| Abstract The architecture craftsmen are handicraftsmen who specialize in building construction in ancient China. As the particularity of ancient Chinese buildings in the structure and materials, the ancient architecture craftsmen of China undertake multiple responsibilities including architectural design, construction, management, etc. the painting, the arithmetic, the Shu-shu, the ordinances and the technical craftsmanship together constitute the Chinese architecture craftsmanship in late pre-modern times, which is far more beyond the current usual definition of “craftsmanship”. The learning process of the huge architecture craftsmanship system is long lasting and highly diversified. It’s much more than the so-called “mentoring system” and “apprenticeship system”. The architecture craftsmen’s “period of apprenticeship” has a strict framework. But the self-learning after “finishing apprenticeship” is the key to the success. The existence of many “hand-copied books” and “secret books” explains the diverse learning ways and long-term learning process of architecture craftsmen on one hand, and shows their attention attached to learning and education on the other hand. |
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