Abstract:Through an examination of Chen Zhihua’s scholarly works and practices, this article presents a summary of his architectural conservation theories, which can be categorized into four main aspects. Firstly, his theories emphasize the importance of protecting the richness, comprehensiveness and systematicness of the architectural heritage. Secondly, he advocates for the use of “vernacular architecture” as a replacement for the study of “folk houses”, while also incorporating sociology into the study and conservation of vernacular architecture. Thirdly, Chen proposes an approach to research and conservation that is based on settlements as a whole. Finally, he offers a profound discussion on the global significance of Chinese vernacular architectural heritage from a historical perspective of world civilization. Together, these theories form a comprehensive system that has had a positive impact on the conservation of Chinese architectural heritage, particularly with regards to vernacular architectural.