Study On The Defensive Settlement Forms In The Xiangnan Region During The Ming And Qing Dynasties

Defensive settlement is a traditional form of settlement with "defense" as the main functional requirement combined with residential functions.Because of its history as an important "corridor" leading to the Guangdong and Guangxi regions,the southern Hunan region has important economic and military strategic significance.There are multiple factors such as complex terrain and landforms,frequent wars and turmoil,a large number of military defense deployments,large-scale immigration activities,and extensive ethnic conflicts in this area,thus giving birth to a large number of defensive settlements.This kind of settlement is the direct carrier of the living style and living conditions of local residents in history,and carries a special national memory.At the same time,such settlements are also an integral part of the Chinese traditional settlement pedigree and an important part of the cultural heritage of Chinese traditional vernacular architecture.However,in the process of historical development,the defensive needs of these settlements gradually faded,and the original building facilities and even the terrain of the base site were gradually damaged and disappeared.At present,with the multiple concerns in the context of rural revitalization and the guidance of relevant national policies,it is more urgent to integrate the current situation and historical significance of defensive settlements,pay attention to the internal laws of defensive settlements,and promote the protection and renewal of these settlements.This study takes defensive settlements in southern Hunan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties as the research object,aiming to deeply explore the historical evolution and morphological characteristics of defensive settlements in southern Hunan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.The main content is divided into five parts: the first part clarifies the purpose and Significance,selected research methods including literature research,field investigation,case analysis and other comprehensive methods,and clarified the sources of reference materials and current situation information.The second part uses historical documents and other materials to explore the background and causes of settlements in southern Hunan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.At the same time,it finds the most direct catalyst for the formation of settlements’ defensive characteristics,that is,the "man-made disaster" factor caused by frequent turmoil and uprising factors.The third part analyzes the defensive characteristics of the settlements in southern Hunan,analyzes the composition of the entire defense system from the macroscopic,mesoscopic and microscopic levels,and clarifies that the defensive characteristics are organized,planned and designed,and the top-down system is complete regional countermeasures.The fourth part is based on the cognition of the defense system,and deeply explores the driving forces behind the settlement construction,including the government’s counter-insurgency motivation,the clan’s blood self-protection desire,the local residents’ demand for keeping warm,and the official and defensive settlements respectively.The construction and civil construction are classified and explained,providing theoretical support and practical guidance for researchers and practitioners.Finally,select Zhongtian Village as a typical case of field research and application of theoretical knowledge,analyze the formation logic of Zhongtian Village’s defense system and make an assessment of the current situation,in order to put forward the protection strategy of Zhongtian Village and suggestions for further spatial activation in the future.This study takes the regional turmoil in southern Hunan during the Ming and Qing Dynasties as the starting point,sorts out its causes and patterns from the perspective of historical geography,and expounds in detail the direct impact of this turmoil on the selection of traditional rural settlement defense models combined with field research results.At the same time,from the perspective of defense,it analyzes the historical development of rural settlements in southern Hunan,and conducts an in-depth analysis of the evolution process and internal mechanism of the defensive representation system,revealing the representation mechanism and connotation of settlement defense.In addition,through excavating and sorting out the folk defense culture,the historical background of the selection of the rural settlement defense model and the influence of the military defense system on it are discussed.The discussion of defensive settlements in southern Hunan is a supplement to the formation mechanism and regional characteristics of traditional settlements.It expands the research field of defense culture and breaks the limitations of official military defense in the past.The choice of rural settlement defense model,the understanding of historical evolution and cultural connotation are of great significance.