Consideration on the urban spatial morphology and operation of Taiyuan, China from the religious building perspective

Abstract

Understanding the physical characteristics and cultural connotations of the historical city is essential for the preservation of their hereditary and cultural values. This work aims to gain a more in-depth understanding of the historical city by identifying the relationship between religious buildings and the urban spatial morphology and the urban operation.Taiyuan, a northern city in China, is a suitable case for exploring this research idea. Cities with frequent foreign exchanges and distinct living groups tend to have more prosperous religious cultures than those in the central areas. The expansion of Taiyuan in the Ming Dynasty and the presence of Prince Jin, who respected Buddhism and Taoism, exacerbated the impact of the religious building on urban development. With regard to the evolution of Taiyuan in the Ming Dynasty, we highlight the changes in urban space brought by the religious buildings through the content analysis of the historical documents. Furthermore, the social functions of religious buildings are revealed, fleshing out the trajectory of the mutual development of religious buildings and Taiyuan in the Ming Dynasty.On this basis, the research findings are linked to the current needs of historical city preservation through the survey of reality. We suggest to coordinate the protection of religious architectural heritage and urban characteristics brought by religious factors and emphasize the utilization of religious architectural heritage as a potential culture and economic regeneration pathway.