Landscape Elements Analysis of Defensive Settlements along Ming Dynasty Great Wall with the Concept of Cultural Landscape

Abstract

The movement of international cultural heritage protection experienced a history from single natural and cultural protection to the integration of nature and culture, at present, the concept of ''cultural landscape" become the hot topic of the cultural heritage research. Based on the cognition to the concept of "cultural landscape", This thesis analyses characteristics and connotation of the settlement-type cultural landscape, and quotes the concept used in the study of the built environment and its significance from Amos Rapoport. As a result, defensive settlements landscape along Ming dynasty Great Wall is divided into three forms: fixed-feature elements, Semi-fixed-feature elements, and the unfixed-feature elements. At the same time, this thesis elaborates the contents and characteristics of each of these three forms. It will make the value of the conservation of defensive settlements clear, and provides the basic research to the conservation for the future defensive settlements along Ming dynasty Great Wall.