300 days, one house
July 8, 2022 6:26 AM Subscribe
Xiao Qian Feng, a maker from Guangdong, China, recorded the process of building her own home and studio from scratch over the course of 300 days. The end result: a calming, satisfying, beautiful nearly-wordless video featuring both the beauty of her surroundings and the very cool process of building her own space from start to finish.
If you'd like to see smaller building projects, you might like to see her make a cat house, a hedgehog house, or a human-sized mushroom house.
If you prefer text to video, perhaps you would like this blog post about a wearable robot suit or this one about a mechagodzilla suit.
If you'd like to see smaller building projects, you might like to see her make a cat house, a hedgehog house, or a human-sized mushroom house.
If you prefer text to video, perhaps you would like this blog post about a wearable robot suit or this one about a mechagodzilla suit.
The lack of insulation is making my eye twitch. But maybe this is in a part of China where that's unnecessary. :)
posted by xthlc at 6:49 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by xthlc at 6:49 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also interesting to note: the use of masonry and concrete for structural elements that in North America would be lumber and plywood. She only uses wood for sheathing and decorative elements. Reflects the difference in resources and building customs.
posted by xthlc at 6:52 AM on July 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by xthlc at 6:52 AM on July 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
Are rebar concrete roofs common in China? That was new to me. Some quick googling says advantage is largely longevity? Curious about cost though.
On preview: What xthic said.
posted by gwint at 6:55 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
On preview: What xthic said.
posted by gwint at 6:55 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Wow, that's a huge amount of reinforced concrete for a small two-story building. Would love to hear more about the local economic and environmental conditions that encourage that - vernacular architecture is the best architecture!
posted by echo target at 7:32 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by echo target at 7:32 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I've only very rarely seen pitched concrete roofs before. I also found it interesting that they then nailed asphalt shingles to it.
posted by Dip Flash at 7:40 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Dip Flash at 7:40 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
this calls to mind the video I just watched: how primitive building videos are staged.
they are not directly connect obviously, but the genre has some interesting cul-de-sacs.
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 8:03 AM on July 8, 2022 [11 favorites]
they are not directly connect obviously, but the genre has some interesting cul-de-sacs.
posted by NoThisIsPatrick at 8:03 AM on July 8, 2022 [11 favorites]
I enjoy these types of videos. How does the sound work? Are they not actually speaking? Or are voices stripped out somehow?
posted by mokeydraws at 8:47 AM on July 8, 2022
posted by mokeydraws at 8:47 AM on July 8, 2022
When she was planting I was wondering if she knew how big some of those plants she planted so closely together will become.
posted by thorny at 8:50 AM on July 8, 2022
posted by thorny at 8:50 AM on July 8, 2022
This reminds me a bit of Liziqi's videos.
posted by The Adventure Begins at 8:51 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The Adventure Begins at 8:51 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Concrete and unreinforced masonry are common in china as they are durable materials where the primary cost is labor. They require skilled workers but there is a large body of community knowledge in the topic (as is evidenced by the video).
I love this video, thank you for sharing it. More people should be inspired to build their own housing as it is more feasible than one might consider, not just in China!
However, the safety manager in me is mandating the following notices if you are inspired to do a self build -
- Please use PPE (head, foot, eye, hearing, breathing and fall protection should be considered based on the activity)
- In any area with even minor seismic activity don’t install your unreinforced masonry first, as a Californian this gave me the heebie jeebies
- throwing building materials is not a way to transport them
posted by q*ben at 9:13 AM on July 8, 2022 [7 favorites]
I love this video, thank you for sharing it. More people should be inspired to build their own housing as it is more feasible than one might consider, not just in China!
However, the safety manager in me is mandating the following notices if you are inspired to do a self build -
- Please use PPE (head, foot, eye, hearing, breathing and fall protection should be considered based on the activity)
- In any area with even minor seismic activity don’t install your unreinforced masonry first, as a Californian this gave me the heebie jeebies
- throwing building materials is not a way to transport them
posted by q*ben at 9:13 AM on July 8, 2022 [7 favorites]
I’m even more impressed by how she does all that professional cinematography and editing and drone photography on her own with no support from the Chinese government’s vast propaganda apparatus.
posted by nicwolff at 9:28 AM on July 8, 2022 [12 favorites]
posted by nicwolff at 9:28 AM on July 8, 2022 [12 favorites]
I didn't want to be the first to say it but the majority of videos I see from Chinese content creators, which admittedly isn't much, all have a wholesome traditional angle to them and are very "produced" in a way that feels very propagandized. Chef Wang comes to mind.
