Sunken Courtyard in the Loess Plateau

Sunken Courtyard in the Loess Plateau is an original illustration set in Shanzhou Yaodong, Henan, China. It lies in the subtropics, where the climate is monsoon-influenced humid subtropical — dry winters.

Seen obliquely from above, a square courtyard has been excavated deep into a flat ochre loess field. Repeated arched doorways and windows open horizontally into the courtyard walls, a ramp and stair reach the surface, smoke rises from a small vent, and crops continue almost to the rim around the hidden household.

Why are the houses arranged as vaulted rooms below the surface of a flat plateau?

Deep, fine-grained loess can hold a near-vertical face yet remains easy to excavate, so rooms can be cut around a courtyard instead of built above it. The surrounding earth supplies enormous thermal mass, slowing summer heat and winter cold, while the open court admits sun, air, and access. A level agricultural surface hiding a complete arched dwelling below it is therefore a direct response to the deep loess and continental climate of northern China.

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