Objective The soundscape heritage of historical and cultural cities is an intangible cultural landscape heritage, which profoundly influences the tracing of the original historical context of cities, the expansion of the depth and breadth of urban context, and the enhancement of the vitality and driving power of urban culture. Hankou was forcibly opened in 1861, following which various countries established foreign concessions along the Yangtze River in Hankou. The conflict and collision of Chinese and Western cultures here contributed to the germination and development of Hankou’s early modern urban planning and construction, making Hankou’s urban texture, street interface morphology, and public activity space present distinct characteristics from other existing urban districts. Hankou’s urban acoustic environment has also changed, showing obvious characteristics of times and region. Taking modern Hankou as an example, this research reviews and comparatively analyzes the historical soundscape of modern Hankou based on the perspectives of “nativeness” and “otherness”, with a focus on the differences in the acoustic environment within Hankou’s urban space over nearly 80 years from 1861 to 1938, so as to interpret the characteristics of the two forms of soundscape (traditional soundscape and emerging soundscape) in the process of development and change of urban soundscape under different spatial types, lifestyles and management systems, and thus explore the humanistic attributes of historical soundscape in early modern urban space and expand the connotation of historical urban protection from multiple dimensions.

Methods Through the investigation of historical literature and the methods of descriptive statistical analysis, visual analysis, and comparative research, this research uses Hankou Bamboo Branch Songs as the primary sample to analyze the traditional soundscape of Hankou. It integrates other historical documents such as local chronicles, urban construction records, and cartographic scrolls to extract and deduce contextual information, spatial details, and soundscape characteristics of various sound sources in Hankou’s traditional soundscape. By comparing the evolution of historical maps of Hankou, the research delves into the urban spatial functions in depth, and visually analyzes the acoustic environmental elements of emerging soundscape by combining documentary records, urban functional layouts, and old photographs. Moreover, based on the “nativeness” and “otherness” aspects of the soundscape, the research categorizes the urban space of modern Hankou into three types (waterfront spaces, urban streets, and recreational green spaces) for comparative analysis.

Results By analyzing the soundscape atmosphere characteristics of the three types of spaces above, the research finds that the evolution from the traditional soundscape characterized by “Shun Tian Zhi Xing” (conforming to nature), “Wu Fang Za Chu” (congregation of people from all walks of life), and “Qu Shui Liu Shang” (wine cup drifting along a flowing canal) to the emerging soundscape represented by “Zhi Xu Jing Ran ” (orderliness), “Jian Rong Bing Xu” (inclusiveness), and “Ren Yu Ma Si” (hustle and bustle), is a process that first reflects a shift in human attitudes from conforming with destiny and respecting nature to orderly planning and remaking nature, which demonstrates humanity’s continuous adaptation and reshaping of the environment. Furthermore, it represents a progression from the integration of diverse local indigenous cultures to the coexistence of Chinese and foreign cultures, illustrating the balance and harmony among various cultural elements within the city. Additionally, it signifies an expansion from the elegant and leisurely lifestyle to the exploration of exotic and novel experiences, reflecting the persistent pursuit of new lifestyle and curiosity towards fresh things in human society. Ultimately, this complex yet regular change of historical soundscape ultimately shapes unique and vibrant cultural landscapes. Research results reveal the transformational features and driving mechanisms of historical soundscape in urban spaces, indicating that the transformation of historical soundscape in early modern urban space involves a dualistic juxtaposition of “nativeness” and “otherness”.

Conclusion By further understanding the “nativeness” and “otherness” in historical soundscape, it is possible to deeply contemplate the individual’s needs for acoustic experience and emotional connection in urban environments, comprehensively understand the diversity and complexity of urban soundscape, and guide urban renewal efforts to consider the original urban acoustic environment in order to shape identity and urban belonging. Additionally, researching the historical changes in urban spatial soundscape may help deepen the understanding of urban social, technological, and cultural innovations, thus enriching the overall understanding of urban history by urban subjects. It may also offer inspiration and material for artists and creators to articulate the historical and cultural significance of cities. Therefore, historical soundscape should be universally included in the research on cultural landscape heritage, and the “nativeness” and “otherness” of historical soundscape deeply embedded in urban memory should be given sufficient attention.