The Mutual Verification of Agricultural Imagery and Granary Architecture in Ancient China: A Case Study of the Fuzhou “Room-Style” Granaries

Abstract

The evolution of agricultural civilization is closely related to the social changes in ancient China, with Fuzhou being home to a large number of traditional granary buildings with distinctive regional characteristics. This study employs field surveys, a literature review, architectural mapping, and comparative analysis to explore whether there is mutual verification between the “room-style” granaries in Fuzhou and related agricultural imagery. The findings reveal that (1) the granary buildings in Fuzhou city generally follow the ancient raised-platform structure and are organically integrated with the local courtyard-style dwellings, forming a unique “room-style” granaries. Their layout and structure not only adapt to the local natural environment but also reflect the ancient craftsmen’s deep understanding of material properties and structural mechanics. (2) The spatial layout and functions of traditional granary buildings have evolved with social changes. Their development has been profoundly influenced by Zhuzi’s granary system and Neo-Confucian thought, gradually forming a hybrid space that combines storage and residential functions, integrating both practicality and esthetics. This evolutionary process not only reflects the flexibility and adaptability of the ancient storage system but also demonstrates the influence of social and cultural factors in shaping architectural space. Currently, there are the following gaps in the research on traditional granaries in Fuzhou City: a lack of analysis on the form and structural patterns of local granary buildings, insufficient cross-verification between documentary records and physical remains, and inadequate research on the construction wisdom of traditional granary buildings. This study provides valuable insights into the research of ancient architectural art, cultural exchange, and regional construction.

1. Introduction

China has historically been rooted in agriculture, which has served not only as an economic pillar but also as a foundation for livelihoods, fiscal stability, cultural development, and social order. Over thousands of years, the nation has accumulated a wealth of agricultural literature and cultural heritage. Agricultural imagery, as an important testament to the development of agrarian civilization, carries abundant historical information and cultural value, serving as a bridge between the past and the present [1]. Granary buildings, an indispensable component of ancient agricultural production, has been preserved in physical form to the present day, vividly illustrating ancient grain storage techniques and remarkable architectural craftsmanship [2]. Comparative studies that integrate ancient Chinese agricultural imagery with surviving granary buildings can offer a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the connotations and characteristics of China’s ancient agrarian civilization.

In recent years, significant progress has been made by domestic scholars in the study of both ancient agricultural imagery and physical remains. Research on agricultural imagery has approached its historical and cultural implications from multiple perspectives, including art history, social history, and cultural history [3]. Studies of granary remains have focused on archeological excavation and architectural conservation techniques, leading to clearer understandings of their form, structure, function, and historical evolution [4,5,6].

However, for a long time, under the influence of prioritizing textual records over imagery, research on agricultural cultural heritage has concentrated primarily on historical documents, oral traditions, and archeological findings [7,8]. Current scholarship still lacks systematic comparative analysis between agricultural imagery and physical remains. Existing works that combine the two are relatively rare, often limited to isolated case studies without broad scope or methodological consistency. Research on the application of imagery remains relatively weak, largely focusing on the collection, compilation, and basic description of materials, without deeper exploration of their intrinsic value. Furthermore, in terms of breadth, there is a lack of horizontal comparison between imagery and physical remains. Traditional agricultural images, as historical records and cultural symbols, are often preserved through forms such as paintings, sculptures, or documents. These images provide a direct visual representation of ancient society’s understanding and expression of agricultural architecture [9]. In contrast, corresponding physical remains, such as traditional granary buildings, although offering tangible physical evidence that reflects the construction techniques and functions of the time, are often studied in isolation, without effective comparison or integration with the images. This separation between images and physical remains prevents us from fully understanding the multi-layered cultural connotations and evolution of traditional granary architecture. Particularly in terms of regionality and functionality, the agricultural scenes and granary structures depicted in images may contain deeper historical contexts and social changes than existing research suggests. Therefore, conducting a horizontal comparison between images and physical remains not only fills this research gap but also reveals further connections between culture and technology, deepening our understanding of traditional granary architecture and its cultural value.

Traditional granaries are widely distributed across the villages of Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province, encompassing various types such as canal granaries (cao cang), community granaries (she cang), charity granaries (yi cang), and grain storage granaries (ji gu cang). Due to long-term neglect in management and maintenance, as well as the relative lack of theoretical research and analysis on granary buildings [10]. Many granaries have suffered varying degrees of deterioration. As the number of storage building heritage sites continues to decline annually, this represents a significant loss of valuable resources for the study of the history of agricultural storage architecture. In light of the current state of research both domestically and internationally, the following deficiencies are observed:

• Lack of analysis on the form and structural patterns of local granary buildings: Granaries have received less attention in the literature compared to other types of buildings, a phenomenon that is not difficult to understand. Compared to residential, religious, public affairs management, and entertainment venues, granaries occupy a secondary position in terms of function [11]. However, with the increasing convergence of urbanization, rural areas, as places where people reconnect with inland regions and cultural roots, have attracted growing attention. Granaries, as agricultural buildings, are increasingly being recognized as objects for preservation due to their intrinsic value [12]. People have come to realize that granary buildings were not only important facilities for ancient ancestors to store materials but also an essential part of individual households and even the social life of entire nations. Existing studies on storage architecture have primarily focused on aspects such as architectural history, construction techniques, categories of stored goods, and management systems, with a particular emphasis on large-scale official granary buildings [13]. Research on local granary heritage, however, remains scarce. As a single-function building type, traditional granary buildings in Fuzhou City have undergone slow iterations, retaining ancient cultural genes that merit further investigation. In China, certain traditional granary buildings have been officially recognized within the national heritage protection system. According to the Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics, some granaries are designated as “The National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units or Provincial Key Cultural Relics Protection Units”. Representative examples include the Nanxincang of Beijing and Fengtu Charity Granary of Shanxi [14,15], both of which are acknowledged for their historical significance and architectural value. These categorizations highlight that traditional granary buildings are not only functional structures but also integral components of China’s cultural heritage, deserving of further scholarly attention. At present, there remains a gap in the indigenous construction knowledge system of traditional granaries.
• Insufficient cross-verification between documentary records and physical remains: Traditional granaries, with their unique grain storage methods and distinctive architectural features, integrate local climatic conditions, geographical environments, and cultural traditions. They provide invaluable physical evidence for a deeper understanding of vernacular grain storage practices. As witnesses to the development of agrarian civilization, they embody the material and spiritual life, as well as the level of social development, in the Fuzhou City, while demonstrating building techniques and storage wisdom. Despite their wide distribution and large numbers, such granaries have long been overlooked. Building on prior studies of related topics, a systematic cross-verification of documentary sources and physical remains, aimed at uncovering the indigenous construction knowledge embedded in the surviving traditional granaries of eastern Jiangxi, remains to be further explored.
• Inadequate research on the construction wisdom of storage architecture: The construction system of traditional granaries represents a comprehensive decision-making framework [16]. Based on extensive experience in disaster relief, ancient builders developed highly sophisticated storage systems and architectural wisdom adapted to local needs. Granary is one of the architectural forms emerging early in human history [17]. Globally, granary buildings have always been a symbol of agricultural wisdom. For example, stone granaries in the Iberian Peninsula prevent rodent invasion and ground moisture by raising their foundations; North American barns serve multiple functions such as livestock housing, feed and grain storage, and are often located near main roads; traditional Japanese granaries use a beam-column structural system with clay plaster on the exterior for fireproofing; traditional granaries in Iran adopt elevated foundations and semi-open designs to promote drying and moisture protection of the grain [18]. Unlike the above examples, the traditional granary in Fuzhou is a composite building formed by combining “courtyard-type residences and raised-platform structure,” This unique combination not only creates a distinct type of storage architecture but also embodies rich construction wisdom. Therefore, further exploration and research on the construction wisdom of traditional granaries is urgently needed.

