*4.4. Strategies for the Preservation and Development of the Auspicious Culture of Traditional Shaxi Bai Architecture*

The traditional architecture of the Shaxi Bai has its way of showing that things will go well. In terms of public architecture, the Xingjiao Temple is a Buddhist-dominated public building. Moreover, the Patron God Monastery is a public building dominated by the native culture. Due to dominating culture, they have various auspicious elements. At the same time, these buildings are also icons of Shaxi Bai's traditional settlement. Development and changes are prohibited from perpetuating their dominant cultural status. According to researchers, "repair the old as the old, minimising intervention and maximising preservation" [39]. In terms of residential architecture, a unified conservation standard should be issued. The essential protected dwellings have significant historical and cultural value. They should avoid over-growth and blind development. In contrast, the generally protected dwellings should be built sensibly. This way fits within the rules of conservation. It is to meet the social needs of the tourism industry, which is proliferating. Cultural integration is a general trend. It has led to an increase in auspicious cultural diversity. Building local communities' cultural confidence is the essential solution. Furthermore, the Patron God Monastery is a good example.

#### **5. Conclusions**

Shaxi ancient town is "the only surviving ancient market in the world". Bai culture has been exchanged and absorbed here from ancient times. However, today's rapid tourism development and urbanisation. It has led to a deepening cultural fusion in the town. Traditional architecture is an essential part of traditional villages. Overdevelopment and ethnic and cultural loss challenges are severe threats today. We started with the auspicious culture of Shaxi Bai's traditional architecture. We then analysed the old town's auspicious elements, auspicious cultural expression, and cultural influences. Shaxi Bai's traditional building shows off its lucky cultural traits. The study concludes that Buddhist culture affected Shaxi Bai's traditional architecture. However, the Bai people also keep and spread the local culture. It reflects the coexistence of multiple cultures. Moreover, the Patron God Monastery shows its confidence in the local culture. It is this characteristic that they show when facing cultural integration. The study's results show how the Bai people feel about their culture and how confident they are. It has led to their acceptance of multiculturalism without losing their native culture as well as understanding how to inherit and develop the culture in traditional architecture. The cultural outlook of the Bai people may be a good case to discuss.

**Author Contributions:** Methodology, H.Z.; data curation, H.Z.; writing—original draft preparation, H.Z.; visualization, H.Z.; software, C.D. and Y.R.; validation, Y.R.; investigation, H.Z.; writing—review and editing, Z.H.; supervision, Z.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research was funded by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) project (Grant numbers 51868008 and 51978187). Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Informed consent was obtained from all participants in this study.

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Acknowledgments:** The authors are thankful to reviewers and editors for their insightful comments and suggestions to an earlier edition of this article.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
