Chen Keshi

Chen Keshi | Research on Traditional Khampa Tibetan Architecture

2026-07-20

Led by Professor Chen Keshi, the China Urban Planning & Design Institute (Zhongying Urban) team has delved into plateau regions for years. Rooted in field investigations across Sichuan and Xizang, the team has established a comprehensive technical system for the conservation and practical construction of Tibetan architecture. It provides cultural foundations and professional support for ethnic village style control and cultural tourism development in Tibetan areas, accumulating representative practical experience in the research, revitalization and adaptive reuse of traditional Tibetan architecture nationwide.

1. Emergency Cultural Archives of Sichuan Tibetan Dwellings: Laying the Foundation for Industrial Research

The design team compiled *Atlas of Dwellings in Sichuan Tibetan Areas · Northern Garzê Volume*, one of China’s pioneering authoritative monographs offering systematic documentation of vernacular dwellings in Sichuan’s Tibetan regions, marking the official launch of the team’s in-depth research into traditional Tibetan architectural culture.

Professor Chen Keshi’s team traveled across all counties of Northern Garzê including Sertar, Luhuo, Garzê, Dêgê and Sêrxü, conducting multi-dimensional field surveys in dozens of intact indigenous villages. The crew carried out on-site mapping of building typologies, fully documented ancient stone-and-timber construction craftsmanship, and systematically sorted out architectural color palettes, spatial rituals and folk cultural connotations. All types of dwellings from agricultural and pastoral zones across Northern Garzê were fully recorded, creating traceable, reusable first-hand cultural "memory archives" for Sichuan’s Tibetan residential heritage.

2. Rooted on the Plateau: Continuous Improvement of the Tibetan Architectural Style Conservation System

Building upon the research of Northern Garzê dwelling atlases, the team never paused fieldwork in Tibetan areas. Long-term in-depth research was further carried out in core cultural zones of Xizang, forming a complete set of research and implementation standards for Tibetan architecture covering agricultural areas, pastoral lands and river valley towns.

The research scope expands progressively from detailed construction standards for individual residences to holistic spatial style governance of entire villages and plateau towns. On one hand, practical specifications for traditional elements such as walls, timber frames, doors, windows, roofs and courtyards are refined to reconcile modern living demands with indigenous architectural aesthetics, resolving the core conflict between upgrading plateau human settlements and heritage preservation. On the other hand, top-level spatial planning sets universal bottom lines for style control, safeguarding the unique regional identity of Tibetan architecture in different zones.

3. Core Significance of Tibetan Cultural Context Research amid All-Round Regional Development

As rural revitalization and all-for-one ecological tourism advance nationwide, Tibetan cultural tourism towns, homestay clusters and Tibetan folk inns are embracing prime development opportunities. Nevertheless, the industry is plagued by a prevalent pain point: prioritizing development over cultural inheritance. Copycat foreign architectural styles, oversimplified traditional construction techniques and diluted local cultural essence collectively result in homogenized village landscapes and hollowed-out ethnic architectural culture.

Over more than a decade since launching systematic surveys in Northern Garzê, Professor Chen Keshi and the Zhongying Urban team have built a solid foundational framework for the conservation and high-quality development of traditional Tibetan architecture through sustained in-depth field investigations and systematic authoritative academic achievements.