Research on the Landscape System of Linghu Area in Taihu Plain
YAO Xinyuan
CHEN Xiyu
GUO Wei
Abstract：This study systematically examines the formation background,structural characteristics,and settlement evolution pathways of the dike-pond landscape system in the Linghu area.It investigates how to develop an adaptive traditional human settlement model in the networked,low-lying waterland environment through the collaboration effect of natural foundations and social dynamics.On this basis,the study draws on spatial organizational logic and ecological wisdom,thereby providing historical experience and theoretical foundations for contemporary rural revitalization,agricultural cultural heritage protection,and regional sustainable development.
This study applied the integrated"spatial form-social process"approach and comprehensively used historical document analysis,GIS spatial analysis,field surveys,and case comparisons.First,it systematically summarizes the patterns of the water conservancy,agricultural,and settlement systems in the Linghu area from a natural perspective.Second,it analyzes the role of market and temple development in shaping the hierarchical town structure in the Linghu area from a social perspective.Finally,three typical cases of Linghu Town(central market town),Digang Town(intermediate market town),and Shezhong Village(basic-level village)were selected to reveal the micro-scale developmental pathways and morphological differences of settlements at different levels under the combined influence of the"pier and bridge,""spatial foundation,"and"market and temple"social dynamics.
The study finds:1)at the natural level,it formed a three-tier water conservancy system of"Lingbo Pond-Pond Roads-Channel Creeks"and two dominant agricultural models of"Mulberry-Based Fish Pond"and"Field-Pond Polder"in the Linghu area based on the local lake-dotted water network and low-lying topography.Influenced by deep-water polder reclamation and pier construction,settlements evolved from"scattered villages on point-like high piers"to"linear comb-like clustered villages,"and finally to"block-like pier-group clustered villages."As key facilities connecting high piers and integrating water routes,bridges served as spatial links in settlement expansion,facilitating the gradual integration of scattered villages into market towns with functional zoning and hierarchical structures.2)At the social level,commodity exchange and silkworm deity beliefs jointly promoted the formation of high-density distribution and a hierarchical system of market towns.Given the extensive commodity circulation and the town network,Linghu Town is generally viewed as an intermediate market town that has significant influence over towns in the mulberry-based fish pond concentration area.A multilevel network of"village-market-town"radiating systems has formed around Linghu,with an average spacing of within 3.4 km.3)Spatial structures of settlements at different levels show significant differences:a centralized structure integrating"pier-islands-bridges-specialized markets-community temples"was formed in Linghu Town.An intermediate-level market town pattern characterized by the linkage of"bridges-corridor markets-temples"emerged in Digang Town.There is also an initial settlement form with scattered dwellings on high piers and dispersed ancestral temples in Shezhong Village,which shows the grassroots developmental features stemming from natural selection and social self-organization.
The dike-pond landscape system in the Linghu area is the product of long-term interaction between natural geographical conditions and human social activities.Its spatial pattern of"piers and bridges as the skeleton,markets and temples as the heart"embodies the highly adaptive settlement wisdom formed through hydraulic adaptation,agricultural recycling,and market-belief integration in the low-lying wetland environment during the traditional period.This system established an efficient land-water interaction mechanism and resource recycling system in history,and shaped settlement forms and social networks with distinctive regional characteristics.The protection and development of the Linghu dike-pond system should follow three main pathways:industrialization of heritage value,circularization of ecological value,and synergistic spatial governance,aiming to achieve the living conservation of agricultural cultural heritage and the sustainable development of the rural human-land system.This study deepens the holistic understanding of the traditional dike-pond system in the Taihu Basin.Further,it provides a theoretical framework and spatial paradigm for the construction of ecological agriculture,cultural heritage protection,and rural revitalization practices in similar regions.
Keywords：traditional landscape systemhuman habitatdike-pond poldermulberry fish pondLinghu area of Huzhou
Publication Date：2025-11-30
Online Publishing Date：2025-12-09(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：11( 26-36 )