Approach to Folk Construction Techniques of Earth-Dwelling Caves

Earth-dwelling caves are a kind of traditional housing with unique and typical native characters. The construction of these caves is mostly based on the experiences of native craftsmen, merely passing down and developing orally without forming systematic theories and with little word-recording. However, they embody deep mechanical principles and structural implication worth long protection. At present, the earth-dwelling caves of thousands of years are rapidly disappearing and the techniques of construction are facing the danger of being lost as well, which is bound to bring about the loss of an architectural culture. This paper tries to approach the folk construction techniques of these traditional earth-dwelling caves, which will have a special significance to the passing-down and protection of such a cave housing culture.