With numerous navigable tributaries and convenient overland routes, the Fuzhou region enjoys a locational advantage for water–land intermodal transport, which has historically facilitated the circulation of grain. Consequently, a large number of traditional granary buildings are distributed across the area. These structures are adapted to the local natural environment and social institutions and are closely integrated with Fuzhou’s courtyard dwellings, forming a locally distinctive “courtyard-type dwellings and raised-platform structure.” room-form granary type. However, research on the formal analysis and compositional rules of local granaries has long been lacking; studies that mutually corroborate textual records with extant examples are scarce; and the constructive wisdom embedded in storage architecture remains underexplored. As a result, despite their wide distribution and considerable numbers, such vernacular granaries have seldom been a focus of academic inquiry. Owing to their singular function and relatively slow development, research on traditional granaries is often overlooked, and systematic analysis and in-depth discussion remain insufficient. This study addresses two main questions: (1) By comparing images of ancient agrarian practices with traditional granary architecture, which enduring cultural lineages do these buildings bear and preserve, thereby revealing the cultural and historical value of traditional granaries? (2) By dissecting the typological characteristics of traditional granaries, how are their transformations related to the social institutions and natural environment of their respective periods, providing valuable material evidence for understanding local social history and the constructive wisdom of vernacular architecture? Building on a clearly articulated research gap, this study contributes as follows: theoretically, it develops a typological framework and a “cultural-gene” identification scheme; methodologically, it establishes an image–artifact corroboration protocol.

1.1. Historical Development of the Storage System

China has historically experienced an exceptionally high frequency of famines, a phenomenon rare in the world. According to documented records, from the eighteenth century BCE to the twentieth century CE—nearly four millennia—there was scarcely a single year without some form of disaster or famine [19]. Natural disasters often triggered grain crises, making the establishment of reserve granaries to mitigate famine a central component of China’s ancient famine relief system [20].

Over the course of prolonged disaster relief practices, people accumulated a wealth of valuable experience, giving rise to a highly developed body of institutional culture and practical wisdom. The policies, measures, and institutional arrangements formulated by the state to prevent, respond to, and manage various natural disasters were collectively referred to as famine administration. Since natural disasters frequently caused grain shortages, the system of maintaining reserve granaries to balance years of abundance against years of scarcity became a core element of ancient famine relief policy [21]. Community granaries and charity granaries were important traditional civil storage facilities for accumulating grain in preparation for famine and formed an integral part of the ancient granary administration and famine relief system [22].

The origins of China’s ancient storage systems can be traced back to the matrilineal clan communes of the primitive society period, when grain was primarily stored in open-air piles, containers, or underground pits. During the Spring and Autumn period, Guan Zhong (a prominent statesman and reformer in the Spring and Autumn period) explicitly emphasized the importance of granaries in Guanzi·Mumin, stating: “For all who have land and govern the people, their work lies in the four seasons, and their security lies in the granary” [23]. In the Qin and Han dynasties, a nationwide storage system was established, marking the first peak in the development of China’s grain storage sector; national-level storage bases were set up in Xianyang (the capital of the Qin dynasty, located in present-day Shaanxi Province), Liyang (in present-day Henan Province), and Xingyang (in present-day Henan Province), while storage facilities were also constructed in each prefecture and county [24]. The Sui and Tang dynasties witnessed the second peak of storage development, characterized by an emphasis on grain reserves and the widespread establishment of charity granaries. The Song and Yuan dynasties continued to uphold the principle of prioritizing storage, and in 1181 CE, Emperor Xiaozong of the Song dynasty decreed the implementation of Zhu Xi’s she-cang Method throughout the empire [25], leading to the large-scale construction of rural granaries. In the Ming dynasty, granaries generally served three primary purposes: provisioning the military, supplying salaries and grain for urban residents, and storing reserves for famine relief [26]. The Qing dynasty inherited the Ming storage system, developing a variety of granary types that fulfilled different functions, broadly classified into official and civilian categories; official granaries were directly controlled by the government, supervised by the Ministry of Revenue, and administered through provincial governors, including the capital granaries, Tongzhou granaries, grain transport granaries, and Changping granaries in each prefecture and county.

The storage system in the Jiangxi region consists of community granaries, charity granaries, and grain storage granaries, forming the “Three Granary System”. The community granary system originated as a community-initiated form of grain storage designed to mitigate famine years. In the Southern Song dynasty, Zhu Xi (1130–1200, a leading Neo-Confucian philosopher and educator) established and promoted the rural famine-relief storage system known as the Zhu Xi’s she-cang Method in northern Fujian, a system inherited by the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with influence extending even into modern times [27]. This institutional innovation combined private operation with official supervision, enhancing rural resilience against famine. It was vigorously promoted by the authorities and became a common famine-preparedness facility in rural areas during the late Southern Song. Unlike earlier storage systems, the community granaries was not limited in location to urban centers, nor was management exclusively under official control [28].

During the Yongzheng (雍正, 1722–1735, reign of Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing dynasty) reign, Jiangxi experienced a peak in communal granaries construction, with facilities established in towns across every prefecture. According to the Jiangxi Gazetteer of the Guangxu era, the province had a total of 1333 communal granaries with a combined storage capacity exceeding four hundred thousand Dan (石, Dan is an ancient Chinese unit of measurement for grain), In ancient China, “Dan” typically referred to a unit of volume, equivalent to approximately 150 kg in modern terms) of grain. Although the communal granaries system underwent repeated cycles of decline and revival over time, it consistently held a prominent position within the storage network.

