The remains of wooden buildings from the Ming dynasty in Bashu area give evidence of outstanding technical and artistic achievements. They present not only a unique stage in the development of local building technology, they are also crucial to our understanding of Ming-dynasty timber framing in general. Research started with the fieldwork undertaken by the Yingzao Xueshe (Society for Research in Chinese Architecture) in southwestern China. The members of the Society surveyed and mapped more than thirty wooden Ming buildings and identified some characteristics typical of the period and area. Their effort laid the foundation for future studies, as it showed the value of these buildings and expanded the scope of research. Ming wooden architecture in Bashu area has attracted more attention since then, especially in the past decade, but much still remains to be done.