The Weiwu at Dafuzhen

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Two main types of residential architecture dominate the Fujian region in China: tulou and weiwu, both developed for communal living but differing in setting, layout, form, and size. While tulou has received significant attention and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, scholarship on weiwu remains limited. This case study focuses on a weiwu at Dafuzhen, built by the Family Xiao between 1870 and 1885, notable for its architectural sophistication and status among commoners. The study involves surveying the complex's buildings in detail, uncovering hidden aspects, and providing measured drawings that reflect both technological and design levels. Key research questions include how planning adapted to the hillside setting, how architectural arrangements facilitated community living, and the role of water supply and drainage in planning strategies—an area often overlooked in traditional scholarship. This work offers a detailed introduction to vernacular architecture, emphasizing both architectural and planning issues. It examines characters, structures, functions, rationales, and construction techniques, presenting a comprehensive analysis of the subject. Qinghua Guo, a professor of Asian architecture at the University of Melbourne, and Yuyu Chang, an associate professor at Zhejiang University, contribute their expertise to this masterly survey.