Environment Protection And Development Research Of Traditional Human Habitat In Northern Shaanxi

Cave dwelling is one of the important traditional dwellings and architectural styles in thecontext of Chinese architecture. Cave-dwelling settlements in the old-town district of Mizhicounty in Northern Shaanxi have always been a significant cultural heritage of Chinese nation.Recent decades witnessed the rapid and dramatic development of society. With the accelationof urbanization and the ascent of people’s living standard, traditional architectural forms havebeen gradually confronted with the difficulties in meeting people’s needs of life. Protection oftraditional cave dwellings is therefore affected. With the intensification of this conflict, thecontradictions between the protection of cultural heritage and city planning at present stagehave arisen. The reality of the destruction and extinction of ancient buildings throughout Chinahas caught public attention.Such social and cultural background conditions formed the driving force for this thesis. Basedon the architectural culture of the traditional local dwellings, the thesis makes a series ofmulti-level analyses of the feature space embodied in the traditional human habitat of cavedwellings in the old-town district of Mizhi county in Northern Shaanxi. The analysis triggersconsideration about its particular cultural meridians and how to protect and inherit these specialsettlements. Firstly, space environment of the cave-dwelling settlements is researched andstudied in the old-town district of Mizhi county. Based on the research, the thesis makes acomprehensive assessment, including economic problems aroused by social production anddevelopment, production conditions and resources under natural and ecological circumstances,as well as the relevant aspects such as environmental features of the local ecology. The research of its historical and cultural backgrounds is the realistic basis of the theoretical analysis in thethesis. Secondly, the thesis studies the space features of its landscape, including settlementregularities of the ancient village, arrangement development of the architectural space withinthe settlement and multi-level study of landscape environment in the region. These mentionedstudies are the key points of the thesis. Last but not east, the significance of the thesis lies in theauthor’s viewpoints on the protection and development of the ancient settlements as a whole.Meanwhile, by horizontally comparing some experiences of success in other cases andinquiring into the commonness and differences embodied in the cave dwelling settlements ofMizhi country, the thesis puts forward a feasible route of protection and inheritance. The thesiskeeps its constant concern about the issues of how to make the protection of traditional culturesand features of the region advance abreast with the development of urban modernization. Newtechonology, new skills and traditional cultures are supposed to exist side by side and enjoytheir harmonious coexistence.