The
Yingzao Fashi is a technical treatise on architecture and craftsmanship written by the
Chinese author
Li Jie (李誡; 1065–1110), the Directorate of Buildings and Construction during the mid
Song Dynasty of China. A promising architect, he revised many older treatises on architecture from 1097 to 1100. By 1100, he had completed his own architectural work, which he presented to
Emperor Zhezong of Song. The emperor's successor,
Emperor Huizong of Song, had the book published in 1103 in order to provide a unified set of architectural standards for builders, architects, and literate
craftsmen as well as for the engineering agencies of the central government. With his book becoming a noted success, Li Jie was promoted by Huizong as the Director of Palace Buildings. Thereafter, Li became well known for his oversight in the construction of administrative offices, palace apartments, gates and
gate-towers, the
ancestral temple of the Song Dynasty, along with numerous
Buddhist temples. In 1145, a second edition of Li's book was published by Wang Huan. Between 1222-1233, a third printing was published. This edition, published in Pingjiang (now
Suzhou), was later handcopied into the
Yongle Encyclopedia and
Siku Quanshu. In addition, a number of handcopied editions were made for private libraries. One of these handcopies of the Pingjiang edition was rediscovered in 1919 and printed as facsimile in 1920.