The charity granaries, by contrast, was initiated by the government to store grain for public famine relief. Farmers deposited grain after harvest, and during years of poor yields or the spring-summer lean season, loans were issued to the hungry or grain-deficient households at very low interest rates. In Jiangxi, charity granaries were mostly located in market towns, complementing the rural-based community granaries. Their establishment and management were generally subject to strict official oversight, but they played an important role in stabilizing grain supply and alleviating the burdens on the populace. From the Ming and Qing dynasties to the Republican period, much of the grain stored in charity granaries came from clan-owned fields, supplemented by private or public donations. During the Tongzhi reign alone, local gazetteers for Lichuan County in Fuzhou City recorded nearly fifty charity granaries.

The grain storage granaries evolved from the changping (常平) granaries, an official storage system directly managed by successive governments, intended to stabilize market supply by regulating grain prices. By the Ming and Qing periods, the chang ping granaries had gradually transformed into the grain storage granaries, which became a crucial means for the state to maintain grain reserves and respond to disasters. In Jiangxi, grain storage granaries were widely distributed in both urban and rural areas, forming a core component of the storage network. When the she-cang Method was first implemented in the Kangxi (康熙, r. 1661–1722, the fourth emperor of the Qing dynasty) reign, dedicated granary structures were often absent; instead, “one or two, or even three or four, solid and vacant rooms within temples or shrines were selected, or if none were available, empty ancestral halls in villages were used as storage sites” [29] This approach made full use of existing resources while easing the pressure on grain reserves, and the practice of adapting residential buildings for granary use continued until the thirty-second year of the Qianlong (乾隆, r. 1736–1796, the sixth emperor of the Qing dynasty) reign [30]. Today, such converted granaries remain widely scattered across the rural areas of Fuzhou.

1.2. Overview of Traditional Granary Buildings in Fuzhou City, Jiangxi Province

Fuzhou City is located in Jiangxi Province (Figure 1), between 115°35′–117°18′ East and 26°29′–28°30′ North. It has a subtropical humid monsoon climate. According to the data from the China Standard Meteorological Database, the annual average temperature in Fuzhou City ranges from 17.06 to 18.44 degrees Celsius. The average temperature in July, the hottest month, is between 27.64 and 29.85 °C, and the average temperature in January, the coldest month, is between 5.20 and 6.80 °C. The area of the Gan-Fu Plain surrounded by the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River and the Fu River, where Fuzhou is located, is the broadest plain in the eastern part of Jiangxi Province. It has always been an important grain-producing area.

Fuzhou City boasts a total of 248 national and provincial traditional villages. In these traditional villages, a large number of traditional granaries are distributed (Figure 1). This type of traditional granaries in Fuzhou City that have been lasted for thousands years dating back to Han dynasties. These granaries, adapted to the characteristics of local climate conditions and social systems, are closely integrated with the traditional courtyard-style dwellings. This integration has resulted in an architectural form that combines courtyard-style dwellings with a raised-platform structure, well-suited to the local conditions. in order to explore the local construction wisdom of traditional granaries, This study conducts a comparative and corroborative analysis of agricultural imagery from different historical periods and granary architecture in Fuzhou, thereby deepening the understanding of the historical evolution, spatial layout, and social functions of agricultural cultural heritage.

1.3. Overview of Ancient Chinese Agricultural Imagery

China has long been a nation “rooted in agriculture.” Over the course of history, it has accumulated a rich agrarian civilization, reflected in agricultural treatises, official decrees on farming, and agricultural imagery, which record in detail farming techniques, production scenes, and agricultural management wisdom. Agricultural imagery, in particular, encompasses a wide variety of forms and rich content, carrying diverse historical information. Broadly speaking, agricultural imagery refers to visual representations closely related to agricultural production and associated activities, including depictions of farming labor, textile production involving silk, hemp, and cotton, agricultural tools, the raising of draft animals, and agricultural rituals [31]. The depictions of granaries and agricultural scenes can generally be categorized into the following types:

• Systematic Geng zhi Tu (耕织图,Pictures of Tilling and Weaving)

The Geng zhi Tu can be interpreted in both broad and narrow senses. In the broad sense, it refers to all visual materials containing elements related to “tilling” and “weaving,” encompassing motifs on bronze or porcelain vessels, images carved on stone reliefs, murals in tomb chambers, and other similar representations. In the narrow sense, it denotes the systematized Geng zhi Tu images produced since the Song dynasty, which depict specific stages of agricultural and weaving labor through a series of paintings, often accompanied by explanatory poems or verses [32]. Lou Shou’s (楼璹,a Southern Song dynasty painter) Geng zhi Tu of the Southern Song dynasty served as the prototype, inspiring numerous later versions, including Cheng Qi’s (程棨, a painter of the Yuan dynasty)Geng zhi Tu of the Yuan dynasty, Song Zonglu’s (宋宗鲁, a Ming dynasty painter)Geng zhi Tu of the Ming dynasty, and the Kangxi Emperor’s Imperially Commissioned Geng zhi Tu (also known as the Pei wen zhai Geng zhi Tu佩文斋耕织图) of the Qing dynasty [33].

As vital structures for grain storage, ancient granaries frequently appear in various forms of agricultural imagery. In the Qing dynasty’s Imperially Commissioned Geng zhi Tu (御制耕织图) produced during the Kangxi reign, twenty-three “tilling” scenes are depicted; in the twenty-second scene, Entering the Granary, farmers are shown placing harvested rice into a granary. The depicted structure features a simple movable plank door and a ventilating window at the top. In contrast, the granary illustrated in Cheng Qi’s Yuan-dynasty Gengzhi Tu lacks a top ventilation window but is elevated on stilts, with the movable door marked by ordinal numbers. Across different versions of the Entering the Granary scene, partial views of granaries are consistently included; although their external details vary slightly, their general structural form remains largely similar.

2.

Agricultural Treatises

Agricultural treatises are ancient books that document agricultural production activities, illustrations of farming tools, and depictions of agricultural rituals. Examples include the Shi lin Guang ji (事林广记, The book covers a wide range of topics, including astronomy, geography, history, culture, and society) of the Southern Song dynasty, the Wang Zhen’s Agricultural Manual (王祯农书). This book is an agricultural work written by Wang Zhen (王祯, a Yuan dynasty scholar-official) during the Yuan dynasty., and the San cai Tu hui (三才图会), This book is an encyclopedic catalog compiled by the father-and-son duo Wang Qi (王圻, a Ming dynasty scholar) and Wang Siyi (王思义, his son and collaborator). These works record and illustrate various types of farming implements as well as scenes of agricultural rituals.

