News & Events

2026 Global Summer School: Tracing Visions of the West in 19th-Century Chinese Folk Architecture: A Field Study

July 13–26, 2026 | Shanghai + Guangxi, China

Discover how global encounters shaped local architecture

How did Western ideas travel into rural China? How were they reinterpreted by local builders, materials, aesthetics, and everyday life?

This intensive, field-based summer program invites graduate students and advanced undergraduates in architecture, heritage conservation, urban studies, art, anthropology, and related fields to explore cultural hybridity in Southern China through direct engagement with the built environment.

At the center of the program is Nanxiang Village in Guiping, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region—an exceptionally well-preserved residential settlement dating from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Recognized as a Chinese Traditional Village and a protected cultural heritage site, it is one of the most important examples of Sino-Western integrated vernacular architecture in the region.

Why Join This Program

Study a rare heritage site

Nanxiang Village offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate architectural exchange at the local scale, where everyday buildings became sites of cultural encounter and artistic experimentation.

Learn through immersive fieldwork

The program combines lectures, seminars, and on-site research in Shanghai and Guangxi. Students will take part in architectural survey, photographic and film documentation, ornament and construction analysis, oral-history interviews, and micro-archival research.

Learn from an interdisciplinary teaching team

The program is led by Prof. Qian Du, Course Director of the M.Arch. (International) Programme and Vice Director of the International Research Centre for Architectural Heritage Conservation, SJTU. Her work focuses on architectural conservation, the history of building technology, and the conservation and revitalization of traditional rural settlements in cross-cultural contexts.

She is joined by Prof. Abraham Zamcheck, whose academic background spans East Asian Studies, urban planning, logistics, and Chinese architectural history. His research focuses on Sino-Western architectural exchange in the early twentieth century and China’s distinctive path of modernization.

Work across disciplines and cultures

Participants will work in mixed international teams, linking architecture, history, material culture, and community perspectives in a collaborative learning environment.

Create meaningful outputs

Fieldwork will be developed into public-facing outputs, including a cultural map, survey atlas, and a pop-up exhibition.

What You Will Gain

By the end of the program, students will be able to:

·         identify key features of vernacular architecture

·         carry out basic heritage survey and field documentation

·         analyze architecture within broader historical and cultural frameworks

·         work collaboratively across disciplines and cultural backgrounds

·         communicate research findings in both analytical and public-facing formats

Field safety, research ethics, and community engagement are integrated throughout the program.

Each participant will receive a certificate of completion, and the course is recognized as 1 academic credit at SJTU, which may be transferable subject to the regulations of the student’s home institution.

Program Information

Fees

Application Fee: CNY 400

Tuition Fee: CNY 10,000

The tuition fee includes collective accommodation and program meals in both Shanghai and Guangxi. Participants are responsible for their own international airfare and domestic flight from Guangxi to Shanghai.

Tentative Schedule

​

Contact

Program Director: Prof. Qian Du qian.du@sjtu.edu.cn

Program Coordinator: Ms. Shuai Du dushu@sjtu.edu.cn