Research on the Development of Traditional Villages in Southern Shaanxi from the Per- Spective of Ecological Civilization

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Research on the Development of Traditional Villages in Southern Shaanxi from the Per- spective of Ecological Civilization

Weiyi WEI Faculty of History and Archaeology of Anyang Normal Uni- versity

Abstract: Building an ecological civilization is a great plan that concerns the well-being of the people and the future of the nation, and is an important part of the Chinese dream to realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. For the construction of ecological civilization, it is a top-down protection movement for the environment we live in. The development of rural ecological civilization is incorporated into the protection concept of traditional villages. It is a reflection on the traditional concept of protection of traditional villages, and it is also a reflection of traditional villages. An exploration and attempt of sustainable development concepts and roads. Keywords：Ecological Civilization; Traditional villages; Protection DOI: 10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252717.20200403

1. Origin of Research rom December 2012 to December 2020, the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry F of Culture and other four departments jointly announced 6799 national-level traditional villages in four batches, of which 113 were listed in Shaanxi, accounting for about 1.66% of the total number; The density is 0.55 per thousand square kilometers, slightly lower than the national average of 0.43%. Traditionally, Shaanxi is divided into three regions: Shaanxi Province can be divided into 3 regions: Southern Shaanxi (Shangluo, Ankang, Hanzhong), Guanzhong region (Baoji, Xianyang, Tongchuan, Xi’an，Weinan City), Northern Shaanxi region ( Yan’an and Yulin City). The number of traditional villages in these three areas also shows a different trend (Table1).

About the author: Weiyi WEI (1992-3), Han nationality, Weinan, Shaanxi, Faculty of History and Archaeology, lecturer, Doctor degree, Research Direction: cultural heritage management.

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Table 1 Regional distribution quantity and density of traditional villages in Shaanxi Province

Number of tra- The propor- Area/square Geographical Area ditional villages tion/% kilometer density Northern 109 33.75 80578 1.3 Shaanxi Guanzhong 103 31.89 55315.21 1.8 Southern 110 34.06 69926 1.6 Shaanxi

The distribution of traditional villages in Shaanxi Province tends to be in a balanced state. There are 110 first places in southern Shaanxi, accounting for 34.06% of the province, 109 in northern Shaanxi, and 103 second in Guanzhong. Although the number of Guanzhong areas is slightly less than that of the other two districts, the total area is not large and the regional density It is 1.8 per thousand square kilometers, the highest in the province. Northern Shaanxi ranks at the bottom of the province because of its wide area and sparse population, with a regional density of 1.3/10,000 square kilometers. Southern Shaanxi is regarded as a water conservation area and an important ecological function area for the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in my country. The regional ecological environment is of great significance to the sustainable development of my country’s overall environment. Southern Shaanxi is located at the border between north and south of my country and belongs to the transition zone between north and south cultures. The border between Shaanxi, Si- chuan, Hubei and Gansu has a strong cultural transition and geographical characteristics. The superior location in southern Shaanxi also promoted the development of commercial trade during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Especially in the middle of Qing Dynasty, the trade in southern Shaanxi was flourishing, and merchants from all over the country carried out trade activities here. The well-preserved traditional villages left here during the historical period provide the basis for our research.

2. The Effect of Ecological Civilization Construction on Tradi- tional Villages On November 18, 2017, General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China: “Accelerate the reform of the ecological civilization system and build a beautiful China. We need both green mountains and green mountains, but also Jinshan and Yinshan. We prefer green