The San cai Tu hui depicts four types of granaries—Cang (仓, general storage granary), Lin (廪, a roofed but wall-less granary), Jing (京, a square-shaped granary), and Qun (囷, circular or domed granary) (Figure 2). It notes: “A structure without walls but with a roof is called lin; if it has walls and a roof, it is a cang. A round granary body is called qun, while a square one is called jing.” In Wang Zhen’s Agricultural Manual, Wang Zhen explains: “At present, the state’s storage facilities are topped with an upper ventilation chamber, called the Ao Fang (敖房), and have an eave with pillars at the front, known as the Ming Xia (明厦). Cang is the general term. Such is their construction. Even though a farmer’s grain storage building may be smaller in scale, it bears the same name and serves as the place for the accumulation of grain over many years” [34]. From these two agricultural treatises (Figure 3), it is evident that Cang, Lin, Jing, and Qun were among the most common forms of ancient Chinese granaries, with Cang and Lin regarded as the superior forms, and Jing and Qun considered secondary.

3.

Pictorial Bricks and Tomb Mural Agricultural Imagery

Agricultural imagery in the category of pictorial bricks and tomb murals primarily appears in ancient tombs, tomb chambers, and related structures such as tomb towers. These images functioned essentially as decorative art in the construction of burial spaces, while also serving as reconstructions of the daily life scenes of the tomb owner. For example, numerous Han Dynasty pictorial bricks unearthed in Sichuan depict richly detailed agricultural panoramas, covering every stage of production from sowing to drying grain and storing it in granaries. Depictions of granaries in this category are typically schematic, most often represented as a raised-platform structure built atop high platforms, some of which are shown with rooftop ventilating windows.

2. Materials and Methods

Generally, the lack of direct written records for folk architectural heritage necessitates that relevant research primarily rely on fieldwork, which presents both challenges and opportunities in this investigation. This study conducted multiple field investigations of granary buildings distributed across the Fuzhou City, selecting twelve well-preserved examples as representative cases. In addition, aerial imagery was captured using the DJI Phantom 4 drone from China., along with architectural surveys, photography, and interviews with local villagers, in order to obtain first-hand architectural data and oral histories for subsequent comparative analysis. The data collection and processing workflow comprised five sequential stages, as shown in Figure 4.

2.1. Literature Review

The study first reviews relevant domestic and international research, followed by an examination of historical records on traditional granaries to trace the evolution of vernacular storage practices. Historical records on traditional storage can generally be divided into two categories. The first comprises official compendia and governmental records from various dynasties, such as the Tongdian, Tongzhi, and Wenxian Tongkao, which contain dedicated chapters on storage policies and their implementation. The second category consists of local sources, including gazetteers, genealogies, maps, and inscriptions, which frequently discuss local government initiatives, gentry-led famine relief, and the construction or renovation of storage buildings. Together, these materials provide the theoretical foundation for the present research.

2.2. Field Surveys

Field investigations were conducted to document the distribution and current conditions of traditional granary buildings in Fuzhou City. Data collection included multi-angle exterior imagery, on-site measurements, and interviews with local residents and craftsmen. This work produced a foundational dataset covering the names, locations, layouts, forms, and historical contexts of traditional granaries in the area.

The research team conducted fieldwork in Fuzhou from October 2023 to January 2025, during which they carried out 30 semi-structured interviews. The interviewees included 15 experienced farmers, 10 architectural professionals, and 5 cultural heritage experts. The field survey was led by Yu Yi, with assistance from the team members. The interviews were semi-structured and combined with participatory observation notes to ensure the richness of the data and multidimensional analysis. The interview data were organized using thematic analysis, focusing on the relationship between granary architecture and the local climate, culture, and community heritage. Through the collection and analysis of this data, the study aims to provide a theoretical basis for the protection of traditional architecture and cultural heritage.

2.3. Digital Modeling

This study combines ground-based close-range photogrammetry with drone oblique photogrammetry to obtain a three-dimensional digital model of traditional granary buildings. First, ground-based close-range photogrammetry technology was used to accurately capture image data of the exterior of the granary, and combined with drone oblique photogrammetry to record multi-angle, full-coverage images of the building, ensuring a comprehensive and detailed representation of its spatial form. Then, a laser scanner was used to precisely scan the interior of the granary, collecting high-precision point cloud data to further optimize the details and accuracy of the model. Finally, based on the obtained data, a comprehensive digital model of the traditional granary buildings in the Fuzhou area was constructed using SketchUp software 2024, fully reproducing their spatial structure and form. This method integrates various advanced measurement technologies, providing accurate digital support and laying a solid data foundation and technical assurance for the protection, analysis, and study of traditional granary buildings.

2.4. Case Study Analysis

This study selects twelve traditional granary buildings in the Fuzhou region and develops and applies an image–artifact corroboration workflow to analyze their spatial organization and structural forms. The workflow comprises two stages:

2.4.1. Compositional-Dimension Analysis

Drawing on Kazunari Sakamoto’s theory of architectural spatial composition [37] and the typological features of granary buildings, we conduct a systematic analysis along six dimensions: external space, external form, interface composition, internal space, semi-external space, and structural system. External space refers to the surrounding environment that influences the granary’s functionality and spatial use, while external form highlights the architectural style and esthetic qualities. Interface composition discusses the building materials used in different parts, and internal space focuses on the granary’s core functional area, primarily related to storage. Semi-external space refers to areas that blend the internal and external, such as transitional zones, while the structural system analyzes the architectural framework that supports the granary. The theory of architectural spatial composition originates from the book Architectural Composition: Methods of Architectural Design, written and organized by Professor Emeritus Kazuaki Sakamoto of Tokyo Institute of Technology. It is the result of a series of compositional studies conducted by Sakamoto and his students in the 1960s [38]. Conventionally, architectural types are classified by function or by combinations of stylistic features. By contrast, the theory of spatial composition focuses on how architectural parts are assembled and on the spatial character and meanings thereby produced. It is applicable not only to modern architectural design but also provides a robust theoretical foundation for typological studies of traditional buildings. In Fuzhou’s traditional granaries, for example, the coupling of courtyard-type residences and raised-platform structure yields a distinctive spatial layout and structural articulation with strong regional identity.

2.4.2. Image–Artifact Corroboration

The iconographic research method has become one of the most important approaches for studying ancient imagery today [39]. Ancient images reproduce historical prototypes to varying degrees, making “using images to verify history” possible [40]. This paper, using ancient Chinese agrarian imagery as a reference, cross-references and cross-validates these materials with measured surveys and textual sources on granaries, identifying persistent constructive vocabularies and cultural motifs. It reveals the iconographic value of ancient image-based historical materials and, in turn, uncovers the constructive wisdom embedded in traditional granary architecture. The corroborative results provide verifiable evidence for the conservation of traditional granaries and the development of regionally distinctive architectural systems.

In the process of cross-validating images and physical objects, this paper clarifies which structural elements and cultural symbols have been preserved and passed down in granary architecture across different periods and regions. The research results offer a solid theoretical foundation for the protection of traditional granaries and provide verifiable evidence for the development of regionally distinctive architectural systems. These findings not only help deepen our understanding of the design concepts and technical innovations in traditional architecture, but also offer important references for the sustainable development of contemporary architecture and the protection of cultural heritage.

