AccScience Publishing / JCAU / Volume 3 / Issue 2 / DOI: 10.36922/jcau.v3i2.1017
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Shanxi Courtyard Dwellings and Hakka Walled Village: A Comparative Study of Wang Family Courtyard and Sam Tung Uk Walled Village

Donia Zhang*
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1 Neoland School of Chinese Culture, Canada
Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism 2021, 3(2), 1017 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.v3i2.1017
© Invalid date by the Authors. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

Through a historical research on two well-preserved vernacular Chinese dwellings: The Wang Family Courtyard in Shanxi and the Sam Tung Uk Walled Village in Hong Kong, this paper examines the cultural sustainability of architecture in China, and explores what factors have contributed to their success and decline, and what can be learned from their stories. In doing so, the article employs the analytical framework developed in the author’s previous works, that is, architectural form and space, and social and cultural dimensions of the cases. The findings reveal that ancestor worship was a common practice in the two families, hard work and traditional family values had resulted in their success. The abandonment of traditional values and schooling, coupled with social and military instability in the country, along with urban sprawl, destroyed the family unity and businesses, and ultimately caused the moving. The study has implications for the contemporary world beyond China.

Keywords
Courtyard house
Courtyard dwelling
Vernacular architecture
Chinese architecture
Chinese culture
China
Conflict of interest
The author declares no conflict of interest
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Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, Electronic ISSN: 2717-5626 Published by AccScience Publishing