Yannan LU

College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

Abstract The formation of the ancient town of Heijing conforms to the natural conditions and local conditions, and makes effective use of the natural mountains, water bodies, trees and other resources of the ancient town, so that the ancient town and nature rely on each other and unify harmoniously. Through the analysis of the environmental characteristics of the ancient town, this paper further explores its cultural connotation.

Key words Southwest mountainous area, Heijing ancient town, Environmental characteristics, Adaptation to local conditions

1 Introduction

Chinese traditional ancient towns have attracted the attention of the majority of scholars because of their great cultural, artistic and social values and rich cultural connotations. Scholars Zhang Yike and Zeng Wei measured the internal driving force of the formation of ancient towns from the perspective of environmental geology, examined the deep meaning of the protection of ancient towns, and put forward protection strategies in three aspects: resources, protection and culture[1]. Dong Xiao measured and analyzed a series of indicators of scale and wind on both sides of the traditional streets of the ancient town in Qinling Mountains, and used the model in accordance with human comfort to simulate and analyze the physical conditions of the ancient town, such as sunshine and ventilation, in order to provide reference for improving the living environment of the ancient town[2]. Wang Song explored the ancient town of Jingangbei in Beibei, Chongqing from the dimensions of ecology, nature, human settlement and space, and analyzed the evolution history, planning and protection ideas, protection methods and spatial pattern of the ancient town in mountainous areas, with a view to providing some theoretical basis for the reconstruction and development of ancient towns in mountainous areas of China[3]. From the perspective of the cultural ecology of the river basin, Zhou Hong and Hu Min put forward that the characteristics of the cultural and ecological chain of the ancient towns in the Yuan River Basin should be respected when the regional tourism industry is developed, and the tourism development products should be positioned on the premise of protecting the ecology of the ancient towns to form the development model under the large location of the river basin[4]. Gu Jingling analyzed and explored the evolution and characteristics of the cultural landscape of Qijiang ancient town in Mianyang City from the perspective of cultural landscape theory in order to provide reference for the sustainable development of traditional ancient towns[5]. Taking the ancient town of Heijing in Chuxiong as an example, this paper analyzes the environmental characteristics of the ancient town and further explores its cultural connotation.

2 Regional characteristics

The ancient town of Heijing is located in the northwest of Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, 98 km away from the county seat, with a total area of about 133.6 km2. It is a remote town in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, but it used to be one of the most important salt-producing areas in Yunnan. Because of its unique historical background, cultural connotation and mode of production, Heijing ancient town was listed as a famous historical and cultural town in Yunnan Province in 1995 and a famous historical and cultural town in China by the Ministry of Construction in 2006.

2.1 Climate characteristicsThe ancient town is located in the southwest mountain area, having high mountains and deep valleys, with vertical climate characteristics. It has a subtropical climate, with an average annual temperature of 16.6 ℃.

2.2 Terrain featuresThe ancient town has long mountains and rivers, with an average elevation of 1 700 m, where there are rolling mountains and staggered river valleys. It has a typical mountain environment, with towering peaks on both sides. The ancient town as a whole is longitudinally run through by the Longchuan River from north to south, as shown in Fig.1.

2.3 Economic characteristicsThe ancient town thrives because of salt and declines because of salt. The salt industry occupies a very important economic position in both ancient and modern times, so the ancient town is very prosperous for a time. The prosperity of the salt industry has not only brought economic development to the ancient town, but also brought faces from all over the world. At present, the economy of the ancient town is dominated by tourism.

Fig.1 The topography of Heijing ancient town

2.4 Cultural characteristicsThe ancient town is a gathering place for Han, Li, Hui and other ethnic groups, with temples, mosques, Wenbi Peak, Shifang and many other places of interest. Different ideas exchange, infiltrate and merge with each other in this inclusive ancient town to form a unique architectural form[6]. These buildings contain rich cultural connotations and reflect the sparks collided by various cultures and beliefs at that time, with high artistic, historical and social value.

3 Characteristics of building environment

3.1 The spatial layout relies on nature and extends like a corridorThe ancient town of Heijing takes the mountain as the skeleton, the current as the flesh and blood, and relies on the mountain and water to get the natural advantages. The ancient town is distributed on both sides of the Longchuan River, with the high mountains on both sides as a barrier, and there is a long and narrow banded layout in the north-south direction. Longchuan River runs through the whole ancient town, making the ancient town constitute a natural corridor space form, not only making the overall image vivid and interesting, but also bringing a favorable ecological environment[6]. The dynamic and static combination of the two elements of water and farmland endows the static ancient town with life and vitality, and makes the whole ecological environment tend to be harmonious and unified. The construction of Heijing ancient town adopts the principle of adjusting measures to local conditions, that is, without changing the objective conditions of the environment, to avoid the limitations of natural conditions such as mountains, water bodies, and topography. The extension of the building gradually rises along the contours of the mountains on both sides, and at the same time it takes the square grid as a unit to make the building groups form a scattered, tight and orderly space form. The woods distributed around the ancient town are integrated with the outline of the ancient town, so that the ancient town and the natural environment form a pattern of harmony (Fig.2).