In this study, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools were employed solely for language refinement, including grammar and punctuation corrections. No GenAI tools were utilized for content creation, data analysis, figure generation, or interpretation of results.

3. Results

3.1. Characteristics of Granaries

Granary buildings in the Fuzhou City adhere to traditional construction methods, arranging multiple storage rooms resembling the ancient “Jing” granaries within residential buildings, forming a “room-style” granaries with distinct Fuzhou regional characteristics. representing a localized building practice deeply rooted in regional traditions. Drawing on architectural spatial composition theory, this study explores the typological spatial configuration patterns of traditional Fuzhou granary buildings. Prototype analysis is conducted from six perspectives—external space, external form, interface composition, internal space, semi-external space and structural system—to identify the types and compositional patterns of these traditional granaries, as detailed below:

3.1.1. External Space

The external spatial organization of a building refers to the distributional relationship between the building unit and its surrounding environment. In traditional agrarian society, the external spaces of granaries were characterized by a clear functional orientation, with key components including river, ponds, threshing grounds, and village streets or alleys (Figure 5).

As the principal logistics routes in traditional society, river channels played a vital role in transporting grain during periods when overland transportation was underdeveloped. Field surveys indicate that rivers were typically located 50–100 m from the periphery of the settlement. Flood-prevention measures such as elevating the building site and constructing bluestone foundations were adopted to ensure the security of stored grain; Ponds were generally situated near granary buildings, serving dual functions of fire prevention and microclimate regulation; The threshing ground was the core work area for grain processing, primarily used for drying grain. It was usually positioned to the south or east of the granary buildings to ensure adequate sunlight; In the traditional villages of the Fuzhou City, most streets and alleys adopted a linear layout, forming an efficient land-based transportation network for moving grain. These elements were organically integrated to form a complete spatial chain for grain production, storage, and transportation.

3.1.2. External Form

The external form of traditional granaries in Fuzhou City closely resembles that of the region’s traditional courtyard-style dwellings with central patios (Figure 6), adopting the “four-water-returning-to-the-hall” enclosed courtyard prototype. Overall, they exhibit an inward-facing and enclosed appearance (Figure 7). The perimeter is typically defined by continuous fire-resistant gable walls measuring 6–8 m in height. These are characterized by a low window-to-wall ratio of less than 5%, or by ventilation openings only 200 × 300 mm in size positioned at the top of the gable wall, creating the distinctive defensive façade of “heavy walls and small windows.” At the same time, this defensive facade also makes it difficult for birds to perch or enter the granary.

The roofing system employs a standard double-pitched roof with a slope of 33° ± 2°, complemented by eaves projecting 0.9–1.2 m to form a continuous and effective shading band and a four-directional drainage system.

3.1.3. Interface Composition

The interfaces of granary buildings consist of three primary elements: roof, floor, and walls (

Table 1. Granary building interface composition types and materials.

Types	Materials	Field Documentation Images
Roof	cylindrical clay tiles
Wall	exterior walls: Blue Brick
	The side walls of storage rooms: bamboo-lath and clay partitions
	Front wall of storage room: cedar boards
Floor	Courtyard floor: Bluestone
	Storage room Floor: rammed earth floors

). The roof, serving as the first protective barrier, typically adopts a wooden structural frame covered with locally common cylindrical clay tiles. The flooring of granary buildings follows differentiated construction strategies: storage rooms use rammed earth floors, while the floors of central patios are paved with bluestone slabs.

The wall system is constructed with a layered defensive approach. Exterior walls comprise an 800 mm–high bluestone foundation topped by 450 mm–thick blue brick hollow wall in a rat-trap bond. The side walls of storage rooms are made of 300 mm–thick bamboo-lath and clay partitions. The production process of bamboo-lath and clay partitions generally involves applying a mixture of straw, lime, and mud plaster on both sides of the bamboo-woven wall. Due to the ease of material sourcing and the simplicity of the production process, this is a common practice in the residential buildings of Eastern Jiangxi. The front wall of the warehouse is constructed with cedar boards.

3.1.4. Internal Space

The internal space refers to the enclosed area formed by the floor, walls, and roof. As the core functional unit of a granary building, the storage rooms exhibit three primary layout patterns (

Table 2. Examples of granary spatial configurations in Fuzhou City, categorizing plan typologies (single-row layout type, double-row l layout type, U-shaped layout type).

Types	Single-Row Layout Type	Double-Row Layout Type	U-Shaped Layout Type
Granary Buildings layout

):

Single-row layout type: Storage rooms are arranged linearly along one side of the central patio, a configuration commonly found in small-scale granary buildings, such as Xiadongcao Granary.

Double-row layout type: Storage rooms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the central patio, forming a clear axial relationship. Examples include Hushan Granary, Hebu Granary, Wangjiacangxia Granary, and others.

U-shaped layout type: Storage rooms are arranged along three sides of the central patio, forming a U-shaped plan, This layout is commonly found in large granaries, with the Yuhu Granary serving as an example.

The above three plan forms demonstrate the spatial organization system achieved by traditional granaries through strict modular control, showcasing the organic unity of function and form (Figure 8). Specifically, Small granaries use storage rooms with areas ranging from 3 to 5 square meters, while large granaries are organized through a cluster arrangement of 8 to 10 storage rooms. As shown in

Table 3. The dimensions of the granary storage rooms in Fuzhou.

Case Study	Width (mm)	Depth (mm)	Height (mm)	Area (m2)	Quantity	Total Grain Storage Capacity (m3)
Hushan Granary	1600	2200	2100	3.52	4	29.6
Hougong Granary	1500	3400	2200	5.1	7	173.1
	2100	4400	2200	9.24	4
	1800	3400	2200	6.12	2
Wangjiacangxia Granary	1500	2400	2500	3.6	8	72
Xiadongcao Granary	1600	1700	2100	2.72	4	22.8
He’s Granary	1400	2000	2000	2.8	6	33.6
Gefang Granary	1300	2900	3000	3.77	4	81.1
	1300	2300	3000	2.99	4
Xingjuxuan Granary	2700	3100	2200	8.37	6	110.5
Hebu Granary	1800	2000	2900	3.6	2	29.4
	1400	2100	2900	2.94	1
Yuhu Granary	2900	4100	2300	11.89	10	469.6
	3300	5100	2300	16.83	3
	3300	4200	2300	13.86	1
	4100	5100	2300	20.91	1
Fengying Granary	2600	2600	2200	6.67	3	63.5
	1100	2600	2200	2.86	3

This table lists the storage room dimensions of ten granaries. Among these, the storage rooms in Yangtian Charity Granary and Xuwan Granary have been lost as a result of prolonged neglect and inadequate maintenance. the storage rooms of and have been destroyed.

