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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).

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