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Multi-Level Housing Governance in Rural Settlement Lin & Jia
(i) Partitioning walls panels in this direction have been
All the interior walls of the traditional removed. In one cell, there are three
houses do not bear the load. They are panels along the width. These panels
only wooden panels used to divide divide the whole cell into four spaces that
spaces from outdoor to indoor, from are a living room at the front, a bedroom,
others’ to one’s own. The wooden panels a staircase, and a kitchen at the back. It is
are very thin (less than 10 cm thick). The the most efficient approach to maximize
panels have directions, along the depth the use of the residential space to fulfill
and the width, both having different all the needs in daily life. However,
functions. In common, the former is used along with the residents moving out,
to divide spaces according to ownership, those who are still living here can occupy
and the latter divides spaces according to more spaces. They do not need to divide
functions. To explain further, the panels the space so carefully. In fact, the
along the depth differentiate the spatial narrowed living spaces cannot satisfy the
cell from others’ to one’s own, and those requirement of modern people who
along the width differentiate space from pursue capacious indoor spaces with
bedroom to kitchen. better sunlight and ventilation. Thus,
For both of these cases, indoor except for the one that separates the
panels have been changed to reallocate kitchen from other spaces, all the other
the spaces to meet the changing three partition panels have been removed,
requirements of the locals based on their at least for the liu’s that are still in use.
daily lives. Some panels were removed, But in SSCH, the panels along the
some were added, some were renovated. two directions have been greatly altered.
In the OTH, the panels along the depth The width-direction panels have all been
have not changed much. The form of removed; meanwhile, the depth-
space using liu as unit has been kept until direction panels have been removed for
now. But the panels along the width have every two lius. They all aim to create
been extensively modified, especially in bigger spaces as dining rooms.
the recent decade. At present, most of the
Figure 5. Central Hall in Ming and Qing dynasties. Source: Drawings by the author
AccScience Publishing 10