, the individual storage room at Yuhu Granary has the largest area, capable of storing 469.6 cubic meters of grain. In addition, some granaries, converted from residential buildings, have no fixed floor plan, with the warehouses freely arranged within the interior space.

3.1.5. Semi-External Space

Semi-external space refers to transitional areas between internal spaces that lack either fully enclosed walls or a roof. Functionally, these spaces serve as climate-regulating zones.

Traditional granary buildings employ carefully designed semi-external spaces to establish a passive climate control system. Four typical types of such transitional spaces can be identified: central patios, semi-open main halls, elevated second-story roofs, and underfloor stilted spaces (Figure 9). These areas are neither fully enclosed nor completely open, functioning as critical environmental buffers.

From a construction perspective, granaries adopt a “building-within-a-building” layout strategy, in which multiple layers of air cavities are used to regulate the indoor environment. At the top, a fully open ventilated loft acts as an air buffer layer without heat storage capacity, using natural convection to effectively dissipate radiant heat accumulated under the roof. Laterally, the gap intentionally left between the granary body and the surrounding brick wall both interrupts the pathway for moisture infiltration and promotes air circulation.

An exemplary case is the Wangjiacangxia granary, which innovatively applies a triple insulation system: a 500 mm gap between the gable wall and the granary body creates a “brick wall–air layer–wooden plank wall” triple-protective envelope (Figure 10), This elevated structure promotes air circulation and prevents the accumulation of moisture, thereby reducing the breeding of pests to some extent. According to interviews with local residents, they regularly use materials such as wood and herbs to produce smoke at the bottom of the granary to drive away pests. These measures fully demonstrate the remarkable environmental adaptability of traditional architecture.

3.1.6. Structural System

Traditional granary buildings in the Fuzhou City employ a composite structural system that combines Chuandou-style primary framework with raised-platform structure storage rooms. Their core features are as follows:

• Chuandou-style (穿斗) primary framework
  The primary structure of the granary is a chuandou-frame timber system, with brick walls serving as the exterior enclosure. A few granaries converted from ancestral halls adopt a tailiang (抬梁, a traditional Chinese beam-lift construction) structure, but the chuandou frame remains the predominant form (Figure 11).
• Raised-Platform Structure storage rooms
  The raised-platform structure is an ancient architectural form in which the building is elevated on stilts, creating an open space between the structure and the ground to enhance ventilation [41]. In addition, the open bottom space provides a free passage for cats, which helps prevent rodent infestations. In Fuzhou’s traditional granaries, this form is innovatively adapted by incorporating a dual moisture-proof system consisting of sandstone sleeper walls (500 mm high × 100 mm thick) and timber sleeper beams, effectively blocking ground moisture (Figure 10). The earthen rampart walls of granaries are typically made from red sandstone unique to the Danxia landform in Jiangxi. Red sandstone is hard in texture and highly resistant to weathering, making it suitable for use in humid environments. This material is also commonly used in more decorative architectural elements, such as window frames and stone carvings, reflecting the local cultural characteristics and the esthetic style of the architecture.

The granary’s door system adopts a modular, detachable design, including slotted-board doors and standardized grain outlets. The slotted-board doors have numbered wooden boards (Figure 12) embedded into grooves in the door frame, allowing sequential loading and unloading from bottom to top. The grain outlets are designed as 200 mm × 200 mm square openings, equipped with a three-tier protective mechanism: a movable sluice board, a movable bolt, and a fixed latch. Through the combination of material selection and structural innovation, this system achieves multiple layers of moisture prevention and security, while optimizing modular loading/unloading and precise grain release. The stilted base further facilitates natural ventilation, exemplifying the sophisticated integration of functional performance and traditional architectural wisdom.

3.2. Identifying Structures Through Imagery: Correlations Between Agricultural Depictions and Surviving Physical Remains

This section explores the relationship between ancient agricultural depictions and the surviving physical remains of granaries. Agricultural imagery, as an important tool for documenting historical facts, not only showcases the architectural form of granaries but also reflects their symbolic and functional roles in agrarian societies. The comparison between these images and the physical structures of granaries reveals critical insights into their construction, functions, and regional adaptations. In particular, the images provide external and symbolic representations, while the physical remains offer concrete details about structure and functionality. This comparative analysis helps deepen our understanding of ancient granary designs, their roles in local economies, and the evolution of agricultural practices. By analyzing both material and figurative sources, we can better grasp how these structures responded to environmental challenges and their significant cultural functions.

3.2.1. Comparison of Functions of Granary Buildings

As visual records of historical reality, agricultural imagery served functions of presentation, dissemination, and moral instruction. Granaries frequently appear in ancient agricultural imagery with their distinctive architectural forms, not only highlighting their historical role as key grain storage facilities, but also being embedded within scenes of fertile fields, hardworking farmers, and village life.

Generally, ancient granaries fulfilled three primary functions: grain storage, economic regulation, and famine relief.

First, in terms of grain storage, both the architectural forms and structural details of the room-style granary buildings in Fuzhou City clearly indicate their purpose for storing and safeguarding grain, showing a high degree of functional consistency with the granaries depicted in agricultural imagery.

Second, in terms of economic regulation, institutions such as charity granaries, community granaries, and chang ping granaries played a significant role in official economic control, primarily stabilizing market supply by adjusting grain prices through measures such as “buying at higher prices” and “selling at lower prices” [42]. Granaries in the Fuzhou City served a similar role, providing low-interest grain loans to grain-deficient households in years of poor harvest. However, by the late Republican period, loan interest rates had increased significantly—sometimes requiring repayment of three baskets for each borrowed dan, or compounding interest over time. A folk rhyme recorded among saltpeter farmers in Fuzhou City, Nancheng County, at that time captured this burden: “Borrow a dan of grain for half a year, return three to the landlord’s hall; if you fail to repay for several years, you will never clear the debt in your lifetime” [43].

Third, in terms of famine relief, local records such as the Yangtian Yixue Yicang Ji (旸田义学义仓记) compiled by residents of Yangtian Village, Jinxi County, Fuzhou City, recount: “Mr. Deng Yungu, a native of Yangtian, Jinxi, returned home after his official service. From his modest surplus of official salary, he painstakingly established a charity school and charity granary in the village to assist impoverished members of his clan.” Similar scenes are also found in pictorial bricks. The three images in Figure 13 all depict scenes related to granaries. Figure 13a,b show people working in front of the granary and moving grain into the granary. Figure 13c (titled “Eastern Han Elderly Relief Mural Brick”) depicts an elderly person kneeling beside the granary, with a servant using a measuring vessel to pour grain into a container on the ground, reflecting the scene of the granary providing relief to the elderly.

