On The Chua Ancient Dwellings’ Auspicious Patterns As Architectural Decoration

The Chua ancient dwellings, which are typical and traditional, reflect the culture of Southern Fujian Province in a specific period of history. The architectural decorations of the Chua ancient dwellings are not only magnificent, complex and ever-changing, but also with high artistic value.This thesis first provides an introduction to the Chua ancient dwellings’ history,spacial layout, and the relationship between the decorative styles and architectural styles as foundation of this research. It records and integrates the auspicious patterns in Chua ancient dwellings for the construction of a database, which includes the origin, images, meaning and location of these auspicious patterns. By comparing the physical objects with the ancient literature, the origins of the meaning of various auspicious patterns are interpreted and categorized. The next part is about the techniques, themes and position of the auspicious patterns, as well as the relationship between the distribution of the auspicious patterns and the architectural space. Finally the deficiencies of this research are put forward, decorative features of the Chua ancient dwellings are summarized and advices are provided for the protection and reuse of the Chua ancient dwellings. This thesis offers basis for the protection and restoration of the historic buildings and adds to the integrity of the research into the traditional dwellings in southern Fujian Province.The auspicious culture is deeply rooted in the living environment of the people in southern Fujian Province. The aim of this research is to reveal the auspicious patterns as a language to express meaning, to inherit the rich heritage and make use of it appropriately today. Consequently, the important issues of modern design practice are to focus on the regional features and humanistic characteristics, to conserve the cultural diversity of architecture and to pass on the cultural essence of traditional residential buildings.