Research on styles and characteristics of Sino-Western hybrid ancestral halls in modern Jiangnan
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: As one of the earliest regions in modern China to engage with Western architectural culture, Jiangnan became a crucial site of cross-cultural interaction. The rise of Sino-Western hybrid ancestral halls in this area represents a distinctive architectural phenomenon through which lineage-based ritual traditions negotiated with Western classical idioms during modernization. Using typological and morphological analysis, this study explores how an architectural form rooted in long-standing traditions developed adaptive mechanisms in response to external cultural influences. Based on archival records, historical photographs, and field surveys, four principal stylistic types are identified: the Veranda style , the Western facade Style , the Chinese curved roof style , and the Shikumen style . Each type reveals a unique synthesis between Chinese and Western architectural vocabularies. Drawing on sociological and historical anthropological perspectives, the paper further interprets how modernist ideologies and socio-political transformations shaped the westernization of ancestral halls. The analysis clarifies the internal logic of transformation within Chinese architectural modernity and contributes to the theoretical understanding of the ancestral hall typology. More broadly, the study provides insights into contemporary design innovation and regional cultural identity within the processes of modernization and globalization.
Authors: Jianing Sun, Jing Luo, Zhefei Xia
Institution: Jiangnan University
Language: English
Subfield: Architecture
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,500
Award: G6833741217
OpenAlex ID: W7130508953