Daur is a self-called name that means "cultivator". The name first appeared at the end of Yuan Dynasty (12.6-1368). They were officially named Daur according to their own will after 1949. Daur people are believed to be the descendants of Khitan, an ancient nomad tribe who lived in the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River and founded Liao Dynasty (916-1125).

Most of the Daur people's houses are thatched cottages shaped like the Chinese character and face south. The frame of the house is usually made of pine wood or birch trees and the walls are piled with mud bricks plastered with several layers of mud. There are usually two, three or five rooms in the house. If there are two rooms, the western room is the bedroom and the eastern on is the kitchen room. If there are three or five rooms, the room in the middle is the kitchen and the rooms on both sides are the bedrooms. Daur houses are also known for the many windows. Generally, three jointed Kangs are built along the southern, northern and western walls of the bedroom. Normally elderly people sleep in the southern Kang (the most honored one in the house) in the western room, also the most honored room in the house. The sons, the daughter-in-law and the children usually sleep on the northern Kang or in the eastern room. The western Kang is usually for the guests.