CULTURAL LANDSCAPE HERITAGE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A CASE FROM RONGCHENG, CHINA

Authors

  • Chen Yanhui School of Housing, Building and Planning, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
  • Mohamad Reza Mohamed Afla School of Housing, Building and Planning, UNIVERSITI SAINS MALAYSIA
  • Wang Zhenhua School of Rong Cheng, HARBIN UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
  • Peng Xinyi School of Art and Design, CHONGQING VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i40.1959

Keywords:

Cultural landscape, Cultural landscape genes, Cultural heritage, Sustainable Development, Rural revitalisation

Abstract

The protection and development of cultural landscape heritage play a crucial role in the sustainable development of rural areas. Previous studies have predominantly focused on the identification and evaluation of cultural landscapes, with limited attention paid to the relationship between these landscapes and sustainable rural development. Utilizing Rongcheng, China as a case study, this research identifies six genetic themes of the landscape—ecological landscape, spatial layout, traditional houses, spiritual culture, and behavioral culture—through literature review and field observation. This study demonstrates that these cultural landscapes are interconnected and do not exist in isolation. The insights gained from this research aim to support rural policymakers and managers in the sustainable conservation and development of rural cultural landscapes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aplin, G. (2007). World Heritage Cultural Landscapes. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 13(6), 427–446. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527250701570515

Arnaiz-Schmitz, C., Schmitz, M. F., Herrero-Jauregui, C., Gutierrez-Angonese, J., Pineda, F. D., & Montes, C. (2018). Identifying socio-ecological networks in rural-urban gradients: Diagnosis of a changing cultural landscape. Science of the Total Environment, 612, 625–635. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.215

Bidegain, Í., López-Santiago, C. A., González, J. A., Martínez-Sastre, R., Ravera, F., & Cerda, C. (2020). Social valuation of mediterranean cultural landscapes: Exploring landscape preferences and ecosystem services perceptions through a visual approach. Land, 9(10), 1–22. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.3390/land9100390

Bohnet, I. C., & Konold, W. (2015). New approaches to support implementation of nature conservation, landscape management and cultural landscape development: Experiences from Germany’s southwest. Sustainability Science, 10(2), 245–255. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-015-0290-z

Cao, K., Liu, Y., Cao, Y., Wang, J., & Tian, Y. (2024). Construction and characteristic analysis of landscape gene maps of traditional villages along ancient Qin-Shu roads, Western China. Heritage Science, 12(1). Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-024-01155-y

Cattaneo, T., Giorgi, E., & Ni, M. (2018). Landscape, Architecture and Environmental Regeneration: A Research by Design Approach for Inclusive Tourism in a Rural Village in China. Sustainability, 11(1), 128. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010128

Fu, J., & Zhou, J. (2021). Heritage values of ancient vernacular residences in traditional villages in Western Hunan, China: Spatial patterns and influencing factors. Building and Environment, 188, 107473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107473

Harun, N. Z., Jaffar, N., & Mansor, M. (2021). The contributions of public space to the social sustainability of traditional settlements. Planning Malaysia, 19(5), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v19i19.1071

Le, V. A., & Cao, D. S. (2023). Study on Vietnamese Design Methods of Traditional Vernacular Architecture and Discussion on Their Technical Origins. International Journal of Architectural Heritage. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2023.2177211

Li, G., Chen, B., Zhu, J., & Sun, L. (2024). Traditional Village research based on culture-landscape genes: A Case of Tujia traditional villages in Shizhu, Chongqing, China. Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering, 23(1), 325–343. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2023.2278880

Li, J., Stoffelen, A., Meijles, E., & Vanclay, F. (2023). Local people’s sense of place in heavily touristified protected areas: Contested place meanings around the Wulingyuan World Heritage Site, China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 237, 104792. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2023.104792

Lind, L., Hasselquist, E. M., & Laudon, H. (2019). Towards ecologically functional riparian zones: A meta-analysis to develop guidelines for protecting ecosystem functions and biodiversity in agricultural landscapes. Journal of Environmental Management, 249. Scopus. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2019.109391

