Architectural color painting is one of the cultural heritages of the Tibetan people. To address the issues of “loss” and “variation” in architectural color paintings during the renovation of traditional Tibetan timber dwellings in Yunnan, it is essential to organize and categorize the forms and cultural content of ethnic minority timber architectural paintings. This approach will help supplement foundational research on the subject. This study, based on linguistic research findings, focuses on the Diqing South Locus Dialect Region as the research area, conducting field investigations in over 30 settlements (involving more than 80 dwellings). This study analyzes patterns, colors, and forms across various architectural elements to develop a detailed atlas of decorative painting patterns. A combined analysis of historical documentation reveals three primary folk causes behind the architectural color paintings of Tibetan timber buildings in Yunnan: (1) primitive worship under animism; (2) decorative norms guided by religious beliefs; and (3) cultural fusion resulting from ethnic heritage. This will help people understand the cultural essence behind architectural paintings, avoiding the cognitive limitation of knowing only their form but not their meaning. This paper aims to raise awareness of the cultural heritage of regional timber buildings, providing a basis for typological accumulation and model references for the protection and transmission of regional timber architectural color paintings.

The straight mortise and tenon joints (SMTJs) of Tusi Manor, situated in the Yunnan–Tibet region of China, tend to undergo decay. This study aims to investigate the mechanism performance degradation of SMTJs due to decay. Five full-scale SMTJs were constructed and incubated with wood-rot fungi for 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks. Cyclic loading tests were conducted to assess the damage mechanisms and extent of mechanical property degradation at these different stages of decay, supported by ABAQUS finite element simulation software. The results revealed a progressive increase in damage with prolonged decay time. Comparison between decayed and undecayed specimens showed a maximum load-bearing performance degradation rate of 5.17%, 11.83%, 17.34%, and 23.54% after 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks of fungal incubation, respectively. The cumulative energy efficiency degradation rates were 8.38%, 9.51%, 23.13%, and 33.31%, respectively. SMTJs mechanical performance degradation is correlated with wood mechanical property degradation as a function of the S-family. Finite element simulations further indicated a reduction in tenon strength from the outer parts towards the inner parts of the structure.

Vernacular architecture is a complex and living heritage type, and the study of the evolution laws of its spatial form is of great value to the conservation of architectural heritage diversity. Taking vernacular architecture in the Yunnan–Tibet area as the research object, based on the theory of spatial syntax, 30 building samples were subjected to global and local calculations of MD, I_RRA, and NACH values, while the common characteristics among the samples were obtained by using Kendall’s W test, and the individual characteristics among the samples were obtained by using differentiation analysis. The results show that: (a) vernacular architecture in the Yunnan–Tibet area exhibits characteristics of multi-cluster branched centrality and spatial hierarchical layout; (b) these architectures possess four categories of inheritance factors: the privacy of granary spaces, the centrality of corridor spaces, the passability of breeding areas, and the independence of scripture hall spaces; (c) these architectures possess three categories of differentiation factors: the functional evolution of traditional spaces, the spatial reconstruction of breeding areas, and the “Toilet Revolution” driven by multiple forces. This study elucidates the regulatory role of cultural continuity in shaping the spatial forms of vernacular architecture, providing new evidence for analyzing the formation mechanisms of vernacular architecture in the Yunnan–Tibet area.

(1) The Hoop Head Tenon-mortise Joint (HHTMJ) in the Tusi Manor in Tibetan areas in Yunnan, China, has a serious decay phenomenon. To understand the effect of decay on the seismic performance of HHTMJ, (2) the five groups of HHTMJ and small-size Pinus kesiya var. langbianensis wood mechanical property testing specimens were placed in an artificially set decay environment and cultivated together with wood decay fungi for 0, 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks, respectively. Low-cycle repeated loading tests were conducted to compare the failure mode, hysteresis curve, skeleton curve, and cumulative energy consumption of the HHTMJ under different decay cycles. (3) The results indicate that the failure mode of the HHTMJ is fractured at the tenon shoulder, and the deformation and failure of the tenon increase with the increase in decay. Compared with the non-decayed specimens, the ultimate bearing performance of the specimens after 6, 12, 18, and 24 weeks of decay decreased by 8.83%, 16.97%, 19.69%, and 30.22%, respectively. The cumulative energy consumption decreased by 21.6%, 27.4%, 33.2%, and 41.3%, respectively. (4) Decay primarily occurs on the exterior of the tenon, with minimal decay on the interior. The degradation of seismic performance in HHTMJ is relatively close to the degradation observed in small-size wood specimens during mechanical property testing.

Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) is an essential component of China’s outstanding traditional culture, serving as a living testament to the continuity of Chinese civilization and as a crucial foundation for fostering national identity and maintaining social cohesion. The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region is one of the areas in China with the highest concentration and the most comprehensive range of traditional ICH. However, its spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors have not yet been systematically examined. In this study, 593 national-level ICH items in the YRD were selected as the research objects. Based on geographic information systems (GIS), spatiotemporal analyses were conducted using the nearest neighbor index, geographic concentration index, imbalance index, kernel density analysis, standard deviation ellipse, and geographic detector methods. The spatial characteristics of ICH were investigated from three perspectives: spatial structure, spatiotemporal evolution, and driving factors. The results indicate that: (1) Shanghai serves as the core agglomeration area of ICH and exhibits the highest kernel density; (2) from a spatiotemporal perspective, the spatial center of ICH distribution shows an overall movement trajectory that first shifts southward and then northward; and (3) driving factor analysis reveals that sociocultural factors exert the most significant influence on the spatial distribution of ICH, followed by economic factors. Natural geographic factors show the weakest explanatory power, but their influence is significantly enhanced through interactions with sociocultural and economic factors. This study develops an integrated analytical framework to examine the spatial patterns and driving mechanisms of ICH in the YRD. It enriches the quantitative methodological system of cultural geography and heritage studies, provides a scientific basis for the protection, transmission, and governance of cultural heritage against the background of regional integration in the YRD, and offers a transferable analytical approach for ICH studies in other urban agglomerations.

Based on the UN SDGs global agenda and China’s national urban renewal strategy, this study highlights the key role of historic architectural decorative patterns in supporting cultural continuity in urban renewal and facilitating heritage building-informed regeneration. Focusing on the sustainable development of urban renewal and heritage building-informed design and regeneration of historic buildings, this study explores the quantification of the cultural memory value of decorative patterns. It integrates a quantitative indicator system into the Gaussian Strategy Enhanced Whale Optimization Algorithm-Back Propagation Neural Network (GSWOA-BP) to enable intelligent pattern generation. First, cultural genes are extracted from architectural heritage, followed by digital quantification and analysis, to generate context-appropriate pattern designs. These are then applied to urban renewal scenarios, ultimately promoting the transmission and revitalization of architectural heritage through digital means. This study provides theoretical support and a technical pathway for the intelligent design of historic architectural decorative patterns, facilitates cultural continuity in heritage building-informed design for urban renewal, and presents a heritage building-informed generative design framework.