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Saving Suzhou’s Vernacular Architecture – Part 3
In his preservation work on the city of Suzhou, Professor Ruan sets out by providing a historic contextualization of the city, by examining its current economic, political, and social status, and the character of the city as determined by its historic and cultural significance in relation to its architectural heritage. In this case, the canal ...
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Saving Suzhou’s Vernacular Architecture – Part 2
The city of Suzhou has a history stretching back more than 2,500 years, serving as the capital city of the Wu Kingdom as early as the Spring and Autumn Period (722- 481 B.C.E.) in 514 B.C.E.It is situated on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River and on the shores ofLakeTaiin theprovinceofJiangsu,China. The city has ...
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Saving Suzhou’s Vernacular Architecture – Part 1
This series of posts are taken from a paper I wrote earlier this year about the practical aspect of historic preservation of Chinese vernacular architecture. It takes the city of Suzhou as a case study, and focuses specifically on Professor Ruan Yisan’s work on the city. Ruan Yisan (b. 1934) is former Professor of Urban ...