Transnational Builders and Vernacular Modernity: Social Networks of Wuyi Construction Practitioners (1840s–1940s)

Modern architecture in Chinese Qiaoxiang (overseas Chinese hometowns) has often been interpreted as the result of Western stylistic influence or remittance-driven economic conditions. Challenging this view, this paper takes the Wuyi Qiaoxiang as a case study to examine how transnational social networks among construction practitioners—architects, contractors, and artisans—shaped the flow of building knowledge and, consequently, architectural innovation and heritage formation. Drawing on historical archives, built examples, and fieldwork data, the study maps the transnational trajectories of construction practitioners of Wuyi origin through a social network lens. Findings reveal that architectural innovation in the Qiaoxiang was not driven by a single source of knowledge but emerged from a dual-network structure rooted in both native-place ties and professional affiliations. Contractors and artisans, embedded in guild organizations and master-apprentice systems, adapted construction techniques acquired in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia into locally viable solutions responsive to regional materials and climatic conditions. Meanwhile, architects trained abroad introduced institutionalized design standards through commissioned projects and professional collaborations, exerting notable influence especially in public buildings. The paper argues that it was the synergistic operation of these two networks—at different scales and through distinct mechanisms—that enabled modern architectural knowledge to be absorbed, reconfigured, and sustained within the Qiaoxiang context, thereby shaping the distinctive character of Wuyi’s architectural heritage. By situating heritage within transnational social relations and production processes, this study offers a practice-oriented framework for understanding how architectural heritage is generated in diasporic contexts.