I thought this was a result of such online content not being allowed to be published without an official OK from the government, but I can't cite a source for that impression.
posted by rustybullrake at 9:44 AM on July 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
I thought this was a result of such online content not being allowed to be published without an official OK from the government, but I can't cite a source for that impression.
posted by rustybullrake at 9:44 AM on July 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
There was a previous post about a Chinese content creator that discussed that very thing, rustybullrake. I haven't been able to find it.
posted by cooker girl at 9:46 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by cooker girl at 9:46 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Concrete and unreinforced masonry are common in china as they are durable materials where the primary cost is labor.
Houses in the US (and as many other buildings as possible as long as they meet code) tend to be wood framed due to the high cost of labor - wood framing goes up pretty quick compared to masonry or concrete. If you're building your own thing where there's not much of an appreciable difference between the material cost of wood and concrete/masonry and you've got all the time in the world, might as well make it something that lasts.
posted by LionIndex at 10:11 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
Houses in the US (and as many other buildings as possible as long as they meet code) tend to be wood framed due to the high cost of labor - wood framing goes up pretty quick compared to masonry or concrete. If you're building your own thing where there's not much of an appreciable difference between the material cost of wood and concrete/masonry and you've got all the time in the world, might as well make it something that lasts.
posted by LionIndex at 10:11 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
this calls to mind the video I just watched: how primitive building videos are staged.
they are not directly connect obviously, but the genre has some interesting cul-de-sacs.
I agree that this video is reminiscent of, but distinct from, the staged “primitive tech” videos. Those are based on the lie that the two builders depicted in those videos are creating elaborate structures using simple, primitive tools, while they are really getting assistance from a trained crew and heavy machinery off-screen. They’re basically ripping off John Plant’s original idea and corrupting it for money.*
In contrast, at various points in this video, it shows that the homeowner has a large group of folks working with her. Just before the 8-minute mark is a sped-up section showing the roof work in which it appears there may be eight or more folks working together. At a couple of other points, one of the group sounds like he may be giving directions to the others. And it shows them using power tools and other machines.
So this is basically an honest video documenting a house being built by a team, in which the homeowner is an engaged participant. I enjoyed it, because I like to see construction projects when I can understand the methods, though I admit it could also serve as propaganda.
(*John Plant’s “Primitive Technology” channel is the real deal and a source of genuine inspiration.)
posted by darkstar at 10:53 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
they are not directly connect obviously, but the genre has some interesting cul-de-sacs.
I agree that this video is reminiscent of, but distinct from, the staged “primitive tech” videos. Those are based on the lie that the two builders depicted in those videos are creating elaborate structures using simple, primitive tools, while they are really getting assistance from a trained crew and heavy machinery off-screen. They’re basically ripping off John Plant’s original idea and corrupting it for money.*
In contrast, at various points in this video, it shows that the homeowner has a large group of folks working with her. Just before the 8-minute mark is a sped-up section showing the roof work in which it appears there may be eight or more folks working together. At a couple of other points, one of the group sounds like he may be giving directions to the others. And it shows them using power tools and other machines.
So this is basically an honest video documenting a house being built by a team, in which the homeowner is an engaged participant. I enjoyed it, because I like to see construction projects when I can understand the methods, though I admit it could also serve as propaganda.
(*John Plant’s “Primitive Technology” channel is the real deal and a source of genuine inspiration.)
posted by darkstar at 10:53 AM on July 8, 2022 [1 favorite]
This was cool. Chinese propaganda can't compare to Yanks self-propagandizing as some weird defence when they see a pleasant video from another country.
posted by Space Coyote at 10:56 AM on July 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Space Coyote at 10:56 AM on July 8, 2022 [5 favorites]
The lack of insulation is making my eye twitch. But maybe this is in a part of China where that's unnecessary. :)
I'm not sure about insulation, but I do know that there's a line a little bit above the Yangtze, north of which indoor heating is pretty common, and south of which indoor heating is rare. I lived in Nanjing for a while, and it was common to sit in a restaurant during the winter wearing my winter coat while the room temperature hovered around 40 degrees F. During winters, students would huddle together in their dorms at night on a single bed trying to keep warm. Apartments tend to have mini-split units for AC and heating, though when I visited farming villages in Jiangsu and Anhui, that was rare (though my experience in those places is now about 15 years ago).
One particularly harsh winter we traveled to Guangxi and Guangdong provinces thinking we'd find warmth but it was still pretty cold there; restaurants and shops often had little ceramic pots with open burning wood or coal fires right in the center of the room as an attempt to keep warm.
