With the rapid growth of global urbanization and the rising demand for sustainable development, it is essential to study the performance and durability of building materials. As a traditional and widely employed building material, Chinese clay tiles play a significant role in traditional Chinese architecture. However, traditional methods for assessing structural surface damage necessitate the time-consuming and labor-intensive assessment and judgment of trained professionals. Consequently, it is crucial to employ machine learning techniques for automatic damage type identification. This study identifies the types of damage to Chinese clay tiles in Macau by employing machine learning techniques and the YOLOv4 object detection model. A total of 363 photographs of on-site Chinese clay tiles were used as training samples, and 200 epochs of the model training were performed. The primary findings of this study are as follows: (1) The machine learning method, based on the YOLOv4 model, provides an effective and precise solution for the automatic identification of Chinese clay tiles damage types, overcoming the human and time-cost constraints of conventional evaluation methods. (2) The detection accuracy of the detection model in this study is 95.42% for the detection of Chinese clay tiles cracks, 80.91% for the detection of stains, and 89.34% for the detection of surface wear, with an overall accuracy of 88.98%, which meets the basic detection requirements. (3) The experimental results demonstrate the viability and efficacy of the proposed method for identifying clay tile damage types and provide a method reference for the preservation and sustainable development of historical buildings.

This study examines the relationship between folk religious place-making and urban public spaces, focusing on Macau’s Shi Gandang Temple. The research utilizes on-site visits, historical evidence, and interviews to analyze place-making processes, social functions, management mechanisms, and folk culture. The findings emphasize the significant influence of folk beliefs on Macau’s urban spaces and social management system. They contribute to the development of local communities and geopolitical relations. The study highlights the participation of folk religious places as key nodes and emotional hubs, facilitating conflict resolution among diverse communities. It also promotes positive interactions, cooperation, and integration of regional development with management mechanisms, governance models, and cultural orientations.