Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 283

International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Ecological Studies (CESSES 2018)

Analysis on the Application and Inheritance of Ula

Culture in Modern Residence

Ruifeng Tao Fengming Guo

Art College Art College
Northeast Electric Power University Northeast Electric Power University
Jilin, China Jilin, China

Abstract—Ula is one of the clan tribes of Jurchen. It is also Folk culture is the sublimation of life as well as the
a nickname of Manchu because they dwelt along Songhua sublimation of ordinary people's ordinary life into the
River in Jilin, Jinlin province for generations. Ula Street Town cultural field. The folk culture of Ula Street Town has not
of Jilin City has a long history and culture. It is not only rich in only the original residential houses of the Ula mud wall, but
folk customs, but also famous for Ula culture at home and also traditional foods such as water dumplings, small meat
abroad. The design of modern residence should reflect locality rice, Long Hu Dou, pastry, caramel treats, and the Eight
and nationality, which is also a powerful means to highlight the Bowls. These folk cultures all can bring people different
characteristics of modern residence design. The embedding of regional culture feelings. People who come to play can not
this special technique will also make the space design more
only taste the delicious food, but also watch the dance
appealing. Nowadays, although the Ula national customs show
distinct regional characteristics, there are few embodiments of
performances of Ula's big Yangko, shaman dance
Ula-style designs in residential design. We should refine and performance, single drum waist bell, and Qinglong dance.
sublimate the traditional living culture elements of Ula and The folk culture of Ula gradually evolved into an
make full use of the traditional national cultural elements to indispensable part of the Ula folk culture in the historical
make our interior design more national and vital, and achieve river, which deeply influenced the people of Ula. Ula Street
a good decorative style effect. The paper will study the concept Town of Jilin City was the earliest activity area of the
of Ula traditional residential design and research how to better Sushen ancestors, and the emperor of the Qing Dynasty also
apply the long-standing Ula culture in modern dwellings and left a footprint here. The various intangible cultural heritages
inherit it. in the town of Ula Street include Shamanism of Ula and the
music of shaman, as well as the dance, diet, and falcon
Keywords—Ula culture; modern residence; application; custom of Ula. Under the rapid development of the new era,
inheritance the impact of various external factors on Ula culture has
caused some of this folklore to cease to exist in daily life,
I. INTRODUCTION and some are forgotten in the dark corner. However, people’s
awareness of protection has gradually increased in recent
Ula Street Town is a famous Manchu Town in the
years. There are also some excellent intangible cultures that
northeast China, located in the upper reaches of the Songhua
have been passed down and their good places are promoted.
River, which belongs to Longtan District of Jilin City. Ula
Street Town is the birthplace of ethnic minority Manchu. In
the long river of history, it has always been an important A. The Origin of Ula Culture
activity center of ethnic minority Manchus and also Wula Street Town is located in Jilin City in northeastern
witnessed the birth, growth, expansion, rise and development China. As early as 5,000 years ago in the Neolithic Age, the
of a nation. ancestors of the Ula people， Sushen survived here, and the
Xi Tuanshan culture left many precious ancient sites here
The ancient architectural heritage of Ula Street Town is
three thousand years ago. From the Han Dynasty to the Yuan
quite rich, and there are many existing cultural relics, with
Dynasty, Bohai State established the city walls here, which
rich regional folk culture and Shaman religious culture. Ula
was the beginning of the city construction of Ula Street, and
Street is one of the birthplaces of Ula. Its culture is mainly
was destroyed by the war later.
Ula culture that inherits and absorbs many Jurchen
civilizations, Mongolian civilizations and Han civilizations. After the founding of New China, it was under the
There are 5 provincial-level cultural relics protection units jurisdiction of Yongji County of Jilin Province in 1999, and
and 1 municipal-level cultural relics protection unit in Ula has been under the jurisdiction of Longtan District of Jilin
street Town area; 1 national intangible cultural heritage and City since December 1999. Nowadays, Ula Street Town is
11 provincial-level intangible cultural heritage; various listed as a national key town. It has distinct national and
museums have collected many cultural relics. The main regional characteristics and is a true continuation of the
traditional ancient buildings are the original “Four Halls”, historical development of Ula. There is also the saying that
“Eight Temples”, “Four Houses”, “Two Offices and Two “Ula came ahead of Jilin”.
Cities”, and "Three Mansions".