Liu, J., Zhang, M., Xia, Y., Zheng, H., & Chen, C. (2022). Using agent-based modeling to assess multiple strategy options and trade-offs for the sustainable urbanization of cultural landscapes: A case in Nansha, China. Landscape and Urban Planning, 228, 104555. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2022.104555

Liu, P., Zeng, C., & Liu, R. (2023). Environmental adaptation of traditional Chinese settlement patterns and its landscape gene mapping. Habitat International, 135, 102808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2023.102808

Liu, & Xu, M. (2021). Characteristics and influencing factors on the hollowing of traditional villages—Taking 2645 villages from the Chinese traditional village catalogue (Batch 5) as an example. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85120640237&doi=10.3390%2fijerph182312759&partnerID=40&md5=0cd99c3beced10fefbf239efbb276186

Marc, A. (2005). Aplin. Landscape and Urban Planning, 70(1–2), 21–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2003.10.002

Oikonomopoulou, E., Delegou, E. T., Sayas, J., Vythoulka, A., & Moropoulou, A. (2023). Preservation of Cultural Landscape as a Tool for the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas: The Case of Mani Peninsula in Greece. Land, 12(8), Article 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/land12081579

Philokyprou, M., & Michael, A. (2021). Environmental Sustainability in the Conservation of Vernacular Architecture. The Case of Rural and Urban Traditional Settlements in Cyprus. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 15(11), 1741–1763. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2020.1719235

Pirselimoglu, Z., & Demirel, O. (2012). A study of an ecologically based recreation and tourism planning approach: A case study on Trabzon Calkoy high plateau in Turkey. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology, 19(4), 349–360. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2012.662181

Sahle, M., & Saito, O. (2021). Mapping and characterizing the Jefoure roads that have cultural heritage values in the Gurage socio-ecological production landscape of Ethiopia. Landscape and Urban Planning, 210, 104078. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2021.104078

Šťastná, M., & Vaishar, A. (2020). Values of rural landscape: The case study Chlum u Třeboně (Bohemia). Land Use Policy, 97, 104699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104699

Xinyi, P., Afla, M. R. M., Yanhui, C., & Yue, G. (2025). LANDSCAPE VITALITY ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATED SPACE UNDER OVERPASS: A CASE STUDY OF CHONGQING, CHINA. Planning Malaysia, 23(5), 181–196. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i38.1838

Xu, Q., & Wang, J. (2021). Recognition of Values of Traditional Villages in Southwest China for Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Liufang Village. Sustainability, 13(14), 7569. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147569

Yang, S., Yi, L., Guan, H., & Li, Y. (2023). A meme-based approach for knowledge mining, organization, and presentation of traditional Chinese settlement culture. Heritage Science, 11(1), 206. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-01052-w

Yang, W., Fan, B., Tan, J., Lin, J., & Shao, T. (2022). The Spatial Perception and Spatial Feature of Rural Cultural Landscape in the Context of Rural Tourism. Sustainability (Switzerland). https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85128476317&doi=10.3390%2fsu14074370&partnerID=40&md5=eb2b5a1654433780e4cab92999df3569

Zakariya, K., Tukiman, I., Nizarudin, N. D., & Harun, N. Z. (2025). COMMUNITY, CULTURE AND CONSERVATION: MAPPING THE BIOCULTURAL LANDSCAPE RESOURCES OF SUNGAI TEMBUS, SEBERANG PERAI FOR TOURISM. Planning Malaysia, 23(1), 273–287. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i35.1678

Downloads

Published

2026-02-12

How to Cite

Yanhui, C., Mohamed Afla, M. R., Zhenhua, W., & Xinyi, P. (2026). CULTURAL LANDSCAPE HERITAGE SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A CASE FROM RONGCHENG, CHINA. PLANNING MALAYSIA, 24(40). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i40.1959