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Creativity and Innovation Vol.4 No.3 2020 water. Qingshan, do not need Jinshan Yinshan, and the green water and Qingshan is Jinshan Yinshan”[1]. The construction of ecological civilization is a top-down protection movement for the environment we live in. The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China has made important instructions for the construction of ecological civilization at all important meetings since the 21st century[2]. Ecologi- cal civilization is an important achievement of the progress of human society and an inevitable requirement for the harmonious development of man and nature. Ac- cording to the relationship between the development of things, human civilization can be divided into three stages: primitive civilization, industrial civilization and ecological civilization. The relationship between man and nature is the most basic relationship in human society, and nature is the prerequisite for human existence and development[3]. Humans can purposely use nature and transform nature through social practice. But in this process, we should properly handle the relationship between man and nature, and actively build and protect a good natural ecological environment, so as to achieve the sustainable development of society, economy, and even humanity. Five thousand years of Chinese civilization has accumulated rich ecological wisdom. The ancient sages have summed up many famous sayings about the harmonious relationship between man and nature. For traditional villages, ecological civilization includes the philosophical thinking of “integration of man and nature” and “law of nature”, which is the ethical form of the village’s virtuous circle and harmony with nature. Introducing the development of rural ecological civilization into the protection concept of traditional villages is a reflection on the traditional concept of protection of traditional villages, as well as an exploration and attempt of the concept and path of sustainable development of traditional villages[4]. Geography is an academic term in the subject of human geography. The pur- pose of his research is to explain the geographical distribution characteristics of various human activities and the laws of the spatial structure to which they belong. Taking the geographical position as a link, the study of interpersonal relationships produced by living together and activities within a certain geographical range is like the relationship of the township, the relationship of the neighborhood, the concept of the folks and the concept of the native land. The so-called geo-culture is to emphasize the political, economic and cultural differences between regions due to the relationship between local geography and environment. The research object of this article is traditional villages, so the geo-culture here mainly refers to the cultural types that can reflect a certain area, such as dialects, eating habits, settlement patterns, and residential structure. In southern Shaanxi region, because of the large

102 Research on the Development o f Traditional Villages in Southern Shaanxi from the Perspective of Ecological Civilization number of people and the fact that many people have migrated from other provinc- es, the villages are multi-ethnic, and traditional villages are affected by strong blood and geography. Compared with the plain area, most mountainous areas in southern Shaanxi retain relatively strong cohesion and cultural identity. This is the manifestation of geoculture. We can use the power of geography in the process of protection to promote the protection and development of traditional villages.

3. The Significance of Rural Ecological Civilization Construction in the Protection of Traditional Villages in Southern Shaanxi

(1) The construction of rural ecological civilization is conducive to continu- ing the style of traditional villages. Traditional villages are not only places for people to produce and live, but also spaces with historical characteristics and regional characteristics[5]. They are the spiritual homes of the residents of traditional villages. As the primary condition for human settlement since ancient times, the environment directly led to the settlement, which was the key factor for settlement development and continuation, and then evolved into the architectural style and residential culture of a region, such as the cave-style architecture and Guanzhong in northern Shaanxi. Siheyuan in the area and local stone houses in southern Shaanxi. Therefore, the layout of the traditional village and the residential buildings in the village are the strong proof of the true reflection of the local natural environment. Moreover, the relationship between man and nature derived from this natural environment has become what we call the local human relationship through historical precipitation and fusion, and naturally formed the traditional style and life atmosphere of the village itself. The process of mankind’s continuous transformation of nature and integration of nature is the process of combining nature and humanities, and finally formed a cultural texture and architectural style with regional characteristics. The protection and development of traditional villages must be premised on the existence of a local sustainable and stable ecological environment. Traditional villages that are separated from their own ecological environment are undoubtedly empty shells. The construction of ecological civilization in the construction of traditional villages provides a safe ex- ternal development environment for them, so that the traditional villages can gain the momentum of continued development and the historical, cultural, artistic, sci- entific and other values it possesses can be continued. In order to better protect the traditional style of traditional villages.

