Page 109 - JCAU-5-4

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Studying home: A book review

2. Sociology and rural China living in villages, determining a self-sufficient mode of
production and a relatively closed way of life, and on that
As a Chinese reader and a trained architect, I can feel basis, forming a rural society with a “pattern of difference
that the book approaches architecture from a sociological sequence” as its fundamental characteristics, which is a
perspective, based on its title, emphasizing the social “ritual society” different from the “legal society.” With
and cultural connotations carried by the material entity the development of China’s modernization process, the
of houses, and focusing on rural China, a very culturally rural society is being transformed by the industrialization
representative region.
of agriculture, the urbanization of the countryside, and
It is common for architecture to be observed and studied the mobility of farmers. However, scholars believe that
from a sociological point of view. On the one hand, modern the Chinese countryside still retains the cultural traits of
architects have intentionally or unintentionally used “vernacular” and still profoundly affects all aspects of social
sociological thinking in architectural design, such as the life. Thus, it has led to the theory of “post-rural China” (Lu,
geometry and flow embedded in Mies’ German Pavilion, 2017), which states that the transformed rural society is

which expresses the relationship between architecture and still a rural society, not an urbanized one (Meng, 2020).
people. Moreover, Shu Wang also said that to build a house As a result, modern civilization is impacting traditional
is to create a small world (Wang, 2016). On the other hand,
sociology has also played an essential role in expanding society. As evidenced by the distorted or neglected spiritual
and applying architectural theory. Among them, in the support and wisdom crystallization of rural society, and the
process of sinicization of sociology, the sociological value and significance of traditional culture are gradually
study of Chinese rural areas, which began in the early vanishing. Farmers have alienated their cultural identity
th
20 century, was pursued with the primary objective and abandoned their responsibility to passively or actively
transmit traditional culture. In addition, the Chinese
of recognizing national conditions and transforming
society, focusing on the analysis of social organizations countryside faces more complex rural interests and social
linked to the economy and informal social institutions contradictions, and the cultural developers not in the “field”
related to culture. In particular, social anthropologists, redefine and reinterpret traditional culture with their own
represented by Xiaotong Fei (1910 ‒ 2005), conducted opinions, leading to the deterioration of traditional culture.
field surveys on Chinese rural areas and wrote a series of As such, there is an urgent need to reshape traditional
books, which profoundly revealed the completely different culture and find a path for rural development.
social structural model of Chinese rural society from that 3. Home in rural China
of modern western society, and put forward the theory
of “Rural China” (Fei, 2006), which laid the theoretical Thinking about what a house is, why we build houses,

basis for the study of Chinese rural areas. After the 1980s, and what kind of houses are built is the basis of research
Zhihua Chen integrated sociology into architecture and and construction (Fathy, 2023). Home Beyond the House
proposed the essential elements of architectural sociology, puts these thoughts at the forefront, pointing out that we
indicating the relationship between architecture and social should clarify what “home” is before understanding and
production, science, technology, various social institutions, constructing houses. Taking “jia” in Chinese rural society
social consciousness, and social problems, and focusing as an entry point, the translation is home, which means
on southern Chinese villages, exploring the traditional “the family members who live together and their residential
culture rooted in the national spirit through multiple types space” (p. 15), and it refers to home and family as physical
of buildings, such as houses, ancestral shrines, temples, and social spaces. It is used as a microcosm of Chinese rural
and theaters (Chen, 1999). Since then, many reflections society to explore the relationship between home and the
on the sociological methods and theories of architecture, natural environment, production and lifestyle, economic
the social meaning and social relations of architecture, and technology, and traditional customs.
sociology and architectural design for rural construction The book provides a self-examination perspective that
have emerged from academic research. a house should offer skills and connect emotions and
What kind of existence is the Chinese countryside? responsibilities to become a home. As the author says, only
So far, Fei’s assertion of the “vernacular” of traditional when residents feel comfortable to inhabit the renovated
Chinese rural society is still regarded as the mainstream or newly built environment, can they start to make this
view of Chinese rural and traditional Chinese society. For built environment their home (p. 300). In this regard, the
thousands of years, people living off agriculture have been book provides detailed explanations and answers to the
bound by the land, resulting in little mobility and solid local question of “home” in the Chinese countryside, both from
characteristics, giving rise to the primary form of farmers theoretical debate and empirical research.

Volume 5 Issue 4 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0925