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History in Points, Lines and Polygons: Time Depth in the Landscape of Guangdong Province, Southern China

Author

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  • Ying Pan

    (School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
    State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Building Science, Guangzhou 510640, China
    Guangzhou Municipal Key Laboratory of Landscape Architecture, Guangzhou 510640, China)

  • Jiayu Bai

    (School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China)

  • Sam Turner

    (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK)

Abstract

Change and persistence are often richly entangled facets of landscapes. While many studies use land use/land cover (depicted as polygons) to illustrate landscape evolution, this paper draws on approaches from landscape archaeology to investigate how lines and points can also be used to examine landscape morphologies. The study uses three distinct spatial elements: points (graves), lines (field boundaries), and polygons (land use) to represent landscape transformations and reflect time depth in the landscape. The paper aims to identify the most enduring landscape elements within the region and uncover the underlying mechanisms of persistence. It is suggested that the time depth exhibited in field boundaries surpasses that of land use in this case. Field boundaries provide a useful way to examine agricultural intensification, whereas land use is more sensitive to agricultural commercialization and urbanization. In addition, the Chinese Feng Shui funeral culture emerges as a stabilizing force that encourages landscape persistence. This cultural driver ensures the persistence of field patterns surrounding graves, making these fields the most ancient plots within the study area. In conclusion, representing the time depth of landscapes through linear features and points can serve as an important supplement to the study of landscape change based on land use.

Suggested Citation

  • Ying Pan & Jiayu Bai & Sam Turner, 2023. "History in Points, Lines and Polygons: Time Depth in the Landscape of Guangdong Province, Southern China," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:11:p:1979-:d:1268139
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Filippo Brandolini & Sam Turner, 2022. "Revealing patterns and connections in the historic landscape of the northern Apennines (Vetto, Italy)," Journal of Maps, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 663-673, January.
    2. Francesco Carrer & Diego E. Angelucci, 2018. "Continuity and discontinuity in the history of upland pastoral landscapes: the case study of Val Molinac and Val Poré (Val di Sole, Trentino, Eastern Italian Alps)," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(6), pages 862-877, August.
    3. Hanne Van den Berghe & W. Gheyle & B. Stichelbaut & T. Saey & N. Note & M. Van Meirvenne & J. Bourgeois & V. Van Eetvelde, 2019. "Using the past to indicate the possible presence of relics in the present-day landscape: the Western Front of the Great War in Belgium," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(4), pages 351-373, May.
    4. Gao, Jia & Song, Ge & Sun, Xueqing, 2020. "Does labor migration affect rural land transfer? Evidence from China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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