Along the side door passage, one sees windows with fences that appear to be used for ventilation purposes, yet in fact they are hidden rooms for defence purposes.

 Cat's way

Cat's way is one of usually neglected innumerable details that contribute to the mansion's greatness and durability. As its name suggests, this small device serves as the gateway for cats to enter and exit, but its function is not limited to this.

The existence of the cat's way has much to do with the wooden structure of Honglincuo. All the six sides of the houses there are made of wood, and the four walls and the roof are all exposed to open air, with only the floor close to the earth, making it prone damage from damp and rot. To solve this problem, the designers and builders of Honglincuo used their ingenuity or creativity. They dug the floor about one to 1.2 meters deep, and built several stonewalls, on which beams were placed. Floorboards were laid on the beams. The spacious room beneath the floor kept wooden floor free from the corruption of the humid earth.

However, without ventilation, the stagnant air in the room can also easily mildew the wooden floor. Besides, small animals like mice hide themselves under the floor and it's hard to catch them. Thus a small hole called a cat's way was built to serve as a humidity adaptor. Mice's natural enemy, cats, can easily enter and exit the hole, guaranteeing the sanitation of the space beneath the floor as well.

After more than 200 years, the wooden floors are still firm and steady - partly thanks to the amazing functionality of the cat's way.

 

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