A Study On The Public Space Of Traditional Settlements In Jindong District Jinhua

The Jindong District of Jinhua locates in the east part of the Jinhua-quzhou Basin,the middle area of Zhejiang Province,China.Since ancient time,this region has been a place where different cultures of Zhejiang Province,Anhui Province,Jiangxi Province and Fujian Province blended together.There is abundant farmland and forest resource,long-established agricultural civilization,frequent trade with other regions,traditional activities which continue today.All of those create the uniqueness of traditional settlements and public space in Jindong district.Taking the local traditional life as a starting point,this research focuses on the characteristics and patterns of the public space of traditional settlements in Jindong District,which formed by the special geographical and historical background.The research objects are the historical forms of all the traditional settlements within the scope of current Jindong District.This thesis is an important part of the regional research of Jiangnan Traditional Settlements.It benefits inheritance of the culture in Jinhua region,guides further protection and renewal of the public place in the existing traditional settlements.This research addresses five propositions,including:(1)the evolutionary pattern of traditional settlements in Jindong District,(2)the overall morphological features and academic status of traditional settlements in Jindong District,(3)the composition and characteristics of the public space of traditional settlements in Jindong District,(4)the implied ideology within the public place of traditional settlements in Jindong District,(5)the similarities and differences between Jindong District and other surrounding regions,(6)the direction for the preservation and renewal of public place in the existing traditional settlements in Jindong District.To demonstrate those propositions,this article is divided into three parts.The first part is the evolution of traditional settlements in Jindong District.Through the research of ancient documents of Jinhua Region,this chapter demonstrates the geographical and cultural context,shows the developing process of settlements in Jindong.Also,the chapter illustrates the divided features and historical patterns of two basic types of traditional settlements in Jindong,villages and towns.The second part is the systematic analysis of the public space of traditional settlements in Jindong District.Chapter 3 shows the common forms of public space of traditional settlements in Jindong District,through three examples of well-preserved traditional settlements in Jindong.The three examples represent a village,a transitional form from a village to a town,and a town.Chapter 4 analyzes the patterns of sites and overall forms of traditional settlements in Jindong,reveals the similarities and differences of villages and towns in Jindong.The overall image of traditional settlements is also examined from the aspect of path,edge,node,district and landmark.In Chapter 5,the types and levels of the public space of traditional settlements in Jindong are illustrated based on the traditional life-pattern.There are five categories of the public space of traditional settlements in Jindong:traffic space,living space,trade space,ceremony space and entertainment space,and four levels:neighborhood,family territory,suburb,and outer suburb.Based on the classification,specific features of different types of public space are analyzed thoroughly.The traffic space includes alley,road,and entrance.The living space includes waterfront space and public squares.The trade space includes commercial streets and markets.The ceremony space includes ancestral halls,temples,feng-shui trees,and water outlets.The entertainment space includes countryside area,bullrings,and stages.The surface and structure elements of the public space are also listed in this Chapter.Chapter 6 discovers the social meaning,cultural origin,and aesthetic value within the public space.Based on the connection of Jindong District and other surround regions,Chapter 7 analyzes the similarities and differences of public space between Jindong and surrounding areas,concludes the uniqueness of the public space of Jindong.The third part,examines the current situation of traditional settlements in Jindong District,proposes constructive solutions for the preservation and renewal of the public space in this region.The innovation points of this thesis are as follows.(1)It is the first systematic study towards the traditional settlements in Jindong District.The research clarifies the academic status of traditional settlements in Jindong District,fills an academic gap of the regional research of Jiangnan Traditional Settlements.(2)The study takes traditional life of Jindong District as a starting point,reveals the root cause of the morphogenesis of public space of traditional settlements in Jindong District,demonstrates the characteristics and patterns of the public space.(3)Different from previous researches,which commonly focus on one type of the settlements(villages or towns),this thesis takes all the settlements in Jindong District as a whole,illustrates the complete system of public space among the traditional settlements.(4)The research uses a new method to reveal the complete facades in narrow alleys,which is to piece together photos taken with a wide-angle camera.In the field of Architecture,the common method to show the facades in narrow place is only by drawing.This method is an improvement to present the actual appearance of the settlements.