Through the above comparative analysis, it can be confirmed that the granaries depicted in agricultural imagery correspond clearly in function to the extant physical granary buildings in Fuzhou. This finding not only reinforces the reliability of imagery as an auxiliary tool in historical research, but also provides a solid empirical foundation for further exploration of the intrinsic connections between the two in terms of morphological evolution, cultural symbolism, and socio-economic context.

3.2.2. Comparison of Granary Building Structures

In agricultural imagery, granaries are predominantly depicted in the raised-platform structure, a design that reflects the ingenuity of ancient builders in preventing grain from becoming damp. As recorded in agricultural treatises regarding the “jing”, “constructing a raised structure with inset plank walls” was a building strategy specifically employed to mitigate the effects of humid climates.

Granary buildings in Fuzhou City likewise commonly adopt raised-platform structure. In addition, they retain many elements of ancient granaries, such as square or rectangular floor plans and slotted-board doors marked with ordinal numbers. These features are organically integrated with the region’s traditional court-yard-style courtyard dwellings, resulting in the distinctive room-style granary form unique to Fuzhou.

This finding not only reveals the outstanding achievements of ancient agrarian civilization in architectural craftsmanship but also confirms the widespread application and long-term continuity of the raised-platform structure granary. It provides important physical evidence for the understanding and preservation of this valuable cultural heritage.

3.3. Identifying Structures Through Imagery: Detail Recognition and Physical Reconstruction of Agricultural Granaries

Ancient agrarian images primarily focus on depicting the external form of granaries. These images often emphasize the granary’s functionality in agricultural production and its relationship with the surrounding environment, helping viewers understand the granary’s role and significance within the rural economic system. However, due to limitations in painting techniques, artistic intentions, and the materials used, these images typically fail to depict the internal structural details of granaries, such as the layout of the interior space, structural form, and functional designs like ventilation, moisture control, and safety features. For example, illustrations in agricultural books such as the Shilin Guangj, Wang Zhen’s Agricultural Manual, and the Ming dynasty San Cai Tu Hui clearly depict the external outline of the granary, roof structure, and wall forms. However, there is little information regarding the interior layout, structural methods, or moisture-proofing measures. These images tend to focus more on showcasing the external appearance of the building rather than delving into how these structures addressed specific environmental challenges, such as maintaining the dryness and safety of the grain.

In contrast, the extant physical granary buildings in the Fuzhou region offer abundant, concrete, and visually accessible details, providing a tangible foundation for reconstructing the internal features that historical imagery could only suggest.

3.3.1. Roof Ventilation Windows and Ventilated Loft Spaces

Ancient agrarian images depict granaries with ventilation through roof skylights, such as in the Qing dynasty Yu Zhi Geng Zhi Tu painted by Jiao Bingzhen (焦秉贞, a painter of the Qing dynasty), which shows small granaries in rural areas. These granaries have thatched roofs with small skylights protruding from the roof, covered with tiles (Figure 14b). In contrast, the granaries in Geng Zhi Tu (Scenes of Farming and Weaving) painted by Cheng Qi during the Yuan dynasty do not feature roof skylights (Figure 14a). By contrast, the existing granaries in Fuzhou commonly employ a ventilated loft space between the roof and the granary body, functioning as an air-insulated layer that effectively buffers the impact of external temperature fluctuations on the grain storage environment [47].

The roof ventilation windows shown in agricultural imagery and the ventilated loft spaces found in Fuzhou’s granary architecture share the same core objective—enhancing ventilation and thermal insulation—thereby reflecting the ingenuity and craftsmanship of ancient builders in granary construction. The primary differences lie in the specific methods of technical implementation: physical granary buildings demonstrate the maturity of ancient construction techniques and the accumulation of practical experience, while the granaries in agricultural imagery tend to convey an idealized vision or artistic interpretation, in which certain details may be rendered with exaggeration or abstraction.

3.3.2. Numbered Slotted-Board Doors and Bolt-Locked Slotted-Board Doors

As a critical component of grain management, the design of granary doors was executed with notable ingenuity. In agricultural imagery, slotted-board doors are depicted with ordinal number markings (Figure 14a). The room-style granary buildings in Fuzhou also employ the same numbered slotted-board doors (Figure 15a), consistent with the forms shown in imagery. This design correspondence supports the view that the architectural design and management of granaries at the time were moving toward standardization and formalization.

However, the door designs of Fuzhou’s room-style granaries are not merely direct replications of ancient prototypes but rather incorporate innovations within the inherited tradition. First, a standardized square grain outlet is added at the base of the door. Outside this outlet, a movable square sluice board is installed, which can be easily lifted to reveal the opening (Figure 15b), thereby improving the convenience and precision of grain discharge. This detail sets them apart from the granaries depicted in agricultural imagery.

Second, a movable bolt is added to the slotted-board door system. Although movable bolts are also recorded in the Wang Zhen’s Agricultural Manual and Bianmin Tuzhuan (便民图纂, a compilation of practical images for the public, edited by Kuang Fan, 1593) (Figure 15c), in Fuzhou’s room-style granaries, the bolt is fixed directly above the grain outlet, making it necessary to release the bolt before operating the outlet. This arrangement reinforces the granary’s security measures and reflects the region’s construction wisdom, with a particular emphasis on refined management and safeguarding of stored grain.

3.3.3. Wooden Plank Walls and Bamboo-Lath and Clay Partitions

In agricultural treatises, the walls of granaries are often depicted as being constructed from wooden planks, while granaries shown in pictorial bricks are rendered only in outline, making it impossible to discern detailed construction forms. In contrast, the surviving granary buildings in Fuzhou City employ not only cedar plank walls but, more commonly, bamboo-lath and clay partitions typical of local vernacular dwellings.

Bamboo, as a poor conductor of heat, has a low thermal conductivity, which allows wattle-and-daub walls to possess both breathability and moisture absorption properties. The white lime plaster applied to the surface reflects radiant heat, thereby reducing both indoor heat radiation and the interior surface temperature of the granary walls. This measure helps create a cooler storage environment that effectively slows the deterioration of grain quality.

Through a comparative analysis with ancient Chinese agrarian imagery, it was found that the traditional granaries in Fuzhou combine the “Jing” granaries of ancient China with the characteristics of local courtyard dwellings, creating a unique “house-within-a-house” granary structure. These traditional granaries not only preserve traditional construction elements such as the raised-platform structure and movable grain doors, but also introduce innovative improvements: First, various transitional spaces were added to optimize environmental control, such as courtyards, semi-open halls, and elevated roofs, which not only effectively regulate temperature and humidity but also enhance the building’s adaptability. Second, innovations in detailed construction have made the traditional form more refined and practical, such as adding movable bolts to the board-style grain doors for increased security; adding standardized square grain discharge holes at the bottom of the doors to facilitate smooth grain flow; and using bamboo woven mud walls for the granary walls, which not only reflect local architectural wisdom but also showcase an eco-friendly approach to sustainable development. These innovative improvements align with the architectural elements in ancient images, further demonstrating the uniqueness and sustainability of traditional granaries in design. They provide valuable references for contemporary architectural design and cultural heritage preservation.

