Taking People as The Ruler: A Human Factors Study of Wa Traditional Architecture on the Southwest Border of Yunnan Province, China

Abstract

The Wa people on the China-Myanmar border are one of the last primitive ethnic groups in China, and they are also one of the floating ethnic groups without the concept of national boundaries in history. The measurement method of traditional Wa buildings is based on the human scale, and every part of the building has a close relationship with people. In previous studies, little attention has been paid to the relationship between the Wa people and traditional architecture, and it only describes the architecture. This paper analyzes the conventional building construction techniques of the Wa people in Cangyuan Wa Autonomous County in China. Further, this paper uses fieldwork research and data collection to compare the impact of traditional Wa people's housing and modern housing on comfort and belief levels. A detailed survey of villages in Mengdong Town, Mengjiao Township, and Danjia Township in Cangyuan County studies the changes in local materials and building structures in Cangyuan. Identify the human factors and actual usage of traditional and modern housing in Wa villages.

Keywords: Chinese traditional architecture, Human factors, Architectural scale, Wa ethnic group

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1003686