Jiangnan Region Research Articles

Landscape design and planning using integrating parameter technology and spatial characteristics

With the continuous progress of society, traditional concepts of landscape design are undergoing changes. This research proposes a landscape design and planning approach that integrates parameter technology and spatial characteristics. The introduction of parameter technology makes the design process more flexible and efficient, while the in-depth exploration of spatial features adds depth and individuality to the design. In the optimization of private gardens in the Jiangnan region, the use of landscape design resulted in a 1.72 times increase in construction efficiency. The combination of spatial features increased space utilization to 78.28%, with scores exceeding 9 points in aspects such as layout rationality and aesthetics. Furthermore, the design significantly supported the enhancement of ecological systems and economic benefits, with positive trends observed in vegetation coverage, water resource management, and overall environmental cleanliness, leading to a 20.68% increase in environmental benefits. Economically, the landscaped areas planned after the design not only experienced continuous revenue growth but also achieved a net profit of 1.6209 million RMB within 12 months. This research not only expands the methods and tools of landscape design but also provides strong support for planning practices. It demonstrates reference value in the comprehensive improvement of ecological and economic benefits.

Cross‐administrative solutions for sustainable development: The case of the Watertown Hub

AbstractWater‐abundant regions face challenges due to urbanization and development, which pose threats to local water networks and the environment. Fragmented water network management and administrative boundaries hinder cross‐administrative collaboration and ecological conservation. This study presents a framework centered around the “Watertown Hub” concept, which focuses on integrated ecological and green development, fostering multifunctional, shared spaces for coordinated management in the Watertown region of the Yangtze River Delta, China. By leveraging landscape infrastructure and ecological sensitivity assessment, shared spaces are established beyond administrative boundaries, promoting cross‐administrative coordination, management, and resource integration. The approach effectively balances the protection of basin ecology and economic development, mitigates water system fragmentation, and addresses environmental concerns. It enhances regional communication, connectivity, and sustainability. Although the focus is on China's Jiangnan region, this research provides insights applicable to other water‐rich areas in South Asia and beyond, fostering cross‐administrative ecological coordination and sustainable development amidst urbanization pressures.

Increased Risk of Influenza Infection During Cold Spells in China: National Time Series Study.

Studies have reported the adverse effects of cold events on influenza. However, the role of critical factors, such as characteristics of cold spells, and regional variations remain unresolved. We aimed to systematically evaluate the association between cold spells and influenza incidence in mainland China. This time series analysis used surveillance data of daily influenza from 325 sites in China in the 2014-2019 period. A total of 15 definitions of cold spells were adopted based on combinations of temperature thresholds and days of duration. A distributed lag linear model was used to estimate the short-term effects of cold spells on influenza incidence during the cool seasons (November to March), and we further explored the potential impact of cold spell characteristics (ie, intensity, duration, and timing during the season) on the estimated associations. Meta-regressions were used to evaluate the modification effect of city-level socioeconomic indicators. The overall effect of cold spells on influenza incidence increased with the temperature threshold used to define cold spells, whereas the added effects were generally small and not statistically significant. The relative risk of influenza-associated with cold spells was 3.35 (95% CI 2.89-3.88), and the estimated effects were stronger during the middle period of cool seasons. The health effects of cold spells varied geographically and residents in Jiangnan region were vulnerable groups (relative risk 7.36, 95% CI 5.44-9.95). The overall effects of cold spells were positively correlated with the urban population density, population size, gross domestic product per capita, and urbanization rate, indicating a sterner response to cold spells in metropolises. Cold spells create a substantial health burden on seasonal influenza in China. Findings on regional and socioeconomic differences in the health effects of cold spells on seasonal influenza may be useful in formulating region-specific public health policies to address the hazardous effects of cold spells.

Investigating the spatial distribution mechanisms of traditional villages from the human geography region: A case study of Jiangnan, China

Investigating the spatial distribution and adaptation mechanisms of traditional villages is crucial for their development and human well-being. However, relatively few studies have focused on the interaction and comprehensive influence of historical-cultural, natural-geographic and socio-economic factors on traditional villages in Jiangnan region. Employing geographically weighted regression (GWR) and Geodetector methods, we developed an integrated framework. We found that (1) Traditional villages exhibit a “one-core, multiple-periphery” clustering pattern (nearest neighbor index <1), with significant high-high and low-low local spatial clustering characteristics and preferring gentle and relatively Complex terrains to adapt to the need to avoid warfare. (2) Urbanization negatively affects traditional village density patterns, while natural-geographic complexity has a positive impact. Their interaction nonlinearly amplifies this effect, with the urbanization-GDP interplay being particularly significant (q = 0.765). (3) Factors exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity in their impact on traditional village density, with the explanatory power increasing by 20% (GWR/R2 = 0.65). The urbanization rate and slope are the most critical socio-economic and natural-geographic factors, respectively (local regression coefficient: 23.31 and 11.58). Our study transcends administrative boundaries, revealing how historical-cultural, natural-geographical, and socio-economic factors collectively influence the distribution of traditional villages. This not only provides a new theoretical foundation for the conservation and development of traditional villages but also provides a new methodology basis for research on traditional villages.

