The Large Machine Factory (LMF) was built in the complex historical context of the late Qing Dynasty (1840–1912). Its space and construction faithfully record the architectural and cultural fusion between Chinese and western traditions and mark the beginning of modern architectural techniques in China. Through historical data and empirical studies, the historical background and architectural characteristics of the LMF were analyzed, and interventions aimed at ensuring authenticity were established. The cultural significance and results of construction were considered two crucial elements in terms of outstanding characteristics. Comprehensive inspection and assessment strategies were discussed, with minimal intervention and interpretation principles. Preventive reinforcement of the foundation, complementary reinforcement of the main structures, restoration of the historic façade and environment, and adaptive spatial interventions were found to be effective ways to ensure authenticity. The principles of minimal intervention and interpretability, which include prevention, recognizability, invisibility, subsidiarity, and intertextuality, were proposed through a comparison with the literature and practical experience. This study provides an appropriate technical reference for ensuring authenticity in the conservation and reuse of modern historic buildings with complex contexts. We propose a new understanding of intervention principles and suggest a guiding intervention path that avoids the complexities arising from the generalized interpretations of authenticity.

In most Chinese villages, mountains and water are essential resources for human life, which residents have established close connections with through subsistence and production activities. These connections involve geographical, functional, and spiritual effects, which create the unique cultural identity of a place. As a kind of rural heritage, rural industrial heritage is a concrete result of the interaction between local activities and mountains and water, thus presenting specific local characteristics. The conservation and re-use of rural heritage have become an important issue in global rural studies. Different cases that have been transformed and re-used are analyzed in this paper, in order to explore the influence of mountains and water on their local characteristics, the effects on their conservation and re-use in both spiritual and functional aspects, and suitable regeneration patterns based on local characteristics. Comparative analysis of 3D maps, diagrams, and literature materials indicate that: (1) mountains and water dominate rural industrial heritage geographical characteristics, including their layout, size, and form; (2) the direct or indirect supports of mountains and water, in terms of functional and spiritual aspects, have changed after regeneration, where spiritual supports are becoming increasingly important; and (3) regeneration patterns with different focuses represent new habitats combining natural and artificial landscapes, indicating new relationships that shift from the single utilization of mountain and water resources in the past to symbiosis and mutual benefits between residents, heritage, nature, and local communities in the modern context.

In the process of rapid urbanization in China, rural areas are facing increasingly complex changes and challenges. Resilience theory provides a multidimensional perspective of the sustainable development of rural regions. As a subset of the broader resilience framework, spatial resilience focuses on inter-component relationships and systematic characteristics at the spatial level. It projects the potential of resilience theory into the spatial domain of human habitats. This paper endeavors to integrate spatial resilience theory into the field of rural built environments. At the village level, relevant factors were extracted, and an exploratory analysis focusing on rural spatial resilience was conducted. Twenty-one villages in southern Jiangsu at various resilience levels were selected as empirical cases. Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was employed to identify four configurations with sufficient conditions for rural spatial resilience. Furthermore, through an analysis of typical villages, the effective mechanisms of the relevant resilience factors were also elucidated. Our findings reveal several key points: (1) rural spatial resilience relies on an optimal combination of multiple factors rather than a single factor; (2) there are multiple potential pathways through which to enhance rural resilience; (3) and the configuration analysis of the rural factors of spatial resilience helps to narrow the distance between spatial resilience theory and spatial practice. This study validates and refines the application of spatial resilience theory in the context of the rural built environment. Corresponding suggestions are proposed for building a resilient countryside, aiming to provide support and reference for future development strategies in rural areas.

As global urbanization accelerates, rural decline has become a widespread concern. The surge in peri-urban tourism in China has presented opportunities for historical villages near major cities. However, the prevalent homogenized construction model poses concealed threats to their sustainable growth. Resilience theory provides a comprehensive perspective to address these challenges. Grounded in rural resilience theory, this study compares two villages in Nanjing, China. Differences in their renewal procedures, tourist evaluations, and villagers' perceptions are highlighted. The resilience factors are summarized and extracted from three aspects—resources, morphology, and function—and the differences in the transformation, adaptation, and development paths between the two villages are revealed. Subsequently, a resilience-building trajectory for peri-urban tourism villages is proposed for their sustainable development.

The conservation and sustainable development of industrial architectural heritage (IAH) have become growing priorities under “Dual Carbon” goals. This review synthesizes literature around three interrelated objectives: multi-dimensional value conservation, environmental performance enhancement, and low-carbon transition. Research has maintained steady growth, with 4.8% publications in 2006–2009 (Initial stage), 34.6% in 2010–2018 (Fluctuating ascent stage), and 60.6% in 2019–2025 (Rapid development stage). Seven hotspot clusters indicate shift towards comprehensive and technological heritage regeneration. Four thematic dimensions reveal trajectories about hierarchical intervention, simulation-based optimization of physical environment, low-carbon strategy under different logics, and multi-objective paradigm in heritage context. After identifying major limitations, it outlines future directions for IAH and provides integrated framework for multi-objective optimization in broader heritage buildings.