A yurt is a type of house where Mongolian herdsmen live. It is easy to build and relocate, and is suitable for animal husbandry production and nomadic life. In ancient times, the yurt was called Qionglu, "felt bag" or "felt tent". According to the "Black Tar Story": "There are two types of Qionglu: the one made in Yanjing is made of willow wood, just like the southern Fusi, which can be rolled up and unfolded. The door is opened in front, and the upper part is like an umbrella frame, with an opening on the top, which is called a skylight. They all use felt as clothing and can be carried on horseback. The grassland is made of willow wood to form a hard circle, and the path is fixed with felt tarts. Dome huts or felt tents were gradually replaced by yurts. The yurt has a round pointed roof and is covered with one to two layers of thick felt on and around the top. Ordinary yurts have a roof height of 100-150 feet, a wall about 50 feet high, and the door opens to the south or southeast. The four major structures in the package are: Hana (that is, the Mongolian wall bracket), skylight ("Tao Nao" in Mongolian), rafters and doors. The size of the yurt is determined by the number of hanas, usually divided into 40, 60, 80, 100 and 120 hanas. The 120-hana yurt is rare in the grasslands. It covers an area of ??more than 6,000 square meters and looks like a castle from a distance. In the past, dozens of yurts of this size were gathered together, which was quite spectacular.
The traditional housing of the Mongolian nomads. In ancient times, it was called Qionglu, also known as felt tent, and Yu nomadic. It has been around since the time of the Xiongnu and is still used today. The yurt is round in shape, and the surrounding side walls are divided into several pieces. Each piece is about 1,600 mm high, and is covered with woven strips of wood. In nomadic areas, it is mostly of the swimming type. The nomadic type is divided into two types: detachable and non-detachable. The former is carried by livestock, and the latter is carried by oxcart. Herders such as Ke and other ethnic groups also live in yurts when they are nomadic.
On the vast Mongolian plateau, the cold wind howls, and the ground is dotted with many white tents. They are yurts.
Mongolian yurts are the daily residence of many Mongolians. Most Mongolians drive their goats, sheep, yaks, horses and camels in search of new pastures year-round. The yurt can be packed into a suitcase, transported to the destination by several camels, and then the tent can be set up.
Traditional houses of ancient ethnic groups. Popular in pastoral areas such as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. A circular sky filled with smoke. The door is small and faces south or southeast. It is easy to make, easy to carry, resistant to wind and cold, and suitable for grazing. It is often used in the clan to mean "home" or "house". In ancient times, yurts were called "qionglu", "felt tent" or "yurt house".
Mongolian yurts are round in shape, ranging in size from large to small. The large one can accommodate more than 600 people; the small one can accommodate 20 people. The erection of the yurt is very simple. It is usually set up in a place with suitable water and plants. First draw a circle according to the size of the yurt, and then you can start building it according to the size of the circle.
After the yurt is set up, people decorate the inside of the yurt. Lay out a thick carpet and hang picture frames and posters around it. Now some furniture and electrical appliances have been put into yurts, and life is very comfortable and joyful.
The biggest advantage of the yurt is that it is easy to disassemble and assemble. Relocation is easy. When erecting, the "Hana" can be opened to form a circular wall. When dismantling, the Hana can be folded back to reduce its size and can also be used as a cow or a board. A yurt only requires 40 camels or 10 two-wheeled ox carts to transport it, and it can be set up in 20 hours.
Although the yurt looks small in appearance, the usable area inside the yurt is very large, and the indoor air circulation and lighting conditions are good. It is warm in winter and cool in summer, and is not afraid of wind and rain. It is very suitable for frequent grazing. Ethnic habitation and use.
[Edit this paragraph] Components of the yurt
The traditional housing of the Mongolian nomads. In ancient times, it was called Qionglu, also known as felt tent, and was used for nomadic herding. It has been around since the time of the Xiongnu and is still used today. The yurt is round in shape, and the surrounding side walls are divided into several blocks. Each block is about 13 meters high and is covered with woven strips of wood. In nomadic areas, it is mostly of the swimming type. The nomadic type is divided into two types: detachable and non-detachable. The former is carried by livestock, and the latter is carried by oxcart. Herders such as Ke and other ethnic groups also live in yurts when they are nomadic.