The Spatial Relationship between Cities and Mountains in Jiangnan Region in the Qing Dynasty Based on Historical Texts

The Jiangnan region of China boasts a superior natural environment, and the combination of cities and mountains that form its historical landscape give it unique attributes. Local chronicles serve as an abundant source of information for visualizing this historic environment. This study aims to achieve two objectives: (1) to use digital humanities methods to process textual information in local chronicles, and (2) to visualize the historical relationships formed by the mountains and cities. In this study, we chose Suzhou, Zhenjiang, Jiaxing, Huzhou, and Songjiang in the Jiangnan region during the Qing Dynasty as our research sites. Through textual analysis and data visualization, we classified and reconstructed the historical spatial patterns of cities and mountains. As a result, our study provides a reproduction of the past spatial relationship between cities and mountains in the Jiangnan region during the Qing Dynasty. The research findings indicate that natural mountains play multiple roles in shaping the historical urban environment, particularly in terms of cultural images, notably the symbolic function they hold. The preservation of the urban natural environment, as seen through the vantage point of the historical landscape, is a critical component in contemporary urban development. The digital humanities methodologies utilized within this article can be extended to other cultural heritage research, based on pre-existing local historical literature.

New Life in the Countryside: Conservation and Sustainability of Vernacular Architectural Facade Characteristics in the Jiangnan Region, China

The facade form of vernacular architecture is an outward manifestation of the building structure, which can easily give people an intuitive impression of the building. Most of the existing studies focus on analyzing the construction process and building materials of vernacular architecture in detail, but there are few studies on the characteristic elements in the form of architectural facades. The main objective of this study is to propose a new methodology for objectively analyzing the morphological characteristics of architectural facades with complex networks to support the sustainable development of vernacular architecture. The results of the study show that the vernacular architectural facades in the Jiangnan region are characterized by the richness of details and distinctive layers and that the formal elements that can show the regional characteristics are preserved in the process of the sustainable development of vernacular architecture. The most crucial part of this is the roof shape, followed by the simplification of the detailing and how the vertical form elements are laid out horizontally. The article addresses the protection and continuity of vernacular architectural facade characteristics and proposes a strategic plan to strengthen the vernacular architectural facade characteristics in the Jiangnan region, aiming to protect the traditional characteristics and continue the traditional culture.

The Dilemma and Direction of Breakthroughs of Current Legislation on Conservation of Classical Chinese Gardens in Jiangnan Region

The Dilemma and Direction of Breakthroughs of Current Legislation on Conservation of Classical Chinese Gardens in Jiangnan Region

Multidimensional Evaluation of Traditional Villages in Jiangnan Region, China: Spatial Pattern, Accessibility and Driving Factors

Assessment of the spatial distribution and accessibility of traditional villages is closely related to their development. However, the impacts of spatial heterogeneity on the accessibility of traditional villages remain largely unknown. A total of 644 national-level traditional villages in the Jiangnan region were used to explore the spatial heterogeneity impact with a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model. We found: (1) spatially, the villages exhibit a predominant aggregation distribution pattern with significant local spatial disparities (R &lt; 1, p &lt; 0.01), predominantly originating from the Song and Ming dynasties (59.21%). Their clustering shifts from northeast to southwest, with over 70% of the villages located on slopes ranging from 0° to 20° and within 1 km of water. (2) The accessibility of these villages is generally low, with 85.66% being accessible within 200 ~ 300 min; it decreases concentrically outwards from Changzhou and exhibits clustering autocorrelation characteristics (Moran’s I &gt; 0, Z &gt; 2.58). (3) Road network density, elevation, and slope are significantly correlated with accessibility (p &lt; 0.05), demonstrating pronounced spatial heterogeneity in their effects, with these factors collectively explaining approximately 85% of the accessibility levels. These findings provide a basis for comprehensive planning and categorized strategies for traditional villages.

