Spatial distribution and site selection adaptation mechanism of traditional villages along the Yellow River in Shanxi and Shaanxi

Abstract

Site selection adaptability of traditional villages along rivers can be summarized as the local ecological wisdom accumulated and preserved by generations of villagers. The site selection and distribution pattern of traditional villages is closely related to the river. In this research, 97 traditional villages along the Yellow River in Shanxi and Shaanxi were selected as the research objects. Kernel density analysis, Area density analysis, River buffer zone and a self‐designed river location function (RLF) were used to explore, calculate, and evaluate the spatial distribution and site selection adaptation mechanism of traditional villages along the Yellow River. Most traditional villages are located within 15 km buffer area. Villages are densely distributed in one high‐density aggregation area and one middle‐density aggregation area. The aggregation areas also represent a highest area density of river. The results of RLF show that there are six villages with a value between 1.8 and 2.2, which is consistent with the results of kernel density and river buffer zone analyses. It is concluded that site selection adaptation factors are composed of area density of river, distance from river, river width and bank form. At the same time, it is found that traditional villages are clustered on convex banks, which reflects the scientific value of ancient Chinese feng shuitheory. Our findings improve the understanding of the overall environment and pattern of traditional villages, provide a quantitative basis for the study of site selection adaptability, and offer operational technical guidance for current and future efforts for village renewal, planning, and construction.

A Study of Spatio-Temporal Differentiation Characteristics and Driving Factors of Shaanxi Province’s Traditional Heritage Villages

“…The traditional villages always showed an unbalanced spatial distribution pattern [5,6] and an agglomeration distribution tendency [1,4,6]. In this study, the results show that the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Shaanxi Province and their evolution process follow heterogeneous and non-equilibrium characteristics.…”

“…Traditional villages are rich in tangible and intangible cultural heritage with historical archaeological, cultural heritage, artistic, and socio-economic values [1], which can provide important resources for us to explore the village's origin, farming civilization, and traditional culture [2]. The emergence, evolution, and development of traditional villages are not only the specific form of the evolution of farming civilization but also a valuable cultural resource that is not renewable in Chinese civilization [3,4]. Therefore, the multiple conservation of traditional villages is related to the inheritance and development of traditional cultural diversity [1].…”

Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Traditional Villages on the Tibetan Plateau in China

“…The kernel density is widely applied to depict the agglomeration pattern of traditional villages at regional and national scales. Xu Yuqian [ 16 ] identified the high and moderate density aggregation areas of 97 traditional villages along the Yellow River in Shanxi and Shaanxi. Jiaojiao Bian [ 17 ] and Chao Wu [ 18 ] used the tool to interpret the spatial distribution patterns of 6819 traditional villages in China nationwide.…”

Locality and the adaptation of river‐related built environment

“…With the functional value of eliminating floods and improving the efficiency of water resources, water conservancy heritage is the concentrated embodiment of ancient people's water adaptability. L. Y. Xu, Peng, et al (2022) and Y. Q. Xu, Yang, et al (2022) took the Huai'an‐Yangzhou Section of China's Grand Canal, and particularly its hydraulic engineering system, as an example and attributed its success to the advantages brought about by the ‘distributive hydraulic engineering’ approach by the ancient Grand Canal management, compared to the ‘master‐structure dependent’ approach, which appears to be common practice in modern hydraulic engineering. Shi and Zhang (2022) comprehensively examined the flood control heritage of the Yongding River in the late Qing Dynasty associated with the Marco Polo Bridge section, 1890–1899.…”

“…The results indicate that there is no inevitable correlation between the level of economic development and the rise and fall of traditional villages. L. Y. Xu, Peng, et al (2022) and Y. Q. Xu, Yang, et al (2022) analyzed the site selection and distribution pattern of Chinese traditional villages along the Yellow River in Shanxi and Shaanxi. Results revealed that site selection and adaptation factors were the result of the area the river covered and the channel density, the distance of the settlement from the river, river width, and river bank shape.…”