"Tumu-Cuo",a Typological Adaptation Research Of The Traditonal Construction System In Northeast Fujian

Taking the vernacular tectonic way,termed as ‘Tumu / Yingzao’(earth-wood/construction)’as the root,traditional Chinese architectural culture both in single buildings and settlements proves a spatial embodiment of the relationships between mankind and nature and society that also continues and develops in history in an evolution way to a natural,humane and ecological features.Since China’s ushered into the modern era,especially the latest three decades,the rapid and drastic urbanization has engendered considerable detriment to the traditional rural space especially in the before mentioned natural/humane aspect.The currently flourishing movement,Country Land Revival,aims rightly at the rural development under the aegis of the natural/humane ecology,promoting the ecological development therein up to the core agenda of the theoretical researches and practicing activities of contemporary architecture.However,the academic community has for long been disengaged from the traditional construction system‘Tumu / Yingzao’ and limited to formats and forms,thus casting a negative effect to the impending calls for conservation.Therefore,how to disperse the mists of style and turn back to‘Tumu / Yingzao’ and explore for a modernizing path from the vital pith of tradition,promises such a future for the rural space.In this light,this paper takes the theory that credits the essence of traditional Chinese architectural culture to ‘Tumu / Yingzao’ as its basis,‘Tumu-Cuo’(earth-wood-building)in Northeastern Fujian as its object,puts its adaptable evolution in ever-changing conditions in natural geography and socio-culture under scrutiny,namely the rule of adaptation,arrives at the core of traditional construction system to discriminate the possible paths to modernization and finally provides a theoretical perspective for a coherent ecological system that’s to combine the conservation of vernacular houses and settlements during Country Land Revival.To Fujian,a renowned hub for Han migrations in history,its Northeastern region serves as its gateway both by road and by water.‘Tumu-Cuo’ just came into being as ‘Tumu / Yingzao’re-adapted and evolved in their migrating and settling down,now featured as the basic type.And it differentiated into many a sub-type in ever-evolution due to the fragmented geography that again imprinted socio-culture and ecology not without mutual communication.In this paper,the space’s delineated within the Northeastern,the time from late Tang Dynasty to this day for the rule of adaptation of ‘Tumu-Cuo’.In ‘Tumu-Cuo’,spaces are organized according to the migrant group’s socio-cultural elements,single buildings/courtyard houses juxtapose living and ritual spaces on account of natural and topographical conditions,and settlements emerge as the former came into groups by the family or clan relationship.This paper attempts to define the basic type based on the evolution rule of ‘Tumu-Cuo’ set against its humane and geographic background,then classify and analyze the construction elements that reflect according adaptations.In the main and fist it is topography,climate and materials that determines adaptation,then comes the basement,wall,framework,partition and roof that re-adapt in the level of single buildings.As for socio-cultural factors,there are family structure,economic pattern,patriarchal belief,behavior and custom as well as security.Variants in elements reflect in behavior,then space,and finally sums up in the single building and settlement as well.Based on researches and investigations on the typological adaptation of‘Tumu-Cuo’,its humane and geographic scope’s preliminarily delineated in Northeastern Fujian.The direction followed through researches on adaptation of ‘Tumu-Cuo’ expels distractions from morphological and stylistic discussions to reach the essence of construction,seeks reasonable joint and fusion between core values of the tradition and calls for need in modern era,heralding a guideline in both theory and methodology: That is to say,in the present with invariable geographic and climatic conditions along with gradually modernized construction ways,lifestyles and production,a modernization path is expectable in extending the adaptive logic of‘Tumu-Cuo’.Besides,such a study will also well back up the view of traditional Chinese architectural culture in the name of ‘Tumu / Yingzao’ and serve as a powerful case study of such re-interpretation.The whole text has about 170,000 words(main text about 155,000 words,notes and other about 15,000)in addition of about 197 figures.