The yurt is mainly composed of three parts: wood, thatch, and ropes. No cement, adobe, bricks or tiles are used to make it, and the raw materials are either wood or wool. It can be described as a wonder in the history of architecture and a major contribution of the nomadic people.
1. The frame wood of the yurt: The frame wood of the yurt includes Taunao, Unni, Hana, and threshold.
(1) Taunao
There are two types of Taunao in yurt: joint type and rafter-inserted type. The wood is required to be good, usually made of sandalwood or elm. The difference between the two types of tau is that the crossbars of the connected tau are separated, while those of the rafter type tau are not separated. The connecting taunao has three rings, and the outer ring has many small wooden strips extending out to connect the uni. This kind of Taonao and Unni are connected together. Because it can be divided into two parts, camels are very convenient to transport.
(2) Wuni
Wuni is translated as rafter, which is the shoulder of the yurt. It is connected with Taonao on the top and Hana on the bottom. The length, size, and thickness should be uniform, and the wood requirements should be the same. The length is determined by the tunao, and its quantity should also change with the tunao. In this way, the yurt can be shoulder-length and round. A uni is an elongated wooden stick, oval or round. The upper end must be inserted or connected to the tau, and the head must be smooth and slightly curved, otherwise the felt bag will easily tilt and fall over. There is a rope buckle at the lower end to make it easier to put the heads together. The thickness is determined by the Hana. Generally, it is stuck in the Yaxing fork at the end of the Hana, and the upper end is exactly level. Uni is usually made of pine or red willow wood.
(3) Hana
Hana undertakes Taunao and Uni, and the size of the felt bag is determined. There are at least four, and the number is determined by the size of Taunao. Hana has three magical properties:
First, it is its flexibility. The height and size can be adjusted relatively, unlike Taonao and Uni, which have fixed sizes. It is generally customary to talk about how many heads and leather nails there are in a hana, not how many feet or inches. There are usually ten leather nails, eleven leather nails, etc. (referring to one hana). The more leather nails there are, the higher the hana will stand up, and the less likely it will be stretched; the fewer leather nails, the lower the hana will stand up, and the greater the possibility it will be stretched. There are generally fourteen, fifteen, or sixteen heads. Adding a head will increase the mesh size and increase the width of the hana. This feature provides the possibility to expand or reduce the yurt. When making Hana, willow sticks of the same length and thickness are arranged across each other at equal distances to form many small parallelogram meshes, and leather nails (camel skin is best) are nailed at the intersection points. In this way, the yurt can be big or small, tall or short. If the yurt is to be built high, the mesh of the yurt should be narrow and the diameter of the bag should be small; if the yurt is to be built low, the mesh of the yurt should be wide and the diameter of the bag should be large. It should be set higher in the rainy season and lower in the windy season. Mongolians are nomadic throughout the year, so they don’t have to worry about choosing a foundation for a yurt. This kind of house is incomparable. Due to this characteristic of Hana, it is very convenient to load, unload, carry and cover.
Second, it is a huge support. The Y-shaped branch of the hana crosses over, receiving the cries of Unni on the top, the cries of the legs touching the ground on the bottom, and the cries of other hanas on both sides. After Hana's head evenly withstood the gravity from Unni, it was dispersed and evenly spread through each mesh, and passed to Hana's legs. This is the secret why a willow stick as thick as a finger can withstand two to three thousand kilograms of pressure.
Third, it is beautiful in appearance. The wood of Hana is made of tamarisk, which is light but not broken, does not crack when punched, does not lose its shape when exposed to moisture, has the same thickness, the same height, and the same mesh size. The felt bag made in this way not only meets the mechanical requirements, but also has a well-proportioned and beautiful appearance.