Go north to Heilongjiang or Inner Mongolia or Gansu or Xinjiang, and you'll usually find indoor heating, though student accommodations can still be lacking. I haven't been back to the country since 2014, but I think a lot of the indoor heating in rural areas (and older urban areas) is still done by coal and as a result indoor air pollution is still pretty bad for a lot of the population.
posted by msbrauer at 11:01 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure about insulation, but I do know that there's a line a little bit above the Yangtze, north of which indoor heating is pretty common, and south of which indoor heating is rare. I lived in Nanjing for a while, and it was common to sit in a restaurant during the winter wearing my winter coat while the room temperature hovered around 40 degrees F. During winters, students would huddle together in their dorms at night on a single bed trying to keep warm. Apartments tend to have mini-split units for AC and heating, though when I visited farming villages in Jiangsu and Anhui, that was rare (though my experience in those places is now about 15 years ago).
One particularly harsh winter we traveled to Guangxi and Guangdong provinces thinking we'd find warmth but it was still pretty cold there; restaurants and shops often had little ceramic pots with open burning wood or coal fires right in the center of the room as an attempt to keep warm.
Go north to Heilongjiang or Inner Mongolia or Gansu or Xinjiang, and you'll usually find indoor heating, though student accommodations can still be lacking. I haven't been back to the country since 2014, but I think a lot of the indoor heating in rural areas (and older urban areas) is still done by coal and as a result indoor air pollution is still pretty bad for a lot of the population.
posted by msbrauer at 11:01 AM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Can't help feeling the missed opportunity for human-sized mushroom (dropping "house") to appeal to a grade school joke or few.
Love these kinds of videos.
posted by filtergik at 11:12 AM on July 8, 2022
Love these kinds of videos.
posted by filtergik at 11:12 AM on July 8, 2022
Yanks self-propagandizing as some weird defence
At the risk of contributing to a derail, defense of what?
A video can be enjoyable and still be propaganda. I enjoy Casablanca and Ip Man, for instance.
I enjoy Chef Wang's videos, I just get the sense that they are at least conforming to restrictive content/narrative standards set by the government out of necessity, if not fully produced by said government. So too with this content. The overall impression I've gotten from watching YouTube videos originating from China is there is a heavy emphasis on agrarian settings, traditional techniques, filial piety... pretty benign things.
It's something I try to keep in mind with all media I consume, especially that which I enjoy or agree with, regardless of origins. Who made this? Why? What are their motives? What do they gain from me seeing it? Is it an accurate representation?
I don't think healthy skepticism is weird.
posted by rustybullrake at 11:58 AM on July 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
At the risk of contributing to a derail, defense of what?
A video can be enjoyable and still be propaganda. I enjoy Casablanca and Ip Man, for instance.
I enjoy Chef Wang's videos, I just get the sense that they are at least conforming to restrictive content/narrative standards set by the government out of necessity, if not fully produced by said government. So too with this content. The overall impression I've gotten from watching YouTube videos originating from China is there is a heavy emphasis on agrarian settings, traditional techniques, filial piety... pretty benign things.
It's something I try to keep in mind with all media I consume, especially that which I enjoy or agree with, regardless of origins. Who made this? Why? What are their motives? What do they gain from me seeing it? Is it an accurate representation?
I don't think healthy skepticism is weird.
posted by rustybullrake at 11:58 AM on July 8, 2022 [6 favorites]
Nice way to spend most of a year. No bug screens. No lace curtains.
posted by Oyéah at 1:37 PM on July 8, 2022
posted by Oyéah at 1:37 PM on July 8, 2022
The BBC gets £5 billion in grants from the UK government.
Both Top Gun movies had the active support of the US military, with filming on board US Navy aircraft carriers.
If China wants to promote a positive image of China by funding engaging media, so what? Every nation does just the same.
All media is value-laden. Some of those values are obvious. Some are implicit. You should always watch critically.
posted by happyinmotion at 1:45 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
Both Top Gun movies had the active support of the US military, with filming on board US Navy aircraft carriers.
If China wants to promote a positive image of China by funding engaging media, so what? Every nation does just the same.
All media is value-laden. Some of those values are obvious. Some are implicit. You should always watch critically.
posted by happyinmotion at 1:45 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
It may also simply be that we're seeing the best content from a country that's 1/5 of the world's population and the very best stuff is just bubbling to the top.
I can't believe that 手工耿Handy Geng is being produced as party propaganda
posted by mbo at 4:54 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
I can't believe that 手工耿Handy Geng is being produced as party propaganda
posted by mbo at 4:54 PM on July 8, 2022 [2 favorites]
She used lots of odd building techniques, perhaps due to the concrete shell. For example, putting the wood flooring on furring strips, with no moisture barrier (maybe there was one, I don't exactly recall) instead of gluing down. Standardized ceiling heights in the US make that a bad idea. Possibly really squeaky and noisy too. Also using the plastic anchors for the exterior siding. The lack of insulation too - bricks are such lousy insulation that the skinny wood siding is doing more than the layers of bricks for temperature control.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:46 AM on July 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:46 AM on July 10, 2022 [1 favorite]
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