IN-PERSON: Prague – Section A

Abstract

Taihang Baxing refers to eight ancient roads in the Taihang Mountains region of China formed by river water erosion on the mountains. Like the Silk Road and the Grand Canal, Taihang Baxing is one of China’s crucial cultural heritage routes, playing significant roles in transportation, military, and commerce throughout history. As a result, many historical settlements emerged in the surrounding areas, which are essential carriers of China’s material and non-material cultural heritage. This study selects over 8,000 historical settlements established before the Qing Dynasty in the vicinity of Taihang Baxing as research samples and uses GIS to establish a historical settlement database by exploring relevant materials such as historical records and maps. Spatial distribution characteristics analysis of historical settlements in the region is conducted through the use of methods such as the Average Nearest Neighbour, Kernel Density Estimation, Correlation Analysis, Accessibility Analysis, etc. The spatial distribution characteristics of historical settlements in the area are obtained, and the relevant influencing factors are analysed. This study provides a research foundation and ideas for the spatiotemporal evolution research of Chinese settlements and the development of rural revitalisation in China.