Following the 3rd Issue of Heritage Architecture which addresses the theme of vernacular architecture, this issue expands the scope to Japan by focusing on the experiences of vernacular architecture conservation and regeneration in the rural construction. The ‘Special Focus’ column of this issue presents three articles on this topic.

Kanefusa Masuda and Alejandro Martinez’s article ‘Introduction to the Conservation and Transmission of the Wooden Architectural Heritage in Japan from an International Perspective’ discusses the competition and complementation between modern and traditional approaches in the restorations of timber-framed historical buildings, stressing the necessity to conserve traditions of restorations and bring back lost techniques. Pan Yue’s article ‘Reflections on the Preservation and Regeneration Plan of Tsumago-juku in Japan’ investigates the renowned integrated conservation project of the rural heritage Tsumago-juku. It traces back the three phases of the conservation since the 1960s, teasing out the process of change regarding the history, conservation concepts, policy making, public participation, conservation technique and so on, providing an inspiring reference for the preservation and regeneration of the vernacular architecture in rural China. Ren Congcong’s article ‘Research on the Rebuilding History of Kintai Bridge in Japan’ reviews the changes of Kintai Bridge during the 42 times of reconstruction since 1673, particularly focusing on the stage since the mid-20th century when the structure of the bridge was changed. Based on historical records and 12 old drawings, the article discusses the possibility of regaining the authenticity of heritage through reconstruction when improper repairs have caused the loss of the authenticity in materials and techniques.

 

This issue’s ‘Theory and History’ column features three articles. First is ‘Longing and Belonging in Chinese Garden History’, written 20 years ago by Stanislaus Fung when he started his research on Chinese garden history. This article begins with the theoretical path of the academic world of the West which emphasises theoretical paradigms, situating the topics discussed by Chinese scholars in the transcultural theoretical frame of the international academia, and suggesting the potential value of the visual analysis of Chinese gardens. The second article is ‘The Preservation of Jinci Temple in Light of Modern-Time Social Transformation’ by Shen Yang, Shen Tong and Zhou Xiaodi, which examines the influence of the past 100 years’ social transformation on the cognition of heritage, focusing on the changes in physical forms, scenes and rituals of sacrificial architecture caused by the cultural and functional transformation. The third article ‘Representation and Anamorphosis of Renowned Historic Sites: Visualisation of Huqiu in Chinese Paintings between the 14th and 19th Centuries’ by Wu Hongde analyses the evolution of the visual representations of Huqiu (Tiger Hill) between the 14th and 19th centuries, situating it in the background of the gradual conversion of cultural identity from the local consciousness of the Wu School painters in Ming dynasty to the national consciousness expressed by the Qing dynasty court painters. 

 

In the ‘Project Analysis’ column, two articles on the practice and research of heritage preservation and revitalisation are presented. One is ‘Time and Space: The Implementation of Gradual Revitalisation Projects in the Rural Settlements of Eshan’ by Wang Kai, Zhou Dezhang and Zhang Lei, recording the design for the rural built heritage which still maintains the local cultural context. The authors bring forth the thought of searching for temporal continuity of the vernacular memories rather than the spatial transformation that gives up personal interests, leading to a strategy for the gradual revitalisation of rural settlements featured with ‘stimulating the old in the new and creating the new with the old’. Second is ‘Evolution of Spatial Pattern under the Influence of Small Changes: A Study on the Adaptation Strategy in the Spatial Evolution of Traditional Vernacular Dwellings in the Jiangnan Region’ by Zhang Wei. Taking the Xuan Residence of Luzhi in Suzhou as an example, the article traces back the dynamic evolution of the house in different historical periods and social systems. It analyses the various influencing factors, suggesting that ‘spatial density increasing’ could be a valuable exploration for vernacular settlements in both research and practice. 

 

The Warfield Column of this issue takes ‘the language of dreams’ as the subject, presenting nice documentary photos on the colours of vernacular architecture taken by the author. In the text, Paul Gauguin’s immortal line ‘Colour! What a deep and mysterious language, the language of dreams’ is quoted to explain that the rare expressions of colours in vernacular architecture are either natural expressions or expressions of cultural implications and their symbolisation.

Closing this issue, there is a book review of Architecture and Ritual: How Buildings Shape Society contributed by the author Peter Blundell Jones’ student Ren Xiang, to commemorate this renowned architectural historian who passed away on the publication of the book. As a book full of architectural anthropological sense, it discusses how the interaction between rituals and architecture affects the constitutive characteristics of societies.