A Study on the Classification and Value of Ming Dynasty Paifang in China: A Case Study of Paifang in Jinxi County

摘要

Paifang, a form of ancient Chinese vernacular architecture integrated with engraving and calligraphy, serves both as monuments and landmarks, features a variety of social functions and expresses rich cultural connotations, and is thus hailed as historical records made of stone. As the stone paifang in Jinxi are numerous and well-preserved, this paper, based on fieldwork, takes eight typical examples of paifang built in the Ming Dynasty as its subjects of study and conducts an analysis on them from the perspectives of geographical and historical distribution as well as classification, and then based on this assesses the cultural heritage value of paifang from three aspects, namely, historical value, artistic value and scientific value. The findings are as follows: First, the building forms of paifang enjoy suitability and versatility for their functions. Second, the function types of paifang reflect the ideology and values of the feudal ruling class. And last, paifang displays the epochal character of architectural and artistic features and the social and economic backgrounds of that era.