Transcribing the Sacred in the Printing Era: A Study of Handwritten Buddhist Canon during the Northern Song Dynasty

In an era marked by the advent of advanced printing technology during the Northern Song period, the tradition of transcribing the Buddhist canon endured rather than promptly fading away. This persistence is particularly noteworthy in the 10th to early 12th centuries when handwritten copies of the canon coexisted with the emerging prevalence of block-printed versions. Notably, the monasteries in the Jiangnan 江南 region remained prolific producers of handwritten copies. This article adopts a socio-political perspective to elucidate the coexistence of handwritten and block-printed copies. It delves into the dynamics of canon replication within a specific temporal and geographical context, unveiling a broader tableau of handwritten copies in the printing era. This exploration necessitates an examination of the intricate interplay between the state, the canon, and Jiangnan society. This study contends that the state’s printing policies before the Xining 熙寧 period (1068–1077), which rigorously regulated the production and dissemination of canonical texts, constituted a pivotal factor in sustaining the tradition of handwritten copies. Furthermore, it identifies a sustained societal demand for possessing the canon for constructing the zhuanlun zang 轉輪藏 (revolving wheel storage cabinet), which was most pronounced in the Jiangnan region. This persistent societal need fortified the enthusiasm for transcribing the canon within Jiangnan monastic communities.

The Influence of Wartime Turmoil on Buddhist Monasteries and Monks in the Jiangnan Region during the Yuan-Ming Transition

This study explores the transformation of Buddhist culture in the Jiangnan region (present-day southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang), driven by wartime disruptions during the transition from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming. The Yuan Dynasty witnessed the flourishing of Buddhism, and in Jiangnan, the thriving Zen tradition carried on the legacy of the Southern Song Dynasty. Buddhism found many adherents among the affluent gentry class in Jiangnan, fostering a culture of generous charity that sustained and expanded Buddhism in the region. However, the conflicts toward the end of the Yuan Dynasty inflicted considerable damage on the temples, causing monks to flee. Temples, recognizable landmarks during conflicts, were susceptible to military occupation. Visiting Goryeo monks Muhak Jacho and Naong Hyegeun, and Japanese monks Mumon Gensen and Ginan, were forced to abandon their travels and return to their respective homelands, disrupting the once-thriving Buddhist exchange between Jiangnan and broader East Asia. The chaotic environment also fostered alliances between influential monks and regional powers, providing refuge for monks and an opportunity for both sides to forge beneficial connections. Anti-Yuan factions strategically protected revered monks, leveraging their influence to attract literati and intellectuals, who shared common ethical and spiritual values. This dynamic showcased the mutual benefits derived from such collaboration. Through an exploration of the interplay between politics, social forces, and Buddhism, this paper examines the impact of wartime turmoil on the development of Buddhism in the Jiangnan region.

East Asian Buddhism and Korea’s Transnational Interactions and Influences

No one can dispute the significant influence of Sinitic Buddhism in East Asia, but Korean Buddhists were also unquestionably close to the center of the development of different schools of Buddhism in mainland China, particularly in the Jiangnan region, which had historically drawn monks from the peninsula. This article will briefly cover the historical transnational Buddhist interactions between Korea and China, with an emphasis on doctrinal Buddhism, the significance of Ŭisang and Ǔich’ǒn, and the influence of Hangzhou’s Buddhist intellectual advancements. Even though the article’s main focus is on doctrinal contacts, we will also briefly discuss Chan Buddhism in China and how it influenced the texts and techniques of the Korean Sŏn (Zen) monk Chinul (1158–1210), who made an effort to integrate the doctrinal and meditational traditions, as did Ǔich’ǒn. This process of idea-cross-fertilization led to the Tripitaka Koreana, the largest collection of Buddhist texts in East Asia, created by Buddhists during the Koryŏ dynasty (918–1392), which is discussed below. This will aid in our understanding of these transnational exchanges and highlight the fact that Koreans were not only absorbing new ideas as they emerged in China, but they were also influencing them.

Study on the Characteristics of Vacuum-Bagged Fermentation of Apo Pickle and Visualization Array Analysis of the Fermentation Process.

Apo pickle is a fermented food with a long edible history in the Jiangnan region of China. Traditionally, plastic bottles are used as Apo pickle's fermentation containers, and artificial bottling costs are high. The goal of this study is to compare the fermentation effects of Apo pickle fermented under low pressure in a vacuum bag (VBA) and Apo pickle fermented under normal pressure in plastic bottles (TBA) to determine the feasibility of fermenting Apo pickle in a vacuum bag rather than a plastic bottle, thereby lowering production costs. At the same time, a gas-sensitive colorimetric sensor array (CSA) was developed to distinguish different fermentation stages of Apo pickle. The results revealed that the main genera in the initial and final phases of Apo pickle fermentation were Weissella and Lactobacillus, unaffected by fermentation containers. At the same fermentation time, the abundance of Lactobacillus and the content of flavor substances in VBA were higher, and the fermentation speed of VBA was faster at 0-15 d, so a vacuum bag could be used instead of a plastic bottle. The CSA could discriminate between different fermentation procedures of Apo pickles with an accuracy rate of 93.8%. Its principle is similar to that of an electronic nose. It has the advantages of convenience, rapidity, and no need for professional equipment, so it can be used as a new method to judge the fermentation degree of apo pickle.

