ABSTRACT
Construction of a new house usually happens after October, because then the harvest is finished, people have free time, and there is enough money and food available. The construction process that people join in is impressive, rational and complete: it is easy to remember. Through the ritual process, the meaning and significance of the house are shared and understood, and group participation holds together the small community. Taking into account the particular site conditions, the hand ink master discusses with the host the function, arrangement, size and structure of the house, and whether the site is big enough to allow three bays, and what size each bay could be. When the site is ready, the hand ink master goes to the site and uses thread, wooden sticks and the Zhang pole to establish the positions of the columns. The central beam on the top of the central column is called the 'treasure beam'.