Pay special attention to the curvature of Hana. Usually there are special tools. The head should be bent inward, the face should be protruded outward, the legs should be turned inward, and the upper half should be straighter and straighter than the lower half. In this way, the Uni can be stabilized and the bag can be rounded, making it easier to hoop it with three ropes.
(4) Door erection
After the hana is erected, adjust the mesh size so that the height of the hana is the height of the door frame. The door is framed by a frame. Therefore, the door of the yurt should not be too high. People have to bend down to enter. While bending down, they also express respect for the owner of the yurt, which is equivalent to bowing to the owner. The felt door should be hung outside.
(5) Pillars
There are eight hanas on the yurt to support the pillars. The yurt is too big and the weight increases, so windy weather can cause parts of the yurt to bend.
This is often the case with connected tuna. Eight---ten hana yurts use four pillars. In the yurt, there is a wooden frame surrounding the fire support, with holes drilled in the four corners to insert the pillar legs. The other end of the pillar is supported on the wood tied to the Taonao. Pillars include circles, squares, hexahedrons, octahedrons, etc. The patterns on the pillars include dragons, phoenixes, water and clouds. Only princes can generally use dragon patterns.
2. Tailoring of felt:
It consists of roof felt, ceiling, surrounding felt, outer cover, felt door, felt door head, felt wall base, felt curtain, etc.
(1) Top felt
Top felt is the top decoration of the yurt and has always been valued. The top felt is square, with straps on the four corners. It has the function of regulating the freshness of the air, the warmth and coldness in the bag, and the intensity of light. The size of the top felt is determined by the length of the diagonal of the square. When cutting, take the middle of the Taunao crossbar as the starting point and measure to both sides. The four sides should be wrapped with threads twisted from camel hair. Various patterns should be drawn out on the four sides and corners, or two horsehair and horsetail ropes should be used. Sew the roots side by side on the four sides, and nail straps on the four corners.
(2) Ceiling
The roof is the part of the yurt that covers the uni. Each half is like a fan, usually composed of three to four layers of felt. The inner layer is called Qibuge or Qiribuge. Take the distance from the center of Taunao to the end of Hana (half crossbar plus uni) as the radius. The drawn felt piece is the lapel of the ceiling. The drawn part of half the crossbar is the collar of the ceiling. The middle is equivalent to A large circle was dug out, and the ceiling was cut out. When cutting the collar, it is taboo to expose the head. The production of thatch pays attention to auspicious days. When cutting, it is divided into two pieces, the front and back. The connecting parts are not exactly aligned and must be cut separately. This will prevent rain, wind, and dust from pouring in. The inner tarpaulin must be wrapped at the intersection of the Hana and Unni feet, so that the outer felt will not be so tight and the appearance of the yurt will remain unchanged.
After the ceiling is cut, the outer perimeter must be edged and pressed. The placket should be inlaid with four finger widths, and the collar should be inlaid with three finger widths. The straight part where the two pieces meet also needs to be edged. In this way, the felt edge can be fixed firmly and it will look more beautiful at the same time.
(3) Wai Rang
The part of felt surrounding Hana is called Wai Rang. A typical yurt has four blankets. There are three layers inside and outside. The inner layer of felt is called Hanabuchi, and the felt is rectangular.
When the tailor was making the felt, he was a step ahead of Hana. The collar of the apron should have a slit and a belt. There are also ropes on the two legs of the apron. The exposed part of the outer edge of the felt must be edged and taped. Layers are used where the northeast fence felt and the east crossbar meet. The felt with battens should be pressed on top of the felt without battens. The skirt of the apron has no strips or edges.
(4) Outer Cover
The outer cover is called Hulturige in Mongolian. It is the part of the roof that is covered with thatch. It is a decoration of the yurt and a symbol of rank.
When tailoring Hultuzige, the collar was just as big as the outer ring of the Taonau. Hultuzge has four legs, which are level with Unni's legs. The outer cover is decorated with many straps. Its collar and lapel must be edged. There are cloud patterns, lotus flowers, and auspicious patterns, and the embroidery is very beautiful. The origin of Hulturige is very early. In the past, ordinary people had it, and later it became the patent of aristocratic lamas.
