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Exploring the Transformation in the ‘Spirit of Place’ by Considering the Changed and Unchanged Defensive Spaces of Settlements: A Case Study of the Wugoushui Hakka Settlement

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  • Yanfeng He

    (Ph. D. Program in Design, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan City 32023, Taiwan
    Current address: Department of Landscape, Fujian Fanya Vision Environmental Design Engineering Company, Fuzhou 350028, China.)

  • Chie-Peng Chen

    (Department of Interior Design, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 32023, Taiwan)

  • Rung-Jiun Chou

    (Department of Landscape Architecture, Chung Yuan Christian University, Taoyuan 32023, Taiwan)

  • Haifeng Luo

    (School of Cultural Resources, Taipei National University of the Arts, Taipei 11201, Taiwan)

  • Jing-Shoung Hou

    (School of Architecture, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300384, China)

Abstract

Over generations, economic development has accelerated traditional settlements in Taiwan while losing traditional culture. In Hakka villages, this is manifested in the changes in defensive spaces, the ‘spirit of place,’ and land use. Although some progress has been made through research into related issues, a correlated view has been missing. To explore the connection between the ‘spirit of place’ and defensive spaces in Wugoushui, a traditional representative settlement in Taiwan, this paper probes three questions: What are the changes in defensive spaces? What are the changes in the spirit of place? What are the connections between them? Taking the sixteen criteria of secure defensive space as the theoretical foundation, through more than a year of structured observations and in-depth interviews with ten representative residents, and based on context analysis and site analysis of the information collected, this paper has concluded that, although the actual functionality of Wugoushui settlement’s spiritual, behavioural, and physical defences have disappeared, cultural characteristics related to the settlement traditions, including religious beliefs, trust, sense of belonging, street network, nodes, institutions, territory, and social networks, constitute a concrete manifestation of the defensive space and the spirit of place as of today. This research contributes to developing a theory of the relevance of the spirit of place to the defensive space of settlements from a sustainability perspective and improving the cultural preservation and land management of traditional settlements.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanfeng He & Chie-Peng Chen & Rung-Jiun Chou & Haifeng Luo & Jing-Shoung Hou, 2021. "Exploring the Transformation in the ‘Spirit of Place’ by Considering the Changed and Unchanged Defensive Spaces of Settlements: A Case Study of the Wugoushui Hakka Settlement," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-23, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:10:y:2021:i:5:p:490-:d:549190
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Chun-Chang Lee & Yi-Xin Chen & Yun-Ling Wu & Wen-Chih Yeh & Chih-Min Liang, 2020. "Multilevel Analysis of the Pressure of Agricultural Land Conversion, Degree of Urbanization and Agricultural Land Prices in Taiwan," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-21, November.
    2. Yan-Feng He & Chie-Peng Chen & Rung-Jiun Chou, 2019. "The Key Factors Influencing Safety Analysis for Traditional Settlement Landscape," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-23, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Guanhong Xie & Yuchen Zhou & Chunqing Liu, 2022. "Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Hakka Traditional Villages in Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, September.
    2. Tamara Lukić & Ivana Blešić & Tatjana Pivac & Milka Bubalo Živković & Bojan Đerčan & Sanja Kovačić & Marija Cimbaljević & Dajana Bjelajac, 2022. "Urban Image at the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Case Study Novi Sad (Serbia)," Societies, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, March.

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