Copyright © 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/). 606
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 283

The original Manchus lived within the black mountains summer that is hard to bear. Besides, the ancestors of Ula
and white water in the northeastern forests, living a nomadic have chosen to live in the mountains for the sake of national
fishing and hunting life. Although their names have been security. The climate in the mountains is cold in winter and
changed for many times in the history in Han Classics, Wuji, hot in summer, so the residence of the ancestors of Ula
Mohe, or the Jurchen and Manchu who once governed the formed the living pattern of "living in house in summer
country lived on this same piece of land. This place with residence, while living in cave in winter", "cuoluozi" and
white mountain and black soil in northeast China has always "cellar" are the earliest residence manner of Ula. Cuoluozi,
been the home of the ancestors of Ula. where they live in summer, is a conical “house”. The top can
resist rain and sinister sun. According to the custom of Ula,
In the long history of China's civilization, from the the different orientations in it represent different levels, and
ancestors of Ula Sushen to the Manchuria in modern times, the north is the place for gods, which is the most
Ula Street Town witnessed the history of Manchu distinguished place. Because of the cold winter, in order to
development from beginning to end. From the primitive resist the cold north wind, there is the form of residence:
tribes, Ula gradually passed through the historical cellar. The cellar is the pit excavated three or four meters
elimination and self-progress, and became an excellent underground, in which the heated kang is placed and the
nation. It has added vitality to the China and enriched the
warmth is good.
Chinese civilization. Especially in the process of China's
transition from the old society to the new society, it Due to the adverse weather in the northeast and the living
integrates itself with the Chinese nation into a community in habits, Ula ancestors built their houses at higher elevations to
a natural way like flowing water. The unique charm of Ula prevent floods and beasts. When the ancestors of Ula built a
culture is the course of its development and the cultural fixed house, they also considered how to avoid being
context, which is fully reflected in its glorious past and affected by the natural environment. For example, the heated
present. kang is set on the north, west and south sides of the house,
commonly known as the swastika kang, to protect against the
B. The Influence of Ula Religious Culture on the Living cold; the residential doors are all open to the outside, in order
Environment to prevent the beasts from intruding; and the window paper
with one of the eight monsters in the Northeast on it is pasted
The religion of the Ula is different from the Buddhist and
on the window to resist the snow.
Taoism believed in the Central Plains. Although there was
also Buddhism and Lamaism, the most widely known and
representative religion of the Ula people is Shamanism II. TRADITIONAL RESIDENTIAL SPACE FORM OF ULA
passed down by the wizard. PEOPLE
The inheritance of shamanism is long-standing, which The traditional residential space form of Ula has a high
belongs to polytheism. The believers believe in many gods. status in the Ula ethnic living culture, and even has a major
From nature to ancestor spirits, the figure of shaman gods impact on the residential space form of the entire China. The
can be found. Shamanism had an impact on the Jurchen very residential space of the people can still see the mark of the
early, and it still affected all aspects of the Qing government. traditional residential space of Ula.

Ula religious culture has a great impact on people's A. Courtyard Layout of the Traditional Residence of Ula
residential buildings, including royal architecture. The
Sanheyuan and Siheyuan, traditional residence of the In the layout of the courtyard, the most typical courtyard
ordinary Ula people and the Ningshou Palace and Kunning layout of Ula is Sanheyuan and Siheyuan. These are
Palace in the royal buildings are all influenced by the Ula developed from the "Cuoluozi" and the "cellar", which is the
culture. In these buildings, the layout of the Sanheyuan and result of the gathering of the Ula dwellings. Since Ula power
Siheyuan is symmetrical. In addition, even the gates of the entered Beijing, its culture was also influenced by the Han
houses will be placed on the central axis of the building. This culture. Therefore, the central axis symmetry of the Han
layout is obviously a feature of the Ula dwellings. culture was fully reflected in the residential buildings of Ula,
and the courtyard of Ula also adopted a symmetrical layout.
In the traditional residence of Ula, there is room
especially for fete. Most of the Ula people will set up the The biggest difference between Siheyuan of Ula and the
"Suoluo Rod" in the southeast of their own courtyard, which courtyard house in Beijing lies in the location of the
is also reflected in the southwest of the Qingning Palace in residential door. The old Beijing courtyard often has a
Shenyang Imperial Palace. The Ula religious culture can be residential gate in the southeast, while the gate of Ula
seen everywhere in the life of Ula residents, affecting not dwelling is in the middle strictly in accordance with the
only all aspects of the life of Ula people, but also the royal central axis. People can see the center of the house from the
family's aristocratic life. entrance. The Siheyuan is composed of a south-facing main
house and two wing rooms on the east and west sides, with a
concierge set in the center, so this layout of the house is
C. The Impact of the Natural Environment on Traditional
called Siheyuan. The Sanheyuan is a combination of three
Residences in Ula houses and one door.
Although the traditional residence of Ula is located in the
northeast where the winter climate is cold, there is also a In the traditional residences of Ula, whether it is a
Sanheyuan or a Siheyuan, and whether the family is poor or

