The Poetic Boat-shaped House and Living Style of the Li People

Baicha Village is a traditional Li village in Jiangbian Township, Dongfang City of Hainan Province. Looking from afar, the thatched houses of the village are just like rows and rows of boats turned upside down in a hidden forest. These thatched houses represent a traditional, time-honored way of living for the Li people in Hainan. As they look like a canopy boat, and the interior is like a boat cabin, that’s why they’re called “boat houses”. 

Apart from protecting the Li people from wind and rain, the boat-shaped houses keep people warm in winter and cool in summer. They embody the traditional Li architectural skills and represent the wisdom of the Li people, and are the “living fossil” that reflect the architectural knowledge of early civilizations. In 2008, the Li boat-shaped house was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

At present, there are 81 boat houses and 6 barns in Baicha Village, making the village with the best-preserved boat houses in Hainan Province. In order to preserve this traditional skill, the local government regularly holds training workshops on the skill of building such houses, so that more people can pass on the craft, and more people can walk closer to this unique architectural style to understand the life trajectory of ancient Li people, and experience the Li culture.

Producer: Yang Gu

Chief Supervisor: Chen Jiandong, Song Leyong

Chief Planner: Che Jingwen, Jin Linghan

Script Writer: Yue Pei

Coordinator: Zhou Shuodi, Tao Yanyan, Yang Jingyi

Co-produced by: China Internet Development Foundation and GMW.cn