3.2 The space of streets and alleys is well-proportioned

The ancient town of Heijing extends in all directions, but the road is not neatly arranged, and it consists of two main streets and several side streets parallel to the Longchuan River, as well as randomly interspersed alleys. The main streets are located in the west and east of the river, respectively, linked by Wuma Bridge. The winding alleys are perpendicular to the main street, connecting the alleys of the ancient town to form a complete whole. The ancient town carried out the principle that the streets and alleys should not "go straight", thinking that the streets and alleys facing the house will form a vertical air flow that is uncomfortable and make the house unsuitable to live in. The winding alleys in the ancient town show the ancient people’s understanding of the requirement that nothing can be straightforward, otherwise it will lose its sentiment and meaning in the construction of streets and alleys. It is recorded in geomantic omen classic Shui Long Jing that going straight will do harm to people’s health. As a matter of fact, there are risks in houses facing road, and traffic accidents also happen from time to time.

Fig.2 Layout of streets and alleys in ancient town

Due to the past prosperity and every inch of valuable land, the width of the alley in the ancient town is 2-3 cm on average, and the towering houses on both sides give people a sense of depression, forming a narrowing effect. The ancients thought that if the house had a narrowing effect, it would be extremely disadvantageous to the health of the occupants. Where the narrowing effect lies, the narrower and longer the open space, the greater the damage to the occupants. As a result, houses on both sides of the street have decorative eaves, adding to the hierarchy, inclusiveness and interest of the ancient town (Fig.3).

Fig.3 The winding streets of the ancient town

3.3 The residential space is spacious, bright and transparentThe buildings of the ancient town were mainly built in the Ming and Qing dynasties and the early years of the Republic of China, with models such as "single room", "quadrangle", and so on. Among them, the buildings in the form of "single room" are mainly distributed on both sides of the street, showing the business model of house at the top and store at the bottom, store in the front and house in the back[6]. These buildings are independent of each other, the internal space is spacious and bright, traffic, lighting, ventilation and other conditions are superior, and the pattern is square and reasonable, with broad field of vision, full of vigor and vitality. In the ancient town of Heijing, the most spectacular civil building is the Wujia Courtyard. The Wujia Courtyard is a typical building of the Qing Dynasty, which was built in the 16thyear of Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty, and extended in the seventh year of Xianfeng, with a history of more than 160 years. Different from the traditional concept of sitting in the north and facing the south, the Wujia Courtyard facing the east was built near the mountains, showing a unique layout. The courtyard consists of four patios, 99 houses and 108 doors. The rooms are connected, which also expresses the wish of the owner. The Wujia Courtyard is slanted to the left, in the hope that the children and grandchildren will not forget their roots because the hometown is located in Nanjing in the northeast, the second is to tilt to the Confucian temple for the emergence of a large number of talents from family, and the third is to prevent the exposure of financial resources. The leisure and entertainment place in the Wujia Courtyard is spacious and rich. In addition, in the mountains behind the courtyard, there are two hidden passageways to escape, which can be called the great work of residential building. In addition to residential buildings, there are ancient stages, ancient temples and other public buildings in Heijing ancient town to meet the entertainment and spiritual needs of the people.

3.4 Node space is available and identifiableThe ancient town has a pattern of 6 streets and 18 alleys, which is mainly composed of Lirun Street, Xiafeng Street, Zhongfeng Street, Dezheng Street, Shangfeng Street, Jinxiu Street, and crisscross irregular streets and lanes[6]. These streets play the role of intersection, agglomeration, turning, transition, diffusion and guidance. The node space is large or small, mainly located at the intersection, turning point of streets and alleys and the entrance of the building, which is partially magnified by the concave and convex, turning and disorder of the space interface, improving the traffic convenience and space utilization of the local space. The node space of the ancient town is mainly intersection, which has strong traffic and driving core features[7]. These different degrees of staggered forms not only make the alleys smooth, but also lead to excellent landscape changes, so as to enhance its usefulness and identification. The central node of the ancient town is located at the intersection of the Wuma Bridge connecting the two main streets and the tourist reception center. As the entrance of the commercial street of the ancient town, it is the most prosperous and has a large flow of people, and it is the distribution center of the ancient town. This kind of area is generally easier to gather luck, and good luck leads to prosperity and wealth. The ancient town as a famous salt port in history. In addition to the local residents, there are thousands of caravans carrying salt, merchants from afar and tourists of different nationalities shuttling back and forth in the streets of the ancient town every day. The "qi" of these people stays, and is interacted and condensed in the node space of the ancient town to form more majestic "charisma", which makes the ancient town of Heijing leave a heavy brushstroke in history. The existence of node space not only enhances the convenience of transportation and popularity, but also effectively improves the utilization efficiency of public facilities in ancient towns.

4 Conclusions

The architectural environment of Heijing ancient town is permeated with the brand of history, giving the ancient town unique artistic connotation and cultural heritage. The construction of the ancient town of Heijing conforms to the natural conditions and local conditions, and makes effective use of the natural mountains, water bodies, trees and other resources of the ancient town, so that the ancient town and nature rely on each other and unify harmoniously. The convenience of the streets and alleys of the ancient town, the great vitality of the residential buildings and the spacious and open space of the nodes have created the unique architectural culture of the ancient town of Heijing which becomes a typical representative of the traditional ancient town of China. Through the analysis of the architectural environment of Heijing ancient town, this paper is expected to provide reference for the reconstruction and planning of the traditional ancient town in the southwest mountainous area.