Spatiotemporal Characteristic of Biantun Toponymical Landscape: Evolution of Biantun Culture in Yunnan,China Fei Zhao School of Earth Science, Yunnan University Jingzhi Cai School of Earth Science, Yunnan University Chen Zhang State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying Mapping and Remote Sensing Guize Luan School of Earth Science, Yunnan University Yao Fu School of Earth Science, Yunnan University Zhiqiang Xie ( [email protected] ) School of Earth Science, Yunnan University Research Article Keywords: Biantun culture, toponymical landscape, spatiotemporal characteristics, integration index Posted Date: April 16th, 2021 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-422855/v1 License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Read Full License 1 Spatiotemporal Characteristic of Biantun toponymical 2 landscape: evolution of Biantun culture in Yunnan, 3 China 4 5 Fei Zhao1, Jingzhi Cai1, Chen Zhang2, Guize Luan1, Yao Fu1, Zhiqiang Xie1 6 1School of Earth Science, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China; 7 2State Key Laboratory of Information Engineering in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing, Wuhan 8 University, Wuhan 430079, China 9 Corresponding author: Zhiqiang Xie (e-mail: [email protected]). 10 Abstract: The unique geographical environment of Yunnan Province in China and large-scale waves of 11 Han migration during the Ming Dynasty contributed to the emergence and development of the Biantun 12 culture. The toponym is the carrier of the Biantun culture: it records the integration process between the 13 Central Plains and native Yunnan cultures. Based on the GIS spatiotemporal analysis of toponyms in 14 Yunnan, this study reproduced the settlement characteristics of Biantun toponyms (BTT) and the spatial 15 development of the Biantun culture in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In addition, we’ve developed 16 toponymical landscape index to represent the degree of spatial integration between the BTT and ethnic 17 minority toponyms in Yunnan and explore the spatial characteristics of the integration of Han immigrants 18 and local ethnic minorities. The results show that the spatial distribution of the BTT is consistent with the 19 site selection of the central plains immigrants station troops to open up wasteland in Yunnan during the 20 Ming and Qing Dynasties, and the centroids of BTT spread to outskirts and intermontane area from central 21 towns. In Dali, Kunming, Qujing regions, etc present the distribution characteristics of the mixed of BTT 22 and ethnic minority toponyms, and a higher degree of Sinicization in the central urban areas. This study 23 used GIS applications for historical and cultural research and established the connection among Biantun 24 culture and spatiotemporal data. Exploring evolution of Biantun cultural development through the 25 spatial characteristics of toponymical landscape can help adjust policies for he development and 26 protection of the Biantun cultural resources. 27 Keywords: Biantun culture; toponymical landscape; spatiotemporal characteristics; integration index 28 Introduction 29 Han immigrants who migrated to frontier areas in China underwent a process of settling in towns 30 and villages, engaged in creative production, worked/lived with local ethnic groups, exchanged 31 cultures, and developed in tandem, resulting in ethnic integration 1. Biantun culture is a typical 32 immigrant culture of cultivation and guarding borders formed by the Han people who migrated and 33 settled in border areas; it merges their original Central Plains culture with those of border regions and 34 national traditional cultures 2. Yunnan is a border province that has been important for ethnic migration 35 and cultural exchange since ancient times. During the Ming Dynasty, military immigrants arrived in 36 Yunnan because of wars. The population structure, ethnic distribution, production relations, political 37 system and cultural orientation of Yunnan society experienced epoch-making changes as Han 38 immigrants settled in various localities and gradually integrated with local ethnic groups. Starting with 39 Yongsheng County, Yunnan Province has become the most representative area for research into 40 Biantun culture. 1 41 The study of Biantun culture started late, most existing studies are limited to reviews and 42 discussions on cultural connotation and historical evolution. The Biantun toponyms (BTT) arose from 43 the development of the Biantun culture. Toponyms not only represent geographical locations, but also 44 represent spatial entities. In different time scales, in addition to their original meanings, there are also 45 local historical, cultural, social, and national meanings. The ‘GIS + toponym’ research model for 46 relearning place names from a new perspective, and in particular, toponyms with spatiotemporal 47 information characteristics, we carry out the study of Yunnan Biantun culture in this model. Many 48 scholars have made rich research results in this field. 