In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
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Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#2The exterior: http://i.imgur.com/2x7b4.jpg
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#3Just yesterday I happened to watch the first episode of BBC's Wild China. The section on caves goes into this, and among other things shows a small village school built inside a giant cave.
Here's a picture: http://static.bbc.co.uk/programmeimages/640x360/clip/p009j8q...
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#4This used to be common in parts of Europe as well, until not that long ago. There are still inhabited houses set into cliffs in parts of France, e.g. around Chinon (http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/6368827), and some in Italy have become tourist destinations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassi_di_Matera).
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#5Not all the cave dwellings have nicely bricked exteriors and modern interiors:
[1] https://secure.flickr.com/photos/sookyeeyap/sets/72157602311...
[2] http://yapsookyee.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/ningxia-part-1-dir...
(Ningxia - Zhangjiashu village, by Sookyee)
The most interesting aspect is how quickly China is changing. Within a single generation, families have moved out of "holes in the mud" to village houses. Satellite TV and mobile phone coverage is also apparently available in Zhangjiashu village (and other similar remote villages).
Cave dwellings or yaodong still exist for some poorer families. “I used to live in a cave dwelling when I first got married,” said Ma Yan’s mother, Bai Juhua. “Very few people live in one of those anymore. Recently, a few of them collapsed because of the rain. Thank goodness nobody was hurt.”
...
They may not have drinking water, no proper toilet, no food…but they will definitely have mobile phones and satellite dishes for their TV.
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#6This used to be common in parts of Europe as well, until not that long ago. There are still inhabited houses set into cliffs in parts of France, e.g. around Chinon ( http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/6368827 ), and some in Italy have become tourist destinations ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassi_di_Matera ).
Common as well in first-millenium middle-east, as in Petra[0] or Mada'in Saleh[1], and there were quite a few cliff-dwelling people in precolumbian north-america, the most well known probably being the Anasazi which had well-known under-outcropping dwellings (e.g. Cliff Palace) but also actual cave dwellings like Tsankwawi[2] or very-close-to-cave dwellings like the House of Many Windows[3].
[0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mada%27in_Saleh
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsankawi
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:House_of_Many_Windows.JPG
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#7Not all the cave dwellings have nicely bricked exteriors and modern interiors: [1] https://secure.flickr.com/photos/sookyeeyap/sets/72157602311... [2] http://yapsookyee.blogspot.com.au/2008/03/ningxia-part-1-dir... (Ningxia - Zhangjiashu village, by Sookyee) The most interesting aspect is how quickly China is changing. Within a single generation, families have moved out of "holes in the mud" to village houses. Satell…
Almost everything written in the west about China, is biased against them. Don't waste your time reading highly partial and non-informative bullshit like this. Go visit China if you care, or just mind your own business if you don't.
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#8This used to be common in parts of Europe as well, until not that long ago. There are still inhabited houses set into cliffs in parts of France, e.g. around Chinon ( http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/6368827 ), and some in Italy have become tourist destinations ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassi_di_Matera ).
Common as well in first-millenium middle-east, as in Petra[0] or Mada'in Saleh[1], and there were quite a few cliff-dwelling people in precolumbian north-america, the most well known probably being the Anasazi which had well-known under-outcropping dwellings (e.g. Cliff Palace) but also actual cave dwellings like Tsankwawi[2] or very-close-to-cave dwellings like the House of Many Windows[3]. [0] http://en.wikipedia.o…
also just dig straight down. http://www.traveladventures.org/continents/africa/bet-giyorg...
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#9Just yesterday I happened to watch the first episode of BBC's Wild China. The section on caves goes into this, and among other things shows a small village school built inside a giant cave. Here's a picture: http://static.bbc.co.uk/programmeimages/640x360/clip/p009j8q...
Two things are totally different... The cave mentioned in the article only exists in northern China and is man made. While the cave in the picture you post is in souther China and is natural cave.
Re: In China, millions make themselves at home in caves
#10The exterior: http://i.imgur.com/2x7b4.jpg
Where is this?