During the initial developmental stage of historical settlement, residents used the principles of feng shui to locate suitable residence sites to ensure quality of life. Using Huazhai Village in Taiwan as a case study, this study explores the design philosophy of ancient Chinese people through scientific analysis. Research showed that the region was characterized by a windy climate. Therefore, a computational fluid dynamics model was used to simulate the local wind environment and restore the early architectural complex of the village. Compared to the current situation, it was demonstrated that the planning principles of the early buildings gave first priority to site selection. Second, with the village streets acting as a wind corridor, the angle of the streets was well utilized to strengthen outdoor ventilation in summer. Third, according to wind field characteristics at different locations, various opening directions and arrangement modes were applied in different areas to improve the wind field of the living environment. This ancient ecological wisdom provides current designers with a new strategy for living in harmony with nature, which may aid the design of sustainable living environments that adapt to the climate.

We took the example of the Tainan Confucian Temple to explore preventive preservation of Taiwanese cultural assets within a hot and humid climate. We mainly used microclimate monitoring data and computational fluid dynamics simulation to analyze the overall environment and identify problem areas, which were shown by the results to be the Ritual Implement Storeroom and Musical Instrument Storeroom. The latter had the highest humidity due to a mango tree located at the rear with a canopy stretching 4-6 m across the roof, which blocked the sunlight during the day and prevented any reduction in humidity. This storeroom includes the original calligraphic wall panels and central beam of the Minglun Hall; therefore we propose measures to improve the current environment without modifying the building materials or structures. First, we suggest either changing the display items or shifting the exhibition area, and transplanting or pruning the mango tree. Second, dehumidification or ventilation equipment should be placed not only in the Musical Instrument Storeroom, but also in the Chung Sheng Shrine and Ta Cheng Palace at night during the hot season, and in the Ritual Appliance Storeroom in the day during the cold season, to improve environmental problems.