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(2) The construction of rural ecological civilization is an important way to enhance the living environment of traditional villages. The farmland, mountains, rivers, and space within the village that the traditional village belongs to form a stable, circular ecosystem. In this ecosystem, the interaction and influence of various elements in the development of traditional villages form an in- separable relationship with each other. The protection of traditional villages is not the so-called “split” protection, nor is it a simple way to protect the village building itself and “expand road repair houses”. The traditional village is a product of the combined action of nature and humanities, and its protection and planning must follow the ideas and methods of ecological balance and sustainable development[6]. In addition, the expenses for major repairs and constructions have also increased the financial burden of the eco- nomically underdeveloped areas in southern Shaanxi. The most distinctive characteristics of traditional villages in southern Shaanxi are its excellent ecological environment, such as rivers, mountains, vegetation and traditional village buildings. It is a precious resource of traditional villages in southern Shaanxi. While protecting it, it pays attention to the protection and rational use of the village’s ecological environment, and realizes the harmonious coexistence of natural and humanistic environments. It is not only a residential environment for indigenous residents in traditional villages. This kind of promotion is also a strong attraction for outside visitors, which is the advantage of traditional villages in southern Shaanxi that are different from other places. (3) Creating a geo-culture in a traditional village is conducive to awakening the cultural memory of indigenous residents. History is the product of the development of human society, and culture is the precipitation of human historical activities. Traditional villages combine a rich history and a strong culture to form the geoculture we discuss today. Nowadays, with the advancement of social civilization, unlike the local influx of foreign cultures into the mountains, on the one hand, the living standards and quality of the villagers have been improved, on the other hand, the villagers’ life concepts and methods have also changed, to a certain extent. The development model of traditional villages. It is easy for villagers to confuse the development model of building houses and buildings in the city with what he thinks is modern and advanced. Most villagers believe that traditional village houses should be like cities, and demolishing and rebuilding are the necessary means for their modern development. However, for traditional villages rooted in rural areas, the development model and protection methods are destined to be different from cities. The natural environment features, architectural patterns, residential forms, and folk culture embodied in traditional villages are the manifestation of geo-culture in the spatial scope, and are extremely regional[7]. Geoculture is pre- cisely the characteristic of traditional villages and the core value it reflects. The

104 Research on the Development o f Traditional Villages in Southern Shaanxi from the Perspective of Ecological Civilization houses, streets, ancestral temples, ponds, and bridges in the village are rich in traditional village culture, beautiful meaning, or spiritual sustenance. The construction of the geographical culture of traditional villages is a kind of thinking for those who make protection plans. The reference to the protection model of urban development and historical blocks is not a good medicine for the protection of traditional villages. Recognizing the value of the village, awakening the cultural memory of the village residents, inspiring their sense of identity and pride in the geoculture, and thus en- hancing their sense of responsibility to protect traditional villages.

4. Conclusion Southern Shaanxi is a water conservation area and an important ecological function area for the mid-line project of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project in my country. The ecological environment in the area is of great significance to the overall sustainable development of my country’s environment. As the transition zone between the north-south and north-south cultures in our country, the southern Shaan- xi region has a strong cultural transition and geographical characteristics. However, the constraints of the low economic level of towns, the lack of funds and the poor location of transportation have led to great challenges in the protection of traditional villages. Based on the author’s extensive research, the protection of traditional villages in southern Shaanxi is based on the concept of developing rural ecological civilization and creating a sense of geocultural identity, thereby promoting the sponta- neous bottom-up protection movement of traditional villages.

Works Cited [1] Xi Jinping. Green water and green mountains are Jinshan and Yinshan-on vi gorously promoting the construction of ecological civilization. General Secret ary Xi Jinping’s series of important speech readings. [EB/OL] (2014-07-11) http://theory.people.com.cn/n/2014. [2] Xi Jinping. Adhere to the basic national policy of saving resources and protecting the environment and strive towards a new era of socialist ecological civilization ［EB/OL］. (2013-05-24) http: // gx.people.com. cn/cpc/n/ 2015/ 0327/ c179665－ 24298766. html. [3] Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues in Comprehensively Deepening Reform [EB/OL]. (2013-11-12) http: //dang jian.People.com.cn / n/ 2015/0521/ c117092-27036168.html. [4] Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on accelerating the construction of ecological civilization.

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[5] Zhou Lu. “Study on spatial morphological characteristics and influencing factors of rural settlements in southern Shaanxi”. Changan University, 2018. [6] Shi Peng. “Research on the performance of ecological immigration policy based on the perspective of farmers”. Northwest A&F University, 2013. [7] Liu Benteng. “Research on the protection model of historical and cultural villages and towns”. Nanjing: Southeast University Press, 2015.

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