Postdoctoral researcher ERC project URBAN-DELTA

Postdoc 1: Construction Techniques and Knowledge in the Yangtze River Delta before 1800

As a postdoctoral researcher, you will identify what was considered building know-how specific to the Yangtze River Delta with its early 'megapolises' (e.g. Hangzhou, Suzhou, Yangzhou). You will trace the development of a range of techniques for building in marshy urban conditions, particularly in the Song and Ming dynasties. Much of the groundwork is still to be done, as literature on construction techniques and machinery is limited, and hardly any synthesis studies exist. Questions regarding which specialised building technologies existed and what building knowledge was developed remain largely unanswered. You will develop three distinct lines of study grounded in the rigorous analysis of primary sources, both written and material. The first consists of an in-depth study of techniques that negotiated difficult conditions by providing greater stability, in particular, the developmen...