A Study On Wuhan Construction Company In Early-Modern Times

As the art of construction, the "buildind" has broken through its narrow conception as "elegant art" in European Classical School, and it should be expounded in a much wider rang of space. While the Interpretations of early-modern architecture style perplex Chinese architecture academicans, the development and transition of its construction aspects are comparatively successful and utterly free from the various confines in academe. Undoubtedly, it is far more valuable to apply tectonics to analyse Chinese architecture from the perspective of culture and history than to conduct the research in the way of style classification in European Classicalism. Therefore, it is necessary to futher the study of Chinese construction company of which main body are craftsmen.Privately-owned workshops and mills were two main components of construction industry in modern China, the two decisive factors of overall situation of building industry at that time. No matter what the construction activities are, they will be put into effect in the process of the construction undoubtedly. Construction industry in modern times held its distinctive position in the history of Chinese building industry owing to its mastering foreign advanced techniques and its imperishable achievements of creative integration of building technologies abroad and at home. And it is even more highlighted in the time of market economy and opening up.Many early-modern architectures preserved in Wuhan feature exquisite construction techniques, and its related researches also get remarkable achievement. Based on these previous researches, this paper chooses early-modern architectures in Wuhan as subjects, and employs the literature review and comparative analysis to chronologically reflect their history from 1861 to 1949, from the opening of Wuhan port, Westernization Movement, the found of the National Republic, its fall to Janpanese aggression army and its restoration. Those social factors attributed to early-modern architectures'embryonic stage, development, golden age, downturn, and recovery. Those factors also provoke the responding changes in construction companies, including qualification application system, personnal management, techiques. These changes are discussed and exemplified by the elaboration of several construction companise such as HanXieSheng construction company. Based on the objective judgement of construction companies'historical role, eventually, this paper reveals the value and the law of development of Wuhan Early-Modern Construction Company thoroughly and systematically; enriches and improves the whole system of research.This papar aims at inheriting and carrying forward the essence of the study of Chinese early-modern architecture by analysing the regional construction field. It provides enlightenment for subsequent research and sets up a good foundation for recent research on the close relation among various industries involved in architectural activity in China in the hope of arousing more attention to early-modern architecture techniques itself and the delicate fusion of local and foreign architecture techniques.