The Research On Form Of The Defensive Fort-type Settlements In Yuxian

Yuxian in Hebei Province,which is one of the most important bases for military and logistics in Ming Dynasty,is known as the advantageous place for fight.It's located between the “inside” and “outside” Great Wall with precipitous and complex terrain.It formed a rigorous military defense system together with Wei County and fort-type settlements.These features and forms are a kind of system of the Great Wall defense in depth.Along with the end of war and historical changes,these fort-types settlements changed into villages for life and their functions for military and defense have already declined.Some of them even disappeared gradually.Therefore,there is a very necessary to study fort-type settlements in Yuxian.The study firstly focused on the evolution of development of Yuxian and its fort-type settlements from the geography and human perspective so that it can laid the foundation for further study.Secondly,it analyzed overall defense systems at the macro level,such as fighting at the front,logistical support,military liaison and construction of garrison and pass adjacent to Yuxian in a special historical background and military management system.Thirdly,it did the research about settlement form at the Meso-level.It analyzed the joint defense layout of these fort-type settlements and the features of flat shape of a single settlement by analyzing space-time distribution rules and characters of location,trying to find out the commonality of the fort-type settlements in Yuxian under the Great Wall defense in depth.Lastly,it studied the constituent elements features of this defense system at the micro-level.It analyzed perimeter defense and inner space respectively.The perimeter defense included walls,gates,barbican and ditches while the inner space included streets,courtyards,buildings and underground system.Based on the analysis above,it concluded the features of defense system in military stockaded village in Yuxian.It has done a comprehensive and systematic research on the defense system and morphological characteristics of fort-type settlements combining with many subjects like architecture,human geography,typology and morphology.It will provide some references for protection and utilization of fort-type settlements along the Great Wall and its depth.