Research on the Cultural Spatial Order of Traditional Villages from the Perspective of Ritual Systems:A Case Study based on Traditional Villages in Western Henan Province

GE Yipeng; DU Yang; MA Songjie; GAN Qizheng; MA Yuesan; LI Nan

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1000-0232.2025.09.003

Abstract：Traditional villages are carriers of Chinese civilization.Their spatial forms and cultural order reflect the human-land relationship and residential wisdom while deeply embodying the institutional shaping of rural society by ritualistic culture.We can reveal the spatial order and ritualistic mechanisms of traditional villages in different cultural contexts by identifying the structural characteristics and organizational logic of ritualistic culture in cultural space.Therefore,10 typical traditional villages in Western Henan Province were chosen as the research objects.A ritualistic measurement model of a village was constructed from the overall layout of the village and its internal spatial structure by combining"scientific quantification"and"humanistic interpretation".Based on the correspondence between ritual culture and village space,a multi-dimensional ritualistic measurement indicator system was established,encompassing point-degree centrality,proximity centrality,building function,age,form,materials,and other dimensions.The analytic hierarchy process(AHP)was combined with expert scoring to determine building grades for hierarchical analysis of the overall layout and internal spatial structure of villages.This laid the foundation for a comprehensive ranking and evaluation of the ritualistic characteristics of the sample villages by using the TOPSIS comprehensive evaluation method.The results indicate that the comprehensive characterization laws of ritualistic spatiality in villages are: (1)Ritualistic spatiality of the overall village layout.Degree centrality refers to the centrality of a village;proximity centrality refers to its agglomeration.Together,these reveal the hierarchical structure of a village's layout.The higher the hierarchical level,the stronger the ritualistic spatiality,reflecting the profound influence of ritualistic culture on a village's spatial organization and construction capabilities. (2)Ritualistic nature of the internal spatial layout of the village.The functional buildings,such as courtyards,ancestral halls,village schools,and village temples,constitute the core spatial carriers of the village's ritualistic culture.Three indicators:building classification,building form,and building material,jointly influence the expression of ritualistic nature.The architectures with more obvious characteristics rank higher and have a stronger ritualistic degree. (3)The"feature-mechanism-pathway"pattern of ritualistic space.Ritualistic space generally exhibits orderly characteristics of hierarchy,centrality,and functional zoning.It is easy to form a ritualistic spatial order with clear hierarchy,prominent centrality,and distinct functional zoning under the collaborative influence of multiple factors such as family connections and village form,social structure and architectural layout,historical heritage and cultural characteristics,and economic activities and social support.Accordingly,traditional villages should establish an"update and protection pathway"centered on protecting core ritualistic spaces,activating intangible cultural heritage,and continuing spatial order to revitalize and sustain traditional spaces. In exploring the internal logic of the cultural spatial order of traditional villages and the formation mechanism of ritualistic spaces from a ritualistic perspective,this study has revealed the interaction between material spatial forms and social structures under the dominance of ritualistic culture.The construction of a ritualistic measurement model not only provides a scientific basis for identifying the spatial hierarchy and ritualistic cultural characteristics of villages but also injects a sociological perspective to evaluate the cultural values of traditional villages.These are conducive to establishing a quantitative association mechanism between spatial structure and ritualistic culture and to promoting the practical applications of ritualistic culture in spatial measurement,renewal,and protection pathways of traditional villages.