Ji Chuanying
01 · Lineage & Regional School
Ji Chuanying, Male, Han, from Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong, is a sixth-batch national representative bearer of Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship (Ⅷ-283). The tradition is documented in Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong. Within the regional tradition and school record of Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship in Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong: The craft of building traditional Chaoshan architecture is an architectural philosophy and building method created by the ancestors of the Chaoshan people by following the building style of the Central Plains and preserving the customs of the ancient Yue peoples, while combining them with the region's geographical, climatic and cultural characteristics. The craft is widely distributed in Shantou, Chaozhou, Jieyang and other areas of Guangdong Province, and has been carried by Chaoshan people to the Pearl River Delta, Jiangxi, Fujian, Southeast Asia and indeed all over the world. Traditional Chaoshan architecture includes traditional dwellings, ancestral halls and temples; its building craft is both comprehensive and regional in character, with varied layouts and rich decoration. The building craft is generally divided into four processes: design, construction, installation and decoration. The craft of building traditional Chaoshan architecture arose in the Tang and Song dynasties, developed in the Ming and Qing, reached its zenith in the late Qing and early Republic, and was spread to many countries and regions as an important expression of Chaoshan culture.
02 · Mastery & Signature Works
The bearer record for Ji Chuanying is anchored in the documented technical standards of Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship in Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong. Within the documented technical tradition of Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship in Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong: The Chaoshan region lies in eastern Guangdong Province. The climate is extremely hot and humid, and typhoons, earthquakes and other natural disasters are frequent. In building, the ancestors of the Chaoshan people took into account such factors as resistance to wind, earthquake, damp and insects, and tolerance of sun and flooding, and in doing so formed the distinctive craft of building traditional Chaoshan architecture. Traditional Chaoshan architecture is mainly of stone-and-timber construction, making extensive use of materials such as shell lime, sea stone, granite, camphor wood and porcelain shards. Design comprises the determination of a building's layout, scale and level of decoration, together with the making of 'tangyang' (a model) and working drawings; it is the core of the building process. The decorative component covers a great many craft categories, the most important being wood carving, stone carving, porcelain inlay, grey sculpture and polychrome painting, with the distinctive openwork carving and gold-lacquer techniques being the most exquisite. The craft of building traditional Chaoshan architecture takes the harmonious unity of heaven, earth and humanity as its highest aim. Influenced by ancient geomancy theory and the traditional patriarchal clan system, it created such forms and layouts as the 'downhill tiger', the 'four points of gold' and the 'four-horse carriage' that are unique to the Chaoshan region, together with the roof construction popularly known as 'cuojiaotou' and the distinctive 'five-element gable wall' practice. It also encompasses wood carving, stone carving, porcelain inlay, grey sculpture, polychrome painting and other decorative crafts, combining practical function with aesthetic value. Traditional Chaoshan architecture was influenced by the architectural cultures of the Central Plains, Fujian and Jiangnan, and is of one lineage with Chinese architectural culture, while at the same time possessing a markedly regional character because of its own natural, cultural and craft features. Representative repertoire, works and technical entries recorded for the project include: "Model and construction-drawing design": The core design stage: layout, scale and decorative rank are settled, then a full-size model is built and construction drawings drawn for the timber and stone work. "The Xialanhu layout": A Chaoshan-specific dwelling form of compact size and shallow depth, used for small households or attached to the main block on one side. "The Sidianjin layout": A hall enclosed by rooms on two sides with doors on all four faces, larger than the xialanhu and the most common Chaoshan plan. "The Simatuoche layout": A multi-courtyard sequence of linked units, the largest scale, used for major ancestral halls and clan compounds.
Model and construction-drawing design
The core design stage: layout, scale and decorative rank are settled, then a full-size model is built and construction drawings drawn for the timber and stone work.
The Xialanhu layout
A Chaoshan-specific dwelling form of compact size and shallow depth, used for small households or attached to the main block on one side.
The Sidianjin layout
A hall enclosed by rooms on two sides with doors on all four faces, larger than the xialanhu and the most common Chaoshan plan.
The Simatuoche layout
A multi-courtyard sequence of linked units, the largest scale, used for major ancestral halls and clan compounds.
03 · Transmission & Safeguarding Status
In 2025, Ji Chuanying was announced in the sixth batch of national representative bearers for Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship, with Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong as the declared area. Within the documented safeguarding record of Chaoshangujianzhu Building Craftsmanship in Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong: The project was inscribed in the national inventory in 2021 (batch 5), with Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong as its declared area, and Guangdong Jichuanyinggujianzhuyingzao Co., Ltd. as its safeguarding unit. Since the project was inscribed in the national inventory, its declared area and safeguarding unit have carried out documentation, transmission and presentation within the national safeguarding framework. Together, the inventory record and the project archive form the public documentary basis for the bearer’s transmission practice.
04 · Associated Heritage Item Dossier
Historical origin
The craft of building traditional Chaoshan architecture arose in the Tang and Song dynasties, developed in the Ming and Qing, reached its zenith in the late Qing and early Republic, and was spread to many countries and regions as an important expression of Chaoshan culture.
05 · Fellow National Bearers Lineage
National representative bearers recorded under the same item code, ordered from the first to the sixth batch. Batch order is not a teacher–student relationship.
| Bearer | Declared area | Roster code | Relation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ji Chuanying | Shantoushilonghu, Guangdong | — | This page |
06 · Archival Sources & Bibliography
This static English edition is rendered at the edge for search engines, AI crawlers and readers without JavaScript. Compiled from official national representative bearer archival records and the associated project dossier, organized by topic and translated into English. 阅读中文版。