Research On The Human Geography Of The Traditional Folk Dwellings In Nanzhang Area, Hubei, China

From the view of Human Geography, the vernacular architecture is a humane phenomenon distributing in a certain region. Its origin, forming and development occur in a certain region. Its layout, structure, form and constructing technology and so on all manifest the regional characteristics. Researches on Human Geography focus on the study of the spatial distribution, geographical distribution and the rules of development and evolution of rural architecture and its factors. So far, researches on folk dwelling pay little attention on Human Geography theories and methodology. This paper takes folk dwellings of Nanzhang in Xiangfan as the research object, and uses Human Geography theories and methodology to explore their characteristic.Nanzhang county has a special geographical position, it also has glorious history and profound culture. There are so many folk dwellings hiding in the high mountains, which have unique style and exquisite construction. As important cultural heritages, the important value of these folk dwellings have already been realized. It is urgent and indispensable to protect these cultural heritages. Analyzing the condition and the characteristic of these folk dwellings, and making a scientific research on them is the main focus of this paper.This paper is divided into four parts. The first part introduces the geography, history and culture of Nanzhang of Xiangfan, which makes a basis for the following analysis. The second part analyzes the physiography and anthropogeography reason of the regional characteristic of folk dwellings in Nanzhang. Then the choice, division, organization and relation behavior of geographical space is proposed on the basis of human geography and behavioral science. Finally this paper summarizes the characteristics of folk dwelling of Nanzhang in Xiangfan, and proposes the unique value of folk dwelling of Nanzhang in Xiangfan. It also attempts to put forward some proposal on how to protect and renew the folk dwelling of Nanzhang in Xiangfan.This paper focus on geography methodology, uses information obtained from inspection and mapping, and carries on a integrity analysis from a dynamic visual angle. It is expected that this article can make some progress on the research methodology of folk dwellings.