Transnational builders and vernacular modernity: social networks of Wuyi construction practitioners (1840s–1940s)

Abstract

This paper examines how transnational social networks among construction practitioners shaped the formation of modern architecture in the Wuyi Qiaoxiang (overseas Chinese hometowns) of South China. Existing studies have largely interpreted Qiaoxiang architecture through stylistic diffusion or remittance-driven modernization, overlooking the social relations and building practices through which architectural knowledge was localized. Drawing on archival records, practitioner trajectories, comparative fieldwork, and built evidence from Wuyi, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, and North American Chinatowns, the study adopts a relational network perspective to investigate how architectural knowledge circulated across transnational contexts. The findings reveal that architectural innovation in the Wuyi Qiaoxiang emerged through a dual-network structure composed of strong-tie artisan-contractor networks and weak-tie professional networks. Strong-tie networks grounded in kinship, native-place affiliation, guild organizations, and apprenticeship systems facilitated the localization of tacit construction knowledge acquired overseas. In contrast, weak-tie professional networks introduced institutionalized architectural knowledge through overseas-trained architects and professional collaborations. Rather than representing the passive reception of Western forms, modern architecture in the Qiaoxiang emerged through the selective adaptation and reconfiguration of transnational knowledge within local social and material contexts. By repositioning architectural heritage as the outcome of social relations, labor mobility, and knowledge translation, the study contributes to broader discussions on vernacular modernity and the social production of heritage in diasporic contexts.