Morphological Investigation: Zhangdaicun Village’s Case Study

The historical structural and typo-morphological investigation of the identity of the Traditional Villages in Hancheng County constitutes the central part and significant core of the research work, where this chapter dwells on the context specificity and integrates tools without losing sight of the different international positions. Moreover, this chapter aims to integrate the analysis and reading of the village's tangible structures in their diachronic and synchronic historical development with the ancient Feng Shui principles and Family Clan lineages. The first allowed the research to account for the settlement structuring principles. The second is to fill the gap of the lacking of cadastres and infographic records. This combined reading revealed a new understanding of the village's structure and morphology, illustrated by detailed typo-morphological plans. The exceptional graphic investigation and presentation of the results, based on cartographic territorial and landscape analysis onsite surveys, family lineage and the three-dimensional reconstructions of the architectural types, morphological units and architectural components. Diagrams and abacuses clarify the processual nature of historical buildings.