Evolving Vernacular Architecture: Case Studies in Sichuan, China, 18th-20th Century

Abstract

This thesis investigates how and why Sichuan courtyard dwellings evolved to adapt to changing social and cultural conditions from the 18th to the 20th century. Located in south-western China, Sichuan courtyard dwelling share some similarities with those in other regions of China but have its unique characteristics. While much of the existing scholarship studies Sichuan vernacular architecture from a static perspective, this research examines the development of Sichuan vernacular architecture as a dynamic process of immigration, localization, and acculturation. The research is based on three in-depth case studies and fifteen auxiliary cases. Using research methods including archival research, interviewing, site observation, and spatial analysis, the thesis adopts a holistic research framework to examine architectural space, social relationships, everyday life and cultural meaning of selected examples. The thesis shows that Sichuan courtyard dwellings in the 18th century were not developed from local architectural forms, but imported from inland China along with the wave of immigration. With the process of localisation in the 19th century, the characteristics of Sichuan vernacular dwelling such as grey space, flexible layout, extended eave, and small sky-well came into being to adapt to the new natural and cultural environment. The study also found that the social relationships and everyday life of the Sichuan residents were driving forces for the creation of the interesting spaces. The study also shows that many Sichuan courtyard dwellings in the 20th century were the results of compromise and eclecticism: their domestic spaces were organized within the traditional spatial framework as a cultural inheritance, while their westernized facade revealed the process of acculturation. Through these findings, the thesis contributes an original perspective to the understanding of Sichuan vernacular architecture as an evolving process over time.