Abstract:The paper examines the Linzhai historic village of Heping County, Guangdong Province in the broader context of the Guangdong-Jiangxi mountainous area. It sorts the characteristics of different house forms within the village, investigating the social and technical reasons for the transformation of the spatial strategy of the Chen clan during the mid-Qing Dynasty. This transition saw the tradition construction of gated communities abandoned, in favor of independent large-houses outside of the walled area. The paper further examines the typological transition of Linzhai folk houses over time, from doublehall house (shuang-tang-wu) to hall-row house (tangheng-wu) and then to quartette turret building (si-jiaolou). Drawing on regional history, lineage history and construction history, this research utilizes Yongzhen Building, constructed by Chen Zongjie as the first si-jiaolou, and the heyday of the type is the late Qing Dynasty. The typological transition of Linzhai house forms is evaluated in the context of the regional socio-economic factors, such as large-scale agricultural development, banditry and salt peddling in the Guangdong-Jiangxi mountainous area. This analysis further reveals the internal differentiation of the Chen lineage and the balance between the organization of defense and daily life, as well as the integration of different house forms.
