Change and conserve : conservation compatibility of the restorative changes to Zhuang Zhai architecture in Yongtai county of Fujian province, the cases of Aijingzhuang and Jialuzhuang

Abstract

Yongtai Zhuang Zhai (永泰庄寨)is located in Yongtai County, Fujian Province. It was built during the Tang Dynasty and reached its peak in the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is a special residential and defensive building built by the local Hakka people. Yongtai Zhuang Zhai often occupies a large area, including many houses, which can provide living, study, and worship space for the Hakka people. Generally, people of the same clan will build a Zhuang Zhai where everyone will live together. The construction materials are often relatively primitive soil, wood, stone, etc. Yongtai Zhuang Zhai is a witness to the history of Hakka, and it is also one of the typical representatives of traditional rural dwellings in China. In October 2019, the Yongtai Zhuang Zhai building complex was approved by the State Council as the eighth batch of national key cultural relics protection units.In addition, Yongtai Zhuang Zhai is also one of the few human settlement heritages in my country, with two important characteristics: heritage and life. Since 2016, more and more people have participated in the protection of Yongtai, Fujian. Aijingzhuang also won the Asia-Pacific Cultural Heritage Award in 2018, but in the process of protection, the livability of Yongtai Zhuang Zhai's human settlement heritage has been ignored. At present, it has not been proposed that without destroying the heritage of Yongtai Zhuang Zhai, the modernization needs of residents have been met, resulting in the reduction of residents’ living comfort and the occurrence of incidents that destroy the heritage value of Zhuang Zhai in order to enhance living facilities. In this article, I will introduce the history, architectural characteristics, unique heritage value and character defining elements of Yongtai Zhuang Zhai, as well as specific cases-the status quo of Aijingzhuang and Jialuzhuang, and inappropriate modernization. This article will answer how to improve the living comfort of residents without compromising the value of Zhuang Zhai’s heritage. The purpose of this article is to better protect Yongtai and Zhuang Zhai its characteristics as a human settlement heritage.