旅游英语阅读教程Unit 6.ppt

Unit6 Earth Buildings 新世纪高职高专 旅游与酒店管理类课程规划教材 Contents Lead-in Text The Earth Buildings of Hakka The earth buildings of Hakka have a long history. As early as one thousand years ago, due to the war, famine and other reasons, Hakka people gradually migrated south from Central China and settled mainly in Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. The locals called them Hakka meaning “guest families” when they first settled in. As a latecomer to new places initially occupied by locals, Hakkas usually had to struggle and survive on the less desirable lands. Thus, Hakka people are well-known for their perseverance even in the most adverse environment. The Hakkas who lived in Yongding and Nanjing (southwest of Fujian Province) created their unique architecture called Earth Building. . Text These communal houses made of compacted earth were built to provide protection against bandits and wild animals. With all the halls, storehouses, wells and bedrooms inside, the huge tower-like building functions almost as a small fortified city. When constructing the walls with rammed earth, Hakkas used branches, strips of wood and bamboo chips laid in the wall as “bones” to reinforce it. The earth buildings are so well-lit, well-ventilated, windproof and quakeproof that they are warm in winter and cool in summer. They are spacious and made up of different shapes like round, five-phoenix, square, rectangular, and semi-circular. Text One of the popular types of Hakka earth buildings is the Round Earth Building. This type of building is round in shape and divided into three classes namely: small, medium and large. The small one is usually 2 to 3 stories tall with a single ring, having 21 to 28 rooms. The medium, 3 to 4 stories tall with a large inner open space (single ring) or double rings, has 30 to 40 rooms. The large, usually 4 to 5 stories tall consisting of as many as three rings, contains 42 to 58 rooms. Most of the round buildings are three stories high with a dia