Research On Evolution Mechanism And Adaptability Of Han Traditional Villages’ Spatial Form In Southern Hunan

Since the1980s, more scholars’ attention has been paid from traditionalresidences to traditional villages in China. And the research contents involvesettlement space and form, settlement regionalization and pedigree, settlementevolution, settlement protection and development, dwelling updating, old villagerenovation, inhabitation environment construction of new countryside etc. However,since2006, new socialist countryside construction which based on the coordinatedurban and rural development background has led rural construction into the deepeningreform stage and at the same time put the traditional village into a dilemma ofprotection and development. Therefore, it is an urgent problem to improve theinhabitation environment and realize coordinated urban and rural, and at the same timeto keep the superior genes of traditional villages.There remain a large number of Han tribal traditional villages with a long historyand rich cultural relics in southern Hunan because of its unique geographical andhumanistic condition. Below the integrated action of natural environment, economyand technology, social culture and political policy in ancient times, these villages’spatial form appeared closed, restrained, densely, orderly and changeful. Furthermore,the traditional villages’ spatial form still retains the brand of economy, technology,social culture and political policy in different historical period. However, with today’sgreat social, political and economical change, the spatial form of these villages oftenpresents inadaptability, and then the spatial texture and overall style of these villagessuffer serious damage. In this thesis, the historical evolution process from formation,development, prosperity to decline and the evolution cause of Han traditional villages’spatial form in southern Hunan are discussed. And on this basis, adaptivecountermeasures of traditional villages’ spatial form in new political, economic andcultural background are discussed. The main contents and innovative results aresummarized as follows:1. According to sketchy statistics, there are nearly one hundred Han traditionalvillages in southern Hunan at present with characteristic traditional styles and spatialpatterns, and densely traditional residences. These traditional villages are distributedmainly over the regions which were arterial roads in ancient times while no longer thetransportation center in modern times, or the regions with relatively independent regional environment. The microscopic environment of these traditional villages istypical of crisscross footpaths between fields, fronting water and with hills on the back.The remained Han traditional villages in southern Hunan are mainly clan villages, andmost of them are clan villages with single surname.2. The spatial form of traditional villages not only refers to spatial structure andform feature in the certain period, but also reflects the deep structure including naturalenvironment, economy, technology, social culture and political policy in this historicalperiod. Therefore, based on the genetic method and diachronic, dynamic anddevelopment point of view, the evolution trajectory and morphological characteristicsof spatial form of Han traditional villages in southern Hunan are analyzed, fromancient (Northern Song dynasty-Late Qing dynasty), recent (Late Qingdynasty-1949), modern(1949-1978) to contemporary (1979-present) period. And thedynamic evolution mechanism of Han traditional villages’ spatial form is studied fromthe aspects of economy, technology, social culture and political policy in differenthistorical periods. Furthermore, as Chinese historical and cultural towns’ protectionsystem established in2003, and the ancient village tourism sprung up consequently,different evolution types of external intervention such as recovery type, control typeand mutation type appeared in Han traditional villages’ spatial form. Therefore,differentiations of evolution trajectory and morphological characteristics of spatialform appeared accordingly.3. The traditional village is a complex system. Its complexity is not onlyembodied in its internal subsystem with large number, rich levels, various types andcomplex correlation, but also embodied in its multiple external properties, complicatedmotion states and shapes, etc. Therefore, dissipative structure theory and synergetictheory, which are parts of self-organization theories of complex systems, are used toanalyze the self-organization of evolution of Han traditional villages in southernHunan in different historical periods including ancient, recent, modern andcontemporary period. Results show that the evolution of village system abode by thelaw of self-organization evolution in ancient, recent and contemporary period but notin modern period because the village system in modern period didn’t meet the basiccondition of dissipative structure. And the negentropy suction of village system,competition and cooperation among action agents are the driving forces of evolution ofself-organization system in ancient, recent and contemporary period.4. According to the statistical analysis of questionnaires organized in Hantraditional villages in southern Hunan, the internal demands of reality development of these villages include improving people’s living conditions, guiding residents to builthousings rationally, supporting villages’ infrastructure, perfecting cultural andrecreational facilities of villages, etc. Therefore, it is a practical problem to improvethe inhabitation environment and living conditions, meet the improving mental valuedemands of the residents on the premise of well protection of the overall styles andspatial patterns in the adaptive development of Han traditional villages in southernHunan in modern period.5. According to the new developmental opportunities of traditional villages atpresent such as new socialist countryside construction, abolition of agricultural tax andestablishment of historical and cultural towns’ protection system, and also according tothe internal demands of villagers on village construction in Han traditional villages insouthern Hunan, some adaptive development countermeasures, such as protectingtraditional villages, renovating existing areas and planning new areas, are proposed.Results show that, only when the village construction is strengthened from interior ofvillage system by means of industrial transformation and upgrading and highlightingresource advantages of traditional villages, and when the villagers’ abilities ofself-organization are improved comprehensively by means of training new peasantsand consolidating the key role of villagers on villages’ protection, and when theexternal intervention is finally transformed into self-organization behavior of villagesystem will the revival and sustainable development of traditional villages be realized.