Jian Qiu, Sheffield, UK
Vernacular temple architecture and its influence on people's attitudes to new buildings: the case of Mt. Emei National Park, China
Mt. Emei National Park is one of the most valuable landscapes in China. The park contains a number of temple buildings which are also highly valued. Since the policy of 
reformation and open-door initiated in 1978, many new buildings serving a variety of purposes have been erected in the park. The value of these new buildings to the park remains arguable. This paper analyses the architectural characters of the temple buildings, considering in particular siting, in the context of Chinese thinking. People's attitudes to the old and new buildings are also investigated. Finally, the influence of the vernacular temples on how people value the new buildings is examined. One is that the old temple buildings in Mt. Emei are fitted with great respect to their natural surroundings as expected if influenced by Chinese civilisation. Another is that people like these old buildings much more than the new ones. The last conclusion is that the vernacular architectural style of the old buildings affects people's judgements about new buildings. These findings strongly suggest that this vernacular style should not be ignored but rather respected if new buildings are to be valued more.