The term “”yangshi”” refers to the proposal of architectural design and the term “yangshi fang” refers to the Imperial Architectural Studio. The Lei Family, who had long led yangshi fang, was honoured as “yangshi Lei”. The precious architectural archives they left behind were recognised and included in the UNESCO Memory of the World International Register in 2007.
Over the course of eight generations, the Lei family worked at yangshi fang from the Kangxi period of the Qing dynasty. They were responsible for the design, construction, and reconstruction of imperial buildings such as palaces, gardens, temples, and mausoleums. Their work constitutes one-fifth of China’s world cultural heritage, including the grand imperial garden, Yuanming yuan.
In the early 1930s, Zhu Qiqian (1872–1964), the president of the Society for the Study of Chinese Architecture at the time, started collecting the scattered yangshi Lei drawings. Through organising and studying them, he unveiled the glorious historic story of the mysterious imperial architect family.
This documentary showcases the architectural marvels created by the yangshi Lei family, spanning over 200 years.
