Two main types of residential architecture havedominated the architecture in the Fujian
regionin China. They known as tulou and weiwu havebeen developed in parallel. Both for
communalliving but distinct from each other in terms ofsetting layout form and size. A good
deal isknown about tulou which has been inscribed asUNESCO World Heritage in 2008 but
existingscholarship on weiwu is lacking.This is a case study about a weiwu at Dafuzhenin
central Fujian for two reasons: its architecturaland planning sophistication and its
commonersstatus. The weiwu is the Family Xiao'sestate built during 1870-85. Our tasks are:
first to survey in situ each building part of the complexon the current situation with
attention to details second to portray what are hidden fromview with masterly »x-ray« eyes
third to conveythe information in measured drawings at technologicaland design levels. Our
work is graphicand analytical in nature ranged within a series ofresearch questions: What was
the planning madeto suit the hillside setting? What was the architecturalarrangement made to
accommodate thecommunity living? To what extent do water supplyand drainage design serve as a
planningstrategy? This study regards that water managementis a key issue which was not a topic
ofgreat interest in traditional scholarship.This book offers students and professionalswith an
expert introduction to vernacular of whathas been termed the essence of architecture with the
Dafuzhen weiwu as a case. The workfocuses on issues of both architecture and planningwith
attention to details. The book describescharacters and structures discusses functionsand
rationales and investigates methods andtechniques at design and construction levels. Itis is a
masterly survey graphically and analytically to achieve a comprehensive presentation ofthe
subject.Qinghua Guo is professor in Asian architectureand planning at the University of
Melbourne Australia. One of the world's most renowned expertson Chinese architecture she is
the authorof 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 inarchitecture atZhejiang University
in Hangzhou China. Her PhD thesis entitled Studies on theCraftsmanship of Traditional Chinese
Carpentry inFujian Region was published in 2010 (in Chinese).
