Research On The Construction Laws In The Hui Ethnic Settlements In Xihaigu Prefecture In Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region

Xihaigu Prefecture is characterized by the fragile ecological environment and the complicated ethnic relationship; it is also backward in economy and politically sensitive. Being located in the south of Ningxia, it takes up 58.8% of the total size of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region with 8 counties, namely, Guyuan(Yuanzhou District), Xiji, Haiyuan, Jingyuan, Pengyang, Longde, Tongxin, and Yanchi. This area is rich in sunshine and heat and cultural resources with Hui ethnic features, occupying a leading place in china. But such resources are very scarce in this area as the cultivated land, forests and grasslands which are closely related with the environmental construction for human settlements. There is even a serious shortage in water supply. Due to the resource shortage, man-made sabotage and natural disaster, Xihaigu Prefecture is faced with severe land desertification, seriously polluted water resource and water ecological environment as well as frequent sandstorm. Taking a historical and realistic perspective the worsening environment for human settlements in this area is attributed to the weak awareness of the natural and cultural resources, the improper exploitation and utilization of the natural resources and the limited inheritance and development of the ethnic culture.However, with the rapid process of urbanization, the Hui ethnic county settlement construction in Xihaigu Prefecture is thoroughly rejecting the traditional laws of construction and throwing away the traditional settlement advantage, ignoring the restriction of local resource condition and neglecting the local cultural heritage maintenance and even blindly adopting the construction model of cities. Consequently the conflict between the resource damage and human settlements is getting even worse. Gradually the traditional minority settlements with distinctive features are losing its charm and essence so that the housing morphology of this area is declining and the harmonious atmosphere in the ethnic residence is disappearing, leading to the chances of intensified ethnic conflicts. Therefore, the study on the construction laws and development strategies in the Hui ethnic settlements in Xhihaigu Prefecture in Ningxia is to solve the problem of human settlements in this area and also to significantly guide the construction of rural minority settlements commonly existing in northwest of China.This research mainly concentrates on the following aspects:(1)The changing process and features of the traditional settlements of Xihaigu in historyIn clue of the social history and the changing traces of natural environment in Ningxia, the formation, development and changing features of Xihaigu in different historic periods are to be studied, focusing on the distribution pattern, features of selecting the location of settlements, the housing morphology, space structure, traditional rural architectural style and building skills as well as the changing features of building materials. The developing organism of the traditional settlements is to be explored together with the constructing strategies of regional resources, ecological cultural concept of natural conditions and human settlement environment and the laws of building the traditional settlements.(2) The study of the relationship between the hui ethic settlement building and the natural environment and the integration of the hui and han people‘s cultureDue to the declining of the ecologic environment and the great scarcity of the natural resources in this area, and the rich humanistic religious thinking as well as the particular backward condition of social economy, the current study is to be based on the following theory such as Habitat Environmental Science, architecture, rural-urban planning, human geography, religion, ethnonymics. The previous relevant studies are to be combined to explore the critical points of building and developing the settlements and the mutual relationship between the building wisdom of employing the target natural resources and settlement features influenced by the cultures of Hui and Han people.(3)The study of settlement building influenced by natural environment and human religionBy analyzing the architecture examples related to the land resource, water resource, climate resource, and building resource in different periods of this area, the characteristics of the religious buildings of the traditional Hui settlements affected by the culture of Hui and Han people are to be explored together with the morphology features of the temples and human living space. The building laws for settlements and proper technology responding to regional resource and culture are to be systematically concluded.(4)The study on developing strategies of Hui ethnic settlements in XihaiguBased on the above studies and the careful analysis of the traditional rural settlements‘ advantages, the fast urbanization and the dramatic changes of production ways and lifestyle are to be taken into consideration so that the promotion of construction skills and the optimal approaches are to be actively explored. Meanwhile, some suggestions are to be made for the sustainability of the rural settlements for Hui ethnic in Xihaigu and also for the scientific construction of new countryside of ecological immigrants.