3-10. The geographer David Mark expanded the 49 investigation of toponyms from ethnophysiography research on Malay names, mountain names, and 50 other features 11. Studies of minority place names have included the use of GIS’ geometric center 51 analysis and spatial orientation distribution technology to obtain a possible historical distribution of 52 Zhuang toponyms in Guangxi Province 12,13. GIS was used to analyze the spatial patterns of Zhuang, 53 Cantonese, Min Nan, and Hakka toponyms, and to compare historical data between ancient and 54 modern times for the study of historical population and landscape evolution of various ethnic groups 55 14. Wang et al. explored the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of county-level administrative 56 toponyms and cultural landscapes in China’s eastern plains 15. 57 Toponym symbol have inherited the unique local historical culture in the long process of historical 58 development. The distinctive naming method of BTT makes it an obvious landmark of Biantun culture. 59 The study of toponymical landscape can provide a theoretical basis for the research on the spread of 60 Yunnan Biantun culture and the development of social structure and ethnic integration. 61 Materials and Methods 62 BTT data 63 Yunnan is located on the southwestern border of China (Fig. 1). During the early Ming Dynasty, 64 wars in Yunnan were frequent and living conditions were extremely unstable. During the Hongwu 65 years, military immigration of Han ethnic migrants occurred on a large scale. During Yunnan 66 unification and while consolidating the southwest frontier, the institutionalization of land reclamation 67 and crop farming by stationed troops resulted in the mass migration of Han people to Yunnan. Most 68 of the military migrants were concentrated in central towns; Tuntian (where troops are stationed and 69 opened up wasteland) districts were concentrated in the suburbs of important towns. 70 71 Fig.1 Location of Yunnan 72 According to the Ming Dynasty system, Ying was the basic unit of the army, and Tun was an 73 army resettlement system managed by the metropolis 16. Halfway through the Ming Dynasty, 74 conditions in Yunnan began to stabilize. Initially, Han immigrants began settling large-scale 75 settlements on the outskirts of towns, followed by remote areas of flat land. The main Tuntian sites of 76 the middle Ming Dynasty were named based on military units, including Wei, Suo, Qianhu, and Baihu, 77 where the grade hierarchy was Wei > Suo > Qianhu > Baihu. According to an order from Zhu 78 Yuanzhang (the Ming emperor), the armies of Wei and Suo had to be self-sufficient; this required one- 79 seventh of the army to farm and one-third to guard the city. Military yards around the Wei and Suo 80 provided an economic source. Furthermore, the military yards of Yunnan reflected the emergence of 81 toponyms during the middle Ming Dynasty, and were named after senior military chiefs’ surnames 82 and suffixed with lower-level transportation trunk facilities and organization; for example, “post” (Yi), 83 “fort” (Bao), “shop” (Pu), “sentry” (Shao), and others. 84 Beginning half-way through the Ming Dynasty and towards its end, along with the 85 comprehensive development of immigrant agriculture, military yards moved to city outskirts, 86 intermontane basins, and to mid-mountain areas. The original large-scale military yards were not 87 suitable for agricultural development and production under the new terrain, which prompted the 88 original basic organization of the Tuntian to shrink, and small organizational units such as Qi, Wu, and 89 Guan to appear. The toponyms that appeared at this time included the surname of the chief of the Qi, 90 the Guan, and the Wu, and the lower-level organizational units. 91 By the end of the Ming and early Qing dynasties, conditions in Yunnan were more stable; the 92 population continued to increase and the branches of large clans began to spread. At this time, military- 93 based toponyms faded, and some toponyms added the word “village” (Cun) after the words used in 94 the original military units. Owing to a series of insurrections and border conflicts during the Qing 95 Dynasty, a large number of military immigrants moved to Yunnan and settled in rural areas. In addition, 96 they followed the floating official system of the Ming Dynasty and the upsurge in commerce, resulting 97 in a large number of settlements wherein the Han nationality and a minority nationality merged 17. 98 Through the integration of relevant historical materials and documents, thirteen types of place 99 names (Yin, Tun, Wei, Suo, Baihu, Qianhu, Qi, Guan, Wu, Yi, Pu, Bao, and Shao) were selected in 100 this study, with the Ming and Qing dynasties as the research time node. Based on the BTT screening 101 procedure 18-23, 1563 toponyms in Yunnan Province were extracted. 102 The second national toponymic census in China obtained the attribute content of place name 103 origin (placeOrigi) and meaning (placeMeani), historical evolution (placeHisto), geographical entity 104 overview and other attributes through data collation and field investigation. The meanings of toponyms 105 indicate their natural, social, humanistic and economic significance.