Cultural Value Of And Protection Scheme For Luzhai, The Group Of Ancient Residence Houses In East China

Luzhai, the group of residence houses of Lu family in Qing Dynasty, which is located in Dongyang, Zhejiang province, has the greatest scale of its kind in China. Hence its analogy to the Imperial Palaces in Beijing. The local government has paid attention to its protection, yet the efforts have, for some reasons, not been satisfactory. Holistic considerations have yet to be made in the protection of the buildings and their surroundings, and more reasonable and circumspect measures have to be taken. It is in consideration of improvement of the above-mentioned situation that this thesis has been written, hoping it would serve to arouse more attention from the local government and thereafter more effective and successful protection of these buildings.Based on thorough fieldwork at Luzhai, and comparison and consultation of the protection work on ancient buildings in China and other countries, the author makes a comprehensive evaluation of the cultural value of Luzhai, and produces a holistic scheme for its protection.From an ecological perspective, the author makes a genuine effort in discovering the historic, cultural, artistic, and scientific value of Luzhai. The author believes this group of buildings, especially through the layout and construction style of the section of Suyong Tang, with its plaques and stele, reflects the profound influence cast on residence buildings by the ideological and ethical system of China since Ming Dynasty. The layout of the numerous halls, rooms and yards represents the hierarchical order in the family, which exemplifies the utmost homage of its owner to Confucius' thoughts on social order. The author also makes a proposal for preserving the visual corridor of Luzhai.