Study on Function Transformation and Spatial Reconstructuring of Small Towns in China’s South of the Yangtze River From 1840 to 1949: Case on Changzhou

Abstract

Taking Changzhou as a case, this paper studies on the functional transformation and spatial reconstructuring of small towns in the south of the Yangtze River in China from 1840 to 1949. Then, the article analyzes its adaptability and mechanism. During this period, there were three significant transformations of urban functions in Changzhou. The political status of Changzhou declined from the Changzhou Prefecture of the Qing Dynasty to the county of the Republic of China; the transportation function reduced from the regional transportation hub city to the local transportation hub city; and the economic function was transformed from the traditional agricultural city to the light industrial city. Functional transformations have driven the spatial reconstructuring. Urban construction has transformed from urban internal transformation to a composite expansion mode, a ring-layer and axial-type composite model. Finally, a lute-shaped urban form was formed, and the internal facilities of the city were more modern.Although there are some regrets, Changzhou's urban spatial reconstructuring has changed the original material framework of the city. This adapted and promoted the transformation of urban functions during this period. In terms of mechanism, first, this is a passive transformation model. Changzhou mainly promotes urban functions through local private forces and relies on the role of the market. Second, industrialization is the fundamental driving force.In the political and economic context of this period, these changes in function and space manifested self-organizing and progressive characteristics.