountains behind, and the roofs were traditionally thatched with wild grass. The stone houses in Miao Ao can generally be divided into three different styles and methods of construction. The first type is a random stone design, which is the most common and economical method, using natural round stones or roughly chiseled stones of similar size to create a robustly beautiful wall. The second type is a horizontal stacking method where stones are chiseled to uniform height and then stacked in layers, resulting in a clean and orderly wall. The third type features a siheyuan style with herringbone construction, which involves higher skill, strength, and costs. The walls are formed of processed stones, of equal size, stacked at a 45-degree angle, with the joints interwoven in a zigzag pattern resembling the character for "person," giving it a distinctive character.