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rich, the screen wall will be built in the house. The role of people. The ancestral board is set on the wall on the west
the screen wall is to enhance the privacy of the house, even if side of the upper house.
the door is open, passers-by will not be able to see the
situation inside the house. The screen wall is set both in the On the board, there is a wooden box called ancestral box,
outer side and the inner side of the gate. The outer screen where there are often more than a feet white silk and the
wall plays a large decorative role while the inner shadow genealogy, or bows and arrows used by ancestors. As shown
wall creates a tranquil residential environment. in "Fig. 1", the ancestral board is placed on the west wall of
the upper house in this design, enshrining the bows used by
the Ula ancestors.
B. The Indoor Layout of the Traditional Residence of Ula
The indoor layouts of traditional residences of Ula
include “pocket type” and “moneybag typr”, which are
gradually developed from the “Nagri” where the Ulan
ancestors lived in the Jin Dynasty. Among them, "pocket
type" is also called "bucket type", which is named for its
shape. The layout of the kang in the bedroom of "pocket
type" residence is two large kangs in the north and south,
with a narrow kang connecting in the middle. This style of
kang is called "swastika kang", and is also called "circle
kang" iconically. The south side of kang is for elders while
the juniors lived in the north side. The entrance door mostly
opens in the first house on the east side, and some entrance
doors are opened in the middle, which is called the “opposite Fig. 1. Ula folk-custom reception area.
house”.
Another feature of the "moneybag type" residence is that Paper-cutting is a very important element in Ula culture.
the entrance door is in the middle of the house, and the Ula paper-cut contains characters, animals, auspicious words,
kitchen can be seen after entering the house. The two sides flowers, and patterns and so on. On every festival, paper-cuts
are divided into the east house and the west house, and the made of colored paper will be pasted on doors, windows,
juniors in the family should live in the east house. There are walls and beams to celebrate the festival.
windows on both sides of the entrance door, called "horse
window", and each house has a window on the south side, III. THE INFLUENCE OF ULA CULTURE ON MODERN
with kraft paper pasted outside the window to prevent snow. RESIDENCES
Each residence will have a ventilated passageway on the side
The Manchus living in the Ula Street Town of Jilin
gable to connect to the outside chimney for smoke
Province are ethnic minorities in China, as well as the rare
evacuation.
ethnic minorities that established nationwide political power
in the history of China. Since the ancient times, the Ula
C. Traditional Interior Decoration Elements of Ula people have been active in the Ula Street Township of Jilin
The location of Wula is near the forests of Changbai Province in China. Due to the influence of natural conditions,
Mountain, which provides the Ula people with the the Ula culture has also affected the residential buildings
necessities of building a house – wood. The winter in the today, which makes the local residences have distinct
northeast is extremely cold, so the activities of Ula people in regional characteristics.
the winter are naturally carried out around the fire. The
people's diet and daily life are carried out on the heated kang, A. Influence of Shaman Culture on the Interior Space of
thus forming a unique "culture on the kang" of Ula. The kang Residence
is one of the necessary furniture for the residents of Ula, and
Religion provides people with belief, and the
it is also called the kangqin in some areas. Because there are
establishment of belief can determine the trajectory of
usually golden decorative patterns on the cabinet, it is also
people's life. Therefore, religious culture has always been
known as the gold cabinet. The top of the cabinet is for the
one of the factors that have a greater influence on people's
storage of quilt, the upper part can store clothes, and the
production and life, and the residence of the people is also
bottom cabinet is the place for idle objects. The Manchu
affected by the religious culture. The Shamanism culture of
furniture in the northeast is simple in line, and the common
Ula has a great influence on the life and architecture of Ula
decorative patterns include long round line, hollow-square
people. Each household of Ula has a special area for
pattern and other patterns that symbolize the happiness and
sacrificial ceremony at home, such as the ancestral box on
auspiciousness. There are not too many complicated
the west wall of the room. The shaman can communicate
decorative patterns, which make the shape of this furniture
with God in the consciousness of the Ula people, so the Ula
straighter, simpler and more generous, representing the
people can carry out meal activities on the west kang only
Manchu people's capable life style.
when they worship the heavens. Until today, the Ula people
The Ula people admire their ancestors, so they have the still believe in shamanism, and the family's spatial layout can
custom of worshiping the ancestors, and there is ancestral still see traditional customs. It can be seen that the shamanic
board specially for worshiping ancestors in the houses of Ula culture has far-reaching influence on modern residences.

