Ceremony held to start construction on a Tujia stilted house in C China

People of the Tujia ethnic group hold a ceremony to mark the start of construction on a stilted house in Dongmenguan village in Xuan'en county, Central China's Hubei province, April 17, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Owning a stilted house is a lifelong dream and pursuit for a family of the Tujia ethnic group.

It usually takes three to four months to fully construct a Tujia stilted house.

Before construction starts, the head of the household will chose an auspicious day and collect construction materials as suggested by the chief designer.

The craftsmanship involved in constructing a Tujia stilted house was inscribed on the list of national intangible cultural heritage in 2011.