Recently, CCTV revealed the demolition of a Shikumen Lilong neighbourhood on the edge of a historical and cultural area, arousing considerable and constant attention among scholars, professionals, and the public. Meanwhile, the reconstruction of Jianyeli, the largest Shikumen Lilong neighbourhood in Shanghai, continues to be a hot topic on the Internet. Echoing the increasing concern for the conservation of Shikumen Lilong in Shanghai, this issue's 'Special Focus' column presents two articles to set up thematic discussions on this topic. One is 'Reflection on Shanghai Shikumen Lilong Rehabilitation' contributed by Liu Gang, an associate professor in Tongji University. This article identifies the problems of the conservation and rehabilitation of Shikumen Lilong from six aspects started from the historical and current situations. The other article is 'On the Practice of Shanghai Lilong Preservation and Rehabilitation' by Lin Yun, a senior engineer of Shanghai Zhangming Architects LP, which provides an analysis on the Lilong conservation projects carried out in Shanghai since 1978. 

 

In the 'Theory and History' column, Andrea Nanetti, vice director of the research department in the School of Art, Design and Media in Nanyang Technology University collaborated with Siew Ann Cheong, professor in NTU and Mei Qing, professor in Tongji University, to contribute with the article entitled 'Sustainable Heritage Impact Factor Theory (SHIFT): A Complexity Framework for Heritage Assessment and Planning'. In this article, the authors propose a research agenda for a new science of heritage drawing strengths based on complexity theory. This scientific method aims to build a systematic knowledge of heritage, so as to put effect on policy-making and help to form the public consensus on heritage conservation. 'Wartime Collaboration on Preserving the Historic Monuments: Roberts Commission in China 1944 – 1945' by Zuo Lala, an assistant professor at United States Naval Academy, introduces the history of the Roberts Commission which was established by the US government during World War II. Through investigating archival sources from the US National Archive, this article rediscovers the significant yet overlooked history of the US-China scholarly collaboration between 1944 and 1945. 'Dark Corridor in the Main House: The Evolution of Vernacular Architecture in Southern Fujian Province and Its Modernity' by Zhang Lizhi, a postdoctoral researcher of Architectural History in Tsinghua University, investigates the evolution of the inner corridor called Shenhou-Xiang in the main house in Southern Fujian Province. This article reveals the indirect influence of European architecture in the vernacular housing of the coastal areas of South-eastern China through the colonial architecture in the South Sea region. 

 

The theme of this issue's Warfield Column is 'Architecture as a Gateway to Culture'. With simple writing style and fresh images, the author tells the story of vernacular architecture as culture carrier, or in other words, the physical form as a reflection of the attributes of society. 

 

The 'Project Analysis' column of this issue contains three articles. First is 'Sagalassos, a Case Study: Guidelines for Exploring and Presenting a Well-Remained Ancient City' by Professor Marc Waelkens from the Catholic University of Leuven. Through an archaeological investigation in the Southwest of Turkey, the author argues for new guidelines for a more scientific and sophisticated approach to the survey, categorization, documentation and anastylosis applied for the conservation and presentation of the ancient archaeological sites. He further advances a criterion allowing for the reconstruction of ruins, should more than 85% of the original building elements be discovered. The second article is "A Historical Study on the Timber Roof Structure of the 'Kindertrakt' Area in Hofburg, Vienna" by Dong Shuying, a Ph.D candidate at the Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Technische Universität Wien. It provides a detailed empirical study of the changes of the timber roof structure of Hofburg from the 13th century to the late Renaissance and Baroque periods, and to the 18th and 19th centuries. The last article is 'Cultural Heritage Awareness Through Playing Card Games: Introduction of the Heritage Resource Preservation Playing Cards of the United States' by He Jie and Ding Yao, both associate professors at Tianjin University. This paper introduces the Heritage Resource Preservation Playing Cards used by the Department of Defense of US to enhance the awareness of heritage conservation during overseas military operations, providing a reference of enjoyable education methods for heritage conservation. 

 

Closing this issue, there is a book review by Li Guanghan, Ph.D candidate at Peking University and Program Director of Global Heritage Fund China, of the French architectural and urban historian and theorist Françoise Choay's classic book L'allégorie du Patrimoine, published in 1992. (translated by Yang Dong)