4. Discussion

Through the process of cross-verification, this study uncovered numerous details that are either absent from agricultural imagery or insufficiently documented in historical literature, thereby deepening the understanding of the organizational logic and technological evolution of ancient Chinese agrarian society. It provided new insights into the construction principles and usage patterns of ancient granaries, offering valuable physical evidence for the study of ancient storage systems, agricultural production techniques, and socio-economic life.

Moreover, this process reaffirms the importance and necessity of interdisciplinary research in the field of architectural heritage conservation—namely, that the integration and interaction of multiple disciplines can continually reveal the deeper values of historical and cultural heritage.

Specifically, this study achieved the following objectives:

• To elucidate the role and significance of room-style granary buildings in eastern Jiangxi within ancient agricultural production, thereby providing empirical support for understanding ancient grain storage systems;
• To reveal, through cross-verification of agricultural imagery and surviving physical remains, the authentic aspects and cultural connotations of ancient agrarian life.

4.1. Testimony of Zhu Xi’s She-Cang Method

Over the course of long-term famine relief practices, a wealth of valuable experience was accumulated, giving rise to a highly developed system of institutional culture and practical wisdom. Originating in the Sui dynasty, the community granaries system marked a departure from the state-dominated model of famine relief and grain loans, extending relief-oriented lending to the rural grassroots. Building upon this foundation, Zhu Xi of the Southern Song dynasty established the She-Cang. Unlike official granaries such as the chang ping granaries (in ancient times, granaries were established by the government to store reserve grain.) and charity granary, which were typically located in urban areas, the community granaries extended the storage network into rural communities, providing critical institutional support at the village level [51].

Following the implementation of Zhu Xi’s She-Cang Method, a variety of official and locally managed famine-preparedness granaries emerged, such as ping di cang (平籴仓, price stabilization granaries), ping tiao cang (平粜仓, regulated-sale granaries). These localized storage facilities supplemented the overall famine-relief and grain storage system, playing a vital role in disaster relief and in maintaining social stability.

After Emperor Xiaozong (宋孝宗, 1127–1194) decreed that “Zhu Xi’s She-Cang mathed shall be implemented throughout the various circuits,” prefectures and counties across the country began constructing granaries and storing grain. The cost of construction was not borne entirely by the central government but was partially funded through local resources. As the She-Cang Method proved effective in aiding impoverished households, it was widely implemented, with many instances recorded of “villagers enthusiastically donating funds to contribute to this worthy endeavor” [52].

In the eighth year of Chunxi (1181 CE), while serving as Tea and Salt Ever-Normal Granary Commissioner for Jiangnan West Circuit [53], Zhu Xi organized the collection of funds and grain to aid famine victims, leaving a profound influence on later generations. The widespread room-style granary buildings found in the rural areas of Fuzhou today stand as tangible testimony to the enduring legacy of Zhu Xi’s She-Cang Method.

4.2. Reflection of the “Neo-Confucian” Beliefs

Fuzhou’s Jinxi County is the birthplace of Lu Jiuyuan (陆九渊, 1139–1193), the founder of Neo-Confucianism in the Southern Song Dynasty, also known as Xiangshan. The “Ehu Meeting (鹅湖之辩, a pivotal debate between Lu Jiuyuan and Zhu Xi in the Song Dynasty)” between Lu Jiuyuan and Zhu Xi stands as one of the most influential intellectual exchanges in the history of Chinese thought [54]. The principle of “governing the world with the people as the foundation” formed a core component of Lu’s Philosophy of Mind. In the Ming dynasty, the eminent scholar Wang Yangming (王阳明, a renowned Chinese philosopher, military general, and educator during the Ming dynasty) and his disciples gave lectures in various parts of Jiangxi on multiple occasions, driving Philosophy of Mind to its historical zenith.

Influenced by the Neo-Confucian emphasis on social responsibility and the welfare of the people, both the gentry and commoners actively engaged in the construction of granaries. The design and use of these granaries often incorporated elements related to the Neo-Confucianism. For example, the entrance plaques of the granaries were inscribed with phrases like “Yuanyuju” (蕴玉居, Storing Jade) and “Fengying” (丰盈, Abundant Harvest), symbolizing people’s sincere hopes for a bountiful harvest.

The widespread dissemination of Neo-Confucianism provided the ideological foundation for the extensive establishment of rural granaries in Fuzhou City as a precaution against famine. The traditional granary buildings still standing in the countryside today represent concrete manifestations of Philosophy of Mind in the realm of public welfare and livelihood security.

5. Conclusions

The main contributions of this study lie in its theoretical and methodological innovations. Theoretically, the research provides an in-depth analysis of the spatial organization and structural forms of traditional granary architecture in Fuzhou, revealing its evolution in response to social changes. The study demonstrates that the spatial form and function of granaries were not only influenced by Zhu Xi’s she-cang Method and Neo-Confucian philosophical ideals, but also integrated both storage and residential functions, forming a unique composite spatial morphology while balancing practicality and esthetics. Moreover, the study uncovers the profound impact of socio-cultural factors on the design of granary architecture, showcasing the interaction between architectural space and social culture, and providing new perspectives and a more precise analytical framework for the study of traditional architecture.

Methodologically, the study innovatively introduces the image–artifact corroboration approach, using a comparative analysis of ancient agricultural images and the granaries of Fuzhou to validate the construction wisdom embedded in ancient Chinese architectural techniques. This method not only deepens the understanding of the evolution of granary architecture, but also highlights the deep connections between history and architecture, providing significant theoretical tools and new research avenues for the study of traditional architecture.

The research shows that granary buildings are not only functional spaces but are also deeply influenced by the socio-cultural factors of the time. By revealing the interaction between architectural space and social culture, this study highlights the uniqueness of regional culture in architectural design and provides theoretical support for the future preservation of traditional architecture and the construction of regional architectural systems.

Looking ahead, further research can be explored in two directions. First, it can delve into how the storage systems in granary architecture can effectively support and promote rural economic development, revealing the potential value of traditional granary architecture in modern agricultural systems, and offering valuable historical insights for contemporary architectural design, particularly in terms of storage and spatial utilization. Second, digital modeling technologies, especially methods based on HBIM (Historical Building Information Modeling) and DT (Digital Twin), will play an important role in the management, monitoring, and inheritance of granary architecture. These technologies can provide a precise digital management platform for traditional buildings, helping to record and manage historical data, maintenance information, and repair progress. This not only enables better protection and transmission of traditional buildings but also provides in-depth theoretical support for the construction of regional architectural systems, promoting the integration and development of traditional and modern architectural cultures.