The 15th Asia Pacific Research Prize (Iue Prize) “Commendation” winner:
Dr. Hui Li

Title of Dissertation :
“The Design Theory and the Technology of Making Wooden Parts in Song Dynasty of China as Understood via Yingzao Fashi”

Picture : Dr. Hui Li
Dr. Hui Li

- Career -

Hui Li is a guest researcher of Nara National Research Institute for Cultural Properties. She received her B.A. from Faculty of Tourism English, Beijing International Studies University in 1998. She received her M.A. from Department of Architecture, Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo in 2006. During the master’s studies, she also studied at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) as an exchanged student (2005-2006). After working at Unicharm Corp. (2006-2009), she entered Graduate School of Engineering, the University of Tokyo as a doctoral student in 2010 and received her Ph.D. in Engineering from the University of Tokyo in 2015.

- Summary -

 Yingzao Fashi (1103), an architectural manual, was published by the central government in Northern Song of China (960-1127). Many research achievements about this book have worked out; however most of them are from the designer’s perspective, but not an approach of building. In this thesis, the author puts a focus on carpentry tools and tries to make an analysis based on the related contents in chapters of Carpentry Rule (制度, dimensions of wooden parts）, chapters of Assessment of Manpowers（功限）and chapters of Assessment of Timber Materials（料例）in the text. The main purpose of this thesis is to provide an overall picture of the Song carpentry tools and to analyze the design theory and the technology of making wooden parts in Song Dynasty.
 Firstly, the three dimension units, called ‘Cai’, ‘Qi’ and ‘Fen’, are examined. Their usages and functions show that there are two different processes in construction activities as ‘design of main structures’ and ‘making wooden parts’. The carpenters had played a very important role not only in making wooden parts but also in the process of design. Secondly, the standards of wooden parts, especially beams, are analyzed in details. More facts are found beyond the contents of chapters of Assessment of Timber Materials. For example, it has been examined out that many long and huge beams were not really existed at all.
 The contents concerned with carpentry tools are examined in different tool groups. As a conclusion, almost all the tools we use today, expect for the plane, had appeared in Song Dynasty. Furthmore, Lumber process is studied and it is found that the timber materials to be lumbered were not raw wood, but those that had been roughly lumbered once already. The lumbering cines such as how the timber materials were located and how carpenters worked on them are drawn out though studying relevant drawings of Ming Dynasty and modern times. Finally, the contents concerned with the manpowers of making, assembling and repairing beams and columns are examined to find out the technological reasons why repair works were taken out in Song Dynasty.
 The appendix is a report about the survey on the standard set of carpentry tools used in the Maintenance Institute of the Palace Museum in Beijing conducted in 2012-2013, which has brought out a serious issue that how to hand down the traditional carpentry technology.

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