Chinese Vernacular. The Weiwu at Dafuzhen

Two main types of residential architecture have dominated the architecture in the Fujian region in China. They, known as tulou and weiwu, have been developed in parallel. Both for communal living, but distinct from each other in terms of setting, layout, form and size. A good deal is known about tulou which has been inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 2008, but existing scholarship on weiwu is lacking. This is a case study about a weiwu at Dafuzhen in central Fujian for two reasons: its architectural and planning sophistication and its commoners status. The weiwu is the Family Xiao’s estate built during 1870–85. Our tasks are: first, to survey in situ each building part of the complex on the current situation with attention to details; second, to portray what are hidden from view with masterly »x-ray« eyes; third, to convey the information in measured drawings at technological and design levels. Our work is graphic and analytical in nature, ranged within a series of research questions: What was the planning made to suit the hillside setting? What was the architectural arrangement made to accommodate the community living? To what extent do water supply and drainage design serve as a planning strategy? This study regards that water management is a key issue which was not a topic of great interest in traditional scholarship. This book offers students and professionals with an expert introduction to vernacular of what has been termed the essence of architecture, with the Dafuzhen weiwu as a case. The work focuses on issues of both architecture and planning with attention to details. The book describes characters and structures, discusses functions and rationales, and investigates methods and techniques at design and construction levels. It is is a masterly survey, graphically and analytically, to achieve a comprehensive presentation of the subject. Qinghua Guo is professor in Asian architecture and planning at the University of Melbourne, Australia. One of the world’s most renowned experts on Chinese architecture, she is the author of The Structure of Chinese Timber Architecture (1999), A Visual Dictionary of Chinese Architecture (2002), Chinese Architecture and Planning (2005), The Mingqi Pottery Buildings of Han Dynasty China (2010). Yuyu Chang is associate professor in architecture atZhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. Her PhD thesis, entitled Studies on the Craftsmanship of Traditional Chinese Carpentry in Fujian Region, was published in 2010 (in Chinese).