(5) Door
Door, originally referred to as a felt door, is made of three or four layers of felt. The length and width are measured from the outside of the door frame. There are four sides and two sides, with various patterns. Ordinary doors are mostly white with blue or red edges. The top is hung on the door. The gap between the door head and the ceiling should be blocked with a strip of felt with three tongues (three protruding felt strips), and it should also be edged and patterned.
3. Making straps and ropes:
The functions of the straps, ropes, pressing ropes, binding ropes and falling ropes of the yurt are to maintain the shape of the yurt, prevent the hana from exploding outward, and make the ceiling and felt It will not slide down or be blown up in the wind. In short, it has a lot to do with keeping the yurt stable and extending its life.
(1) Rope The rope is the rope used to tie Hana. It is made of horsehair and horsetail.
Divided into inner rope and outer rope. Twist the horsehair and ponytail into six thin strands, twist three strands left and three strands right into a rope, and then sew two, four, and six strands side by side into a flat shape. The advantage of this kind of rope is that it can bear strength and does not stretch. The inner rope is a wool rope tied around the middle of the naked Hana when the yurt is erected. The pressure of the Hana is very high, and the quality of the inner rope must be particularly strong. Once the inner rope is broken or not tied tightly, the Hana will be stretched out, the Taunao will sink, and the yurt will be in danger of collapse. The outer ropes are tied outside the felt and are divided into upper, middle and lower ropes. Some of the colors of the ropes match well, and they look like flowers when rubbed. The outer rope not only prevents the henna from bulging out, but also prevents the felt from sliding down.
(2) Pressure rope Pressure rope is also called a belt, which is divided into internal pressure rope and external pressure rope. When erecting the wood, the rope that ties the naked unnie horizontally is called a rope. There are four or six internal pressure ropes in the yurt, which are also made of horsehair and horsetail and are relatively thin. These pressure ropes are the same thickness as the uni pressure ropes to prevent the tunao from sinking or rising, and keep the yurt roof in its original shape.
The external pressure ropes are divided into three types: ordinary eight pressure ropes, network straps and outer cover straps. Ordinary pressure ropes are thicker than internal pressure ropes, and external pressure ropes are used on the outside of the tarpaulin. Four in the front and four in the back. The network straps are different from ordinary pressure ropes. They are placed on the ceiling and hang down like tassels from around the bag. In particular, the ceiling hem is made more delicately, hanging down and sewn onto the blanket. The outer cover straps are only available for yurts with outer covers. Felt bags with outer covers do not need other external pressure ropes. The outer cover itself plays the role of the top pressure rope of the bag. The outer cover is more accurately said to be a rope than a tarpaulin. The straps nailed to the legs and collar of the outer cover hold the lapels of the ceiling and the bundles of pots together more tightly so that they cannot be blown up by strong winds.
(3) Tying rope and falling rope
Tying rope is a thin rope that ties the mouths of two adjacent hanar pieces together to make them into a whole. It is made with a camel The hair on the knees is mixed with horsehair and ponytail. The falling rope is the rope pulled down from the highest point of Taonao. The Mongols attach great importance to this belt, which is made from the knee hair or mane tail of male camels and horses. When strong winds arise, tighten the rope to prevent strong winds from blowing the yurt away.
[Edit this paragraph] Introduction to the yurt
The vast grassland in the yurt is a big stage for the Mongolian people to ride horses and freely graze. The most suitable residence for the nomadic people is the yurt. The yurt is a unique cultural model of the nomadic people, which has accompanied the Mongolian nation for a long time.
