Illustrated Guide to Traditional Chinese Residential Architecture

Author: Shan Deqi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-08-01
Features: The Illustrated Chronicle of Traditional Chinese Residential Architecture·Shuangyi Volume is divided into four series:
Volume Diao Lou Chu Li selects unique residential architecture—diao lou—from Jiangmen, Kaiping, and Taishan in Guangdong's overseas Chinese hometowns. These defensive and disaster-proof dwellings were built in the late 19th to early 20th centuries to protect against bandits and natural disasters. The designs of the diao lou are neither purely traditional nor modern, blending both, sparking deep reflection.
Volume Qi Lou Wan Yan features commercial streets and shophouses with a similarly "hybrid" character in Taishan, Jiangshan, and Kaiping.
Volume Feng Cai You Ji introduces the commemorative building Feng Cai Tang in Kaiping's Hai Town.
Volume Gu Yuan You Xin focuses on the renowned private garden Li Yuan of the overseas Chinese hometowns, illustrating how architectural culture blended with openness—a trend that emerged during that era of external engagement, evident in various building types across urban and rural residential, commercial, ancestral hall, and garden structures. The book is rich in visuals and detailed descriptions, and the topic it raises—"openness and hybridity leading to prosperity"—undoubtedly warrants in-depth exploration and reference. This book serves as a valuable learning and reference material for architectural professionals, educators, designers, and researchers in cultural heritage and tourism, as well as a specialized work with significant aesthetic and scholarly value.