Resilience of Living Streets in Small and Medium-Sized Towns: A Grounded Theory Study of Yixing, China

In the context of the global fine-grained urban renewal initiative, living streets closely related to people’s lives have become a hot topic. This study provides a comprehensive framework for addressing prominent issues such as the limited adaptability and inability to accommodate development in living streets. It explores the value and design innovation points of incorporating resilience concepts in the renewal of living streets. Taking the living streets in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, as an example, the grounded theory approach was employed to conduct in-depth interviews and three-level coding of the data to systematically elucidate the influencing factors and implementation paths of resilience in living streets. The study reveals that the resilient development of living streets is influenced and constrained by six factors: positive values, demand factors, spatial environment, contextual factors, operation and management, and resilience characteristics. Each of these six main dimensions encompasses multiple subcategories and the factors influencing living streets’ resilience through different mechanisms. Building upon the guidance-demand-design-context-operation pathway model for enhancing the resilience of living streets in small and medium-sized towns in the Jiangnan region, the study proposes new perspectives such as correct orientation, adaptability to change, and a balance between rigidity and flexibility tailored explicitly to the enhancement of resilience in living streets. These novel perspectives contribute to the theoretical research achievements on the resilience development of living streets in small and medium-sized towns in the Jiangnan region of China to a certain extent. Furthermore, these findings hold significant implications for attaining SDG11, which emphasizes sustainable urban development.

Exploring the Effect of Tour Guide Cultural Interpretation on Tourists’ Loyalty in the Context of the Southern Journey by Emperor Qianlong

The southern journey by Emperor Qianlong left behind a wealth of cultural resources in the Jiangnan region. While elucidating the intricate facets of these diverse cultures, the tour guide adeptly fulfills the elevated cultural expectations of the tourists. This, in turn, fosters a deeper sense of attachment and loyalty towards the destination among the tourists. This study investigates the influencing mechanism of tour guide cultural interpretation (TCI) on tourists’ loyalty in the context of the southern tour by Emperor Qianlong. The research was conducted with 416 tourists from tour groups visiting Huishan Ancient Town Scenic Area. The results show that TCI has a direct effect on revisit intention (RI) and has an indirect effect on intention to recommend (IR); both memorable tourism experience (MTE) and place attachment (PA) mediate and serially mediate the association between TCI and tourists’ loyalty. The findings enrich the research on the relationship between tour guides’ interpretation and tourists’ loyalty by including MTE and PA as mediating variables.

Cultural ecology and changes in 19th–20th century Jiangnan field landscapes

This article analyzes the cultural power of changes in the Jiangnan region’s landscape since the nineteenth century. Historically, there were two main perspectives of evaluating landscapes. One historical perspective was the view of most traditional Chinese scholars and a few Western scholars who valued traditional culture and agriculture and believed in the value of classical landscape and traditional farming techniques. The other perspective was the Western understanding of modernization, which has been dominated by Ferdinand von Richthofen’s ideas of scientific land use and the Soviet model of unifying farm management. The grid planning in the era of collectivization and urbanization in more recent years reflects an oversimplified imitation of the West. This is one reason for the increasing chaos of farming landscapes. The future of rural landscape construction lies in combining traditional pastoral scenery and modern agricultural technology.

Her Feet Hurt: Female Body and Pain in Chen Duansheng's Zaisheng yuan (Destiny of Rebirth)

This paper investigates the female writer Chen Duansheng's tanci fiction Zaisheng yuan, a story centered on a cross-dressed female protagonist. Evoking storytelling and stage performance, tanci fiction is a lengthy, rhymed narrative genre favored by female writers in the early modern Jiangnan region. This paper approaches Zaisheng yuan from the perspectives of gender and the senses to examine its representations of the female foot and pain. Zaisheng yuan repeatedly associates pain with the female practice of footbinding and spotlights the bound foot to address the female characters' distress and identity crisis. While the haptic-oriented descriptions of female feet speak to the gender stereotypes, through depicting both passive and active revealing of female feet, Zaisheng yuan demonstrates the emerging possibilities of female agency. In contrast to the male literary tradition, which treats the female body as a static spectacle, Zaisheng yuan endeavors to portray bound feet as an ongoing experience that causes pain from daily movements and calls for sympathetic audiences and mutual support from the female community. However, there are also times when the experience of pain, physical and especially psychological, cannot be shared, not only between genders but also between mothers and daughters, and this may indeed create obstacles to female companionship. To sum up, pain caused by bound feet provides a framework to shape the way women experienced the world, identified themselves, and interpreted the possibilities and limitations of their ways of living in early modern Chinese society.

