Objective The construction of livable, workable, and harmonious villages offers a new paradigm and direction for rural human settlement construction in the new era, and it is urgent to conduct an in-depth research on the pathways for achieving this goal. Traditional villages embody the survival wisdom and cultural heritage developed over thousands of years in China, reflecting the ancients’ expertise in integrating philosophical concepts, lifestyles, production methods, and natural conditions. They emphasize principles such as the unity of humanity and nature, harmony in diversity, and resource optimization, providing significant guidance for constructing harmonious rural communities. However, existing research predominantly focuses on the ecological wisdom of traditional village construction at a material level, highlighting the need for a systematic summary and analysis of the connotations of the concept of human settlement construction in traditional villages. Furthermore, the coupling relationship and transformation pathways between the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages and the contemporary rural human settlement construction remain unclear in the context of constructing livable, workable, and harmonious villages. Thus, exploring the connotations of this wisdom and its modern transformation pathways is crucial for promoting the development of traditional villages in the new era.

Methods/process This research adopts the logical framework of “connotation analysis – relationship revelation – pathway proposal”. By examining typical case studies of human settlement construction in traditional villages, the research analyzes the connotations and characteristics of the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages. Key perspectives introduced in this research include the natural view of “harmony between man and nature”, the environmental view of “making the best use of things”, the lifestyle view of “poetic living”, the cultural view of “harmony in diversity”, the industrial view of “agriculture as the foundation of the country”, and the social view of “mutual assistance”. Building on this foundation, the research reveals the coupling relationship between the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages and the construction of livable, workable, and harmonious villages, and highlights their interaction and integration as well as, mutual progress across the dimensions of livability, economic viability, and aesthetic appeal through a collaborative approach. As the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages evolves, it increasingly penetrates into the actual production and daily life of farmers, guiding their participation in the comprehensive management of rural human settlements. This process addresses the functional and emotional needs of farmers — such as residence, production, social interaction, and rituals — achieving an organic unity of external beauty and internal harmony. Therefore, the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages aligns closely with the value pursuit of creating livable, workable, and harmonious villages, acting as an internal driving force in the contemporary context. Meanwhile, the construction of livable, workable, and harmonious villages represents an innovative preservation of traditional human settlement wisdom, fostering the inheritance and development of Chinese civilization. At the livability level, the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages promotes harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature. The natural view of “harmony between man and nature” elucidates the relationships among heaven, earth, and humanity, facilitating the construction of rural life communities and enabling green development. The environmental view of “making the best use of things” emphasizes utilizing local materials appropriately, offering wisdom for preserving rural characteristics. The