Building traditions born out of earthquakes: the post-1976 reconfiguration of Jinggan-derived dwellings in Yanyuan

Scholarship on vernacular architecture and heritage conservation often treats local building traditions as historical inheritances formed through slow environmental adaptation. Yet extreme disasters can compress this process and reorganize materials, spatial practices and craft knowledge within a short period. This article examines Yi Jinggan-derived dwellings formed in Yanyuan, Southwest China, after the 1976–1986 earthquakes. Based on field surveys of 39 buildings in 13 villages, oral histories and cross-regional typological comparison, it analyses Jinggan structures, roof frames and front-porch frames. The study shows that these dwellings were not a wholly independent tradition, but a locally stabilized recombination of pre-earthquake Jinggan ancillary practices, Yi spatial organization, Ninglang-Muli technical references and craftsmen’s knowledge. The case demonstrates how disasters can activate historical networks and accelerate the reorganization of local building traditions.