The Intangible Sustainability on Tangible Flexibility: A Case Study of Vernacular Architecture in Shangjiayang Village, Taishun, China (1814 -1949)

Shangjiaoyang is a small village in Zhejiang province whose residents are from one family --- Tsang's family initially. The first generation of these residents were moved from Fujian province (Min region) about two hundred years ago. With time passing, both the layout and the architectural style of the village have transformed, but still, the memory or the spirit, the intangible aspects are kept. It is an important factor that makes the village still survive by now. This paper focuses on how this kind of intangible sustainability has been achieved. At first, it describes the reason and the approach of their resettlement to show how the village was founded. Then it discusses its following development during different times via illustrations about the layout of settlement, the form and function of architecture. Finally, the paper suggests the strategy that the tangible changes appearing on this village modeling the locality, which could inspire the contemporary constructions.