Revitalising the Yunnan Traditional (Vernacular) Yikeyin Dwelling: a Case study on Haiyan village Dwelling Design

Abstract

Contemporary rural self-built housing has broken from traditional paradigms amid rapid modernization; the actual builders are villagers, yet they generally lack tools and methods to translate traditional values into contemporary expression. The decline of “Yikeyin” in central Yunnan is a microcosm of this broader phenomenon, and a bottom-up, field-based co-creation path is urgently needed to explore its contemporary reconstruction.

The aims of this study are: 1) to build a systematic framework for understanding the traditional components of Yikeyin; 2) to identify the parts of Yikeyin that have been lost or weakened in contemporary rural areas; 3) To explore a pathway for the transformation of Yikeyin in contemporary rural dwellings.

The study first establishes a Yikeyin element database through literature review and field investigation, covering entries such as spatial layout, functional distribution, orientation and courtyards, materials and construction, components and ornament; then, through “philosophical mapping,” it aligns these elements with intangible dimensions such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Feng-Shui, extracts operable design rules, and incorporates them into the database; next, through comparative research and with the perspectives of path dependence and complex systems, it explains the mechanisms of loss and weakening of Yikeyin in contemporary construction and the possible repair paths. In practice, the study adopts Participatory Action Research, advances five rounds of co-creation iteration and evaluation in action, and conducts reflection in each round to synthesize research and practice conclusions; on this basis, it proposes the SPIRIT model for the modern transformation of vernacular dwellings, and supplements and verifies the model through two rounds of implementation, thereby testing its operability and potential for dissemination.

The study provides an operable framework and replicable path for the modern transformation of vernacular dwellings, and offers empirical support for community-led rural construction and related policy making.

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