On November 21, faculty members Xu Yifang, Wang Jian, and Liu Qingyu from our School of Urban Construction were invited to attend the 30th Chinese Folk Architecture Academic Annual Conference. Organized by Tianjin University under the guidance of the Folk Architecture Committee of the National Architecture Institute of China, the conference centered on the theme “Holistic Research and Sustainable Development of Settlements and Dwellings”, advocating an integrated approach to systematically explore the formation, evolution, and future trajectories of traditional settlements and vernacular architecture.

During the event, the Fifth Plenary Session for the Election of the Folk Architecture Committee’s new leadership was held in the Lecture Hall of Tianjin University’s School of Architecture. Following a vote by all committee members, Professor Xu Yifang—our university’s esteemed Silver-Age faculty member—was elected Deputy Secretary-General of the Committee.

At the academic sessions, Professor Xu chaired the third parallel forum titled “System, Function, Space: Systemic Composition and Human–Environment Relations in Large-Scale Heritage Settlements with Defensive Features”. She provided expert commentary on presentations delivered by scholars from institutions including Harbin Institute of Technology, Nanjing University, South China University of Technology, Hebei University of Technology, and Xi’an University of Architecture and Technology.

The Folk Architecture Committee is a key branch of the National Architecture Institute of China and serves as the core body of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development’s Traditional Dwellings Protection Committee. It functions as a leading expert team dedicated to the research, preservation, and development of traditional architectural heritage across China’s diverse ethnic communities.

This participation and appointment further expand our university’s academic influence in the fields of traditional architecture and heritage conservation, while also accumulating valuable resources for related discipline development and talent cultivation.