Cross-Cultural Study of Palazzo Farnese and Dong’s Fortified Compound

Abstract: This study compares two fortified residences—Palazzo Farnese in Caprarola, Italy, and Dong’s Fortified Compound in Wuzhong, China—within an art-anthropological framework to explore differences in spatial organization, symbolic expression, and public perception across distinct cultural contexts.Field surveys were combined with iconological analyses of frescoes, carvings, and inscriptions. In parallel, 4,947 user-generated images and 1,467 comments posted between 2020 and 2024 on Chinese and international social media platforms were processed using CLIP embeddings and UMAP-HDBSCAN clustering to analyze patterns of visual engagement.Results indicate that Palazzo Farnese presents a geometric, symbolic cosmos rooted in Renaissance cosmology, while Dong’s Compound reflects clan-based spatial ethics and religious orientation through courtyard structures and carved motifs. Social media content reveals contrasting viewer priorities: international users emphasize visual symmetry and immersive aesthetics; domestic users highlight symbolic elements and interpretive content, reflecting different models of heritage reception.These findings suggest that fortified architecture acquires new layers of meaning through culturally situated paths of digital representation. The study contributes to cross-cultural architectural analysis by integrating architectural history, semiotics, and digital ethnography.