2024 Theses Master's

Wei Shi Zong Ci: The Preservation of the Craftsmanship in the Wu-Dialect Area in China

Zhu, Di

Zong Ci (宗祠) refers to vernacular ancestral shrines in the Wu-dialect area, which encompasses Shanghai, Zhejiang Province, parts of Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces south of the Yangtze River, the northeastern corner of Jiangxi Province, and the northwestern corner of Fujian Province, along China's southeastern coast. The craftsmanship displayed in Zong Ci is significant because it represents both the tangible architecture and the spiritual world envisioned by the local community, demonstrating the flexibility of vernacular architecture to adapt to change.

Preserving the craftsmanship of Zong Ci in the Wu-dialect area involves valuing not only the physical structures but also the intangible aspects, including their adaptation to geological topography, cultural context, local history, and community traditions. However, China's current preservation system, dominated by professional preservationists, tends to focus primarily on the physical aspect of heritage, often neglecting the craftsmanship and intangible aspects and leading to the "museumification" of heritage sites.

This thesis uses Wei Shi Zong Ci (魏氏宗祠, the ancestral shrine of the Wei Family) as a primary case study to illustrate the preservation of craftsmanship in the Wu-dialect area. The preservation projects at this site continuously adapt to changing local environments, evolving techniques, and current cultural trends, thereby maintaining the living nature of the heritage.

The thesis aims to analyze this case study to understand the value of vernacular Zong Ci in the Wu-dialect area and propose strategies for preserving craftsmanship and intangible heritage.