The yurt has its own development and evolution process: the ancients made caves, built wood and stones along the cave walls to the edge of the cave, and put some crossbars on top to cap the cave. A hole should be left on the top of the cave for people to enter and exit, smoke, vent, light, and ventilation. Later, it developed into the door and skylight of the yurt. At that time, this kind of cave was called Urwo, and "Ur" originally meant "dig". In modern Mongolian, it specifically refers to the roof felt on the skylight of the yurt, and by extension means "home", "household" and other meanings. During the hunting and gathering era, the Mongolian people lived in shacks. This round-vaulted shelter used live trees as pillars and was covered with birch bark. It was simple to make and easy to abandon. As primitive humans transitioned from gathering to hunting, their range of activities became wider and wider. At the same time, some herbivores were gradually domesticated into livestock, and the embryonic form of animal husbandry emerged. This requires a kind of living room that is convenient for migration, so buildings such as shacks came into being. During the transition from the hunting era to the nomadic era, their dwellings transitioned from shacks to tents, which used trees as supports and were covered with furs. After entering the pastoral society, the bracket became a Hana, and combined with the above-mentioned cave roof into a skylight, the prototype of the yurt was born. Felt tents also appeared, which were shaped like a canopy and covered with wool. According to the "Summary of Hulunbuir": "The ordinary Mongols in Hulunbuir are usually nomadic, living on water and grass, and their migrations are unpredictable, and they generally live in dome huts. This kind of canopy life can protect them from wind and snow, and can prevent tigers and wolves." Qionglu's Manchu language is called "Mongolian Bo", and "Bo" is commonly pronounced as "Bao". Zhao Liangsi, a native of the Liao Dynasty in the late Song Dynasty and early Yuan Dynasty, wrote in a poem: "The snow is blowing down Jishan in the early morning, and the night in Qionglu is dark with candles." This is what he chanted. Yurt.
Hanerduo in ancient times. This is a yurt used by ancient Mongolian nobles. It is also called "Woguituo", also known as "palace tent".
Compared with ordinary yurts, this kind of yurt has three characteristics:
First, it has a large volume. An ordinary yurt is about thirteen or four feet high and five or six feet wide. Han'erduo in ancient times was much taller. According to Rubuluqi's account: "They made these tents so large that they sometimes reached thirty feet wide. Once, the width between two wheel tracks left by a vehicle on the ground was twenty When the tabernacle was placed on a cart, it extended at least five feet on either side beyond the wheels. In one case, twenty-two oxen were used to pull a tent..." This used twenty-two oxen. The giant yurt pulled by oxen is a highly expressive creation.
Secondly, the Hanerduo used by ancient nobles was magnificent. Xu Huo notes in "A Brief History of Black Tartars": "When Ting arrived at the grassland, he set up a golden tent, which was made into a large felt tent in the grassland. The top and bottom were made of felt for clothes, and the middle was made of willow for transparent windows, and more than a thousand threads were used to drag them. The threshold and pillars are all wrapped in gold, hence the name. "The Secret History of Mongolia" says: "Wang Khan erected a golden tent without any hesitation." The tent is made of fine wool cloth and is magnificent. The huge account. This kind of decorated palace tent is also called the "Golden Palace".
Thirdly, the shape of the palace tent is slightly different from that of the yurt. The shelves of the palace tent were made by inserting the uni into the hargas and erecting the hana. The shape is like a human neck. Rubulu begged to call Mengge Khan's palace "the house with neck hair". According to the "Crystal Mirror": "There is a tent in the Heavenly Palace called the Palace Tent." The upper part of the palace tent is in the shape of a gourd, which symbolizes fortune, prosperity and prosperity; the lower part is in the shape of a peach, which imitates the Heavenly Palace. The shape of this palace tent is still preserved in Genghis Khan's mausoleum. The palace tent has a brilliant golden roof, and the yurt is covered with yellow satin and decorated with a dark green tasseled roof. It is extremely gorgeous and reflects the unique architectural art of the Mongolian nation.
[Edit this paragraph] Modern production of yurts
If you have taken a fancy to or like the style of a certain yurt, or you want to design one yourself that will impress you In Inner Mongolia, there are many such manufacturers that can provide you with personalized yurt production. For example, the more famous Inner Mongolia Xinyida Yurt Factory in Inner Mongolia not only provides home-style yurts for Mongolian residents, but also provides CCTV provides yurts for performances, which may be a good choice in today’s world of pursuit of personalization.