This special issue aims to enhance mutual recognition and understanding between China and other civilizations through exploring their shared values and traditions especially related to architecture. There are potentially intriguing connections between different civilizations in the world, for example, between vernacular Chinese culture and Indigenous cultures in Australia, America, and other regions, or between the civilizations of Ancient China, Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient India, Ancient Peru, Ancient Greece, and so on. An exploration of these connections not only helps to establish bonds between different parts of the world, but also contributes to a discourse on the impact and embodiment of the shared value in architecture.

We welcome comparative studies of Chinese architecture, urban fabric, or settlement patterns with counterparts from other regions. We aspire to form a discourse on the essential kernel of architecture and/or settlements shared across different regions and examine how they can serve as bridges for future dialogues on this topic