The Relationship between Literati Livelihoods and the Development of Novels and Operas in the Canal Region during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Abstract Along the Grand Canal and in adjacent areas, where the pursuit of livelihoods among literati was most concentrated and visible, were important centers for the creation and dissemination of Ming and Qing dynasty novels and operas. To a large extent, the pursuit of livelihoods among literati brought about the birth of a large number of literary works, particularly Ming dynasty and Qing dynasty novels and operas. On the one hand, literati earned a wage through their livelihoods, improved their living environments, and laid a certain economic backdrop for later Ming and Qing novels and operas; on the other hand, through reader acceptance and market feedback, the literati put forward requirements for literary creation that closely aligned with readers and the market, and to a certain degree brought about changes in the subject matter and artistry of novels and operas. It can be said that the fertile Jiangnan region and the Grand Canal gave birth to literary and artistic giants and works that have been passed down through the centuries. The present article is an analysis of the relationship between literati livelihoods and the development of Ming and Qing novels and operas in the Grand Canal region.

Yangzhou Revisited: Spatial Imaginaries and Women's Literature during the Qing

Yangzhou was known for its “women” but not for women's literature. Underlying literary imaginations about the beautiful women of Yangzhou were salt wealth and a commerce of women serving the wealthy during the late imperial period. The notoriety of this commerce seemed to exclude the possibility that Yangzhou might also boast accomplished women writers, like the cultural heartland of the Jiangnan region. This study revisits these assumptions in light of the literary sources and prominent cases that testify to the vibrancy of women's literary activities in Yangzhou. The city was a transregional literary center and a favored destination of sojourning poets and merchants, particularly those from Huizhou, creating opportunities for women to attain literary fame. Central to this discussion is a poetic language about sites and spaces that became current in Yangzhou during the Qing era. For a woman poet to place herself at the sites of Yangzhou that were repeatedly celebrated by poets was to claim membership in the elite networks or trends of cultural emulation formed on the basis of the sites. Viewed in transregional contexts, sites and spaces comprised the spatial imaginaries in women's literature—defined broadly as the spatial ordering of the world, and Yangzhou's place in it, as imagined and written about by women.

International sea routes of the South Chŏlla Province during the Unified Silla period

This study analyzes the international routes that Silla established and operated in the area that corresponds to current-day South Chŏlla Province, and it reveals that this region, which is commonly regarded as a peripherical area in Silla history, played an important role in the history of sea exchanges. Silla first entered South Chŏlla Province in the late 7th century, during the war for the unification of the Three Kingdoms, and it opened and utilized three types of international routes: the T’amna Coastal Route, the Tang-Japan Linked Route, and the Tang Yellow Sea Slant Route. Firstly, the T’amna Coastal Route, which connects the Kangjin region to the northern region of Cheju Island, was established in the early days of the Middle Silla period, and the two countries used this route to conduct official exchanges. Then, in the first half of the 9th century, Chang Pogo established and operated a new Tang-Japan Linked Route in the Wando region. Although this route was only operated for a short period of about twenty years, it was utilized more densely than any other international route in Silla, contributing greatly to the human and material exchanges in Northeast Asia in the first half of the 9th century. Lastly, in the late 9th and early 10th centuries, a new route that crossed the Yellow Sea and reached the Jiangnan region in China, called the Yellow Sea Slant Route, was actively operated around the Hoejin region.

The regionality of vernacular residences on the TianJing scale in China’s traditional JiangNan region

ABSTRACT Based on historical documents and field investigations, this article analyzes the origin and development of the concept and form of the Chinese courtyard “TianJing” in vernacular residences to address common misunderstandings in previous studies. Focused on the scale standard in YingZaoFaYuan traditional building technology in the JiangNan region, TianJing is closely related to the main hall in dwellings reflecting the construction customs in different regions. Through the statistical analysis of the measured dimension data, this study shows the scale characteristics, demonstrating the cultural correlations of vernacular residences in different regions based on similarities. It explores the causes, rules and effects of and changes in traditional construction wisdom reflected by the historical geographic comparative background.