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B. The Influence of Ula Art Form on Interior Space of manifestation of national culture. The colors often used in
Residence Ula traditional culture are green, yellow, blue, red, gray, etc.
In the new era, under the impact of foreign culture, Ula's Ula culture uses these colors as symbols and ways of
living culture has also had a certain impact, and some expressing emotions and thoughts. Nowadays, what use Ula
changes have taken place. The traditional heated kang of Ula color most widely is clothes. In indoor culture, Ula color is
has an impact on the modern form of living. In the hotel with mainly reflected in various kinds of fabrics such as paper-
the theme of Qing culture, the Ula characteristic household cutting and furniture. Although it is not as strong and vivid
kang cabinets and tables can be seen everywhere, reflecting as in traditional houses, it applies the essence of traditional
the characteristic culture of Ula. However, through careful
Ula colors to indoor culture. As shown in "Fig. 2", the red
observation, it can be seen that these furniture has the
characteristics of the times when meeting the characteristics and yellow colors of Manchu are used in the color selection
of the Ula. For example, the use of modern material art paint of the decorations and the color of the lights. It also uses the
not only avoids the excessive use of wood, but also reflects wood that is used in Ula dwellings most often to highlight
the texture, color and charm of the wood, and makes it more the atmosphere of the ancient Ula dwellings.
perfect.

C. Influence of Ula Customs on Interior Space of Residence

The heated kang has a long history in the Ula dwellings.
The eating habits of the Ula people on the heated kang have
long been an integral part of their lives, so there are still
ancient forms of kang in modern rural dwellings. Even in
modern buildings, modern electric kang have been used to
replace heated kang.

IV. APPLICATION AND INHERITANCE OF ULA CULTURE IN

MODERN RESIDENCES
Due to the great differences in climate in different Fig. 2. Ula Folk Room.
regions, the living habits are also different. Different national
customs lead different regions to have different design styles. B. Performance of Shaman Culture in Modern Residences
Although there are mainstream design styles in the field of
modern residential design, with the continuous improvement Shamanism has always been mysterious. In recent years,
of people's living standards, the demand for spiritual and as shaman studies have gradually culminated, shaman
cultural life has gradually increased and “retro style” and culture has gradually been understood by more people who
“national style” have already appeared in the design of like the mysterious decorative items with shaman elements.
contemporary houses. The Ula culture has been applied and In today's interior design, shaman masks, shaman totem
passed down. poles, objects with shaman elements are placed as
decorations in the house to add national color, or as
collections for people to enjoy. There are many cases
A. Performance of Ula Traditional Living Culture in
applying the symbol of shaman religion to the decoration of
Modern Residences
the house after refinement. As shown in "Fig. 3", the pattern
In the fast-developing contemporary era, significant and shape of the ornament on the incense table is taken from
progress has been made in transportation, materials, and the shaman totem pole, and the pattern on the pillow is taken
technology, so local materials and traditional crafts and other from the Manchu Eight Flag pattern.
factors are no longer restricted by transportation and
transmission, and can no longer play a decisive role in
modern housing. The impact on dwellings has also been
weakened.
1) Performance of traditional residential space forms in
modern dwellings: In traditional residences, the door is the
key that connects indoor and outdoor space. In order to
prevent the pedestrians outside the door from affecting the
privacy of the dwelling, screen walls are set as a buffer zone.
Now, people commonly live in buildings without their own
courtyard, but people set up hallway, shoe cabinets, etc. at
the entrance, which also played a role of the screen wall.
2) Performance of Ula's indoor color elements in
modern homes: Color is a kind of visual experience. It can Fig. 3. Ula folk custom reception area.
show the "character" and like of a nation, which is a

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C. The Inheritance of Ula Traditional Living Culture in

Modern Dwellings
In the contemporary inheritance of Ula traditional culture,
one kind is museum and exhibition hall. This kind of
environment can replicate all aspects of traditional living
conditions and can create a real Ula traditional house. In this
kind of environment, tourists seem to break the secret of time
machine. The other is the inheritance of ordinary dwellings.
It is difficult for ordinary dwellings to express the
characteristics of Ula in the external facade of the building.
The interior decoration style is not systematic, and most of
them use traditional Ula symbols on furnishings, collectibles,
wall paper cuttings, wall patterns and wooden furniture to
create an indoor space with Ula characteristics.
There are still many problems in the inheritance of Ula
traditional living culture in modern dwellings. With the
continuous study of Ula culture by many scholars, modern
residential design needs to work harder to make the design of
Ula's distinctive style systematic, mature and extensive.

V. CONCLUSION
In summary, this article first outlines the origin and
development of Ula culture, and focuses on the influence of
Ula culture on Ula dwellings. Although Ula culture was once
forgotten by people, fortunately, many experts, scholars and
people in recent years have gradually established awareness
of protecting intangible cultural heritage, and Ula culture has
been better protected. The influence of Ula culture on
residential houses is mainly divided into outdoor
environment and indoor layout. The unique lifestyle of Ula
people also limits the layout of the interior. Therefore, this
paper expounds the unique folk characteristics of Ula culture
in interior design, and explores how to practically apply the
distinctive Ula culture in interior design, and better inherit it.

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