A Study on the Diversity and Cultural Characteristics of Decorative Patterns of Traditional Academies in Eastern China Based on Diversity Index and Social Network Analysis

Academies were a distinctive type of educational and cultural institution in ancient China, centers of private education, scholarly debate, and cultural preservation, and their architectural complexes typically integrated lecture halls, library buildings, ceremonial spaces, and gardens. The decoration of academy architecture embodies the essence of national civilization. In order to reveal the diversity of decorative patterns of traditional Chinese academy architecture and its cultural characteristics, this research focuses on traditional academy architecture in eastern China. This study uses diversity index determination to visualize and analyze the diversity of decorative patterns of academy architecture in eastern China and constructs a network model of decorative patterns using the social network analysis (SNA) method. This study reveals that in the traditional academy architecture of five provinces in eastern China, (1) the diversity of decorative patterns is remarkable, with regional characteristics, and shows a trend of unity within the region; (2) the network structure of decorative patterns shows remarkable stability on the whole, and the internal members of the pattern network system constructed with Confucian culture as the core are in close contact with each other; and (3) the cultural characteristics of decorative patterns are mainly reflected in the dominance of Confucian culture, the integration of Buddhist culture, and the uniqueness of regional culture, with Confucian culture occupying the main position that establishes the overall style and spiritual connotation of the decorative patterns in academy architecture. This study provides a new perspective and methodology for the study of traditional architectural decorative patterns, and by using comprehensive data analysis tools and quantitative methods, we are able to intuitively reveal the differences and connections of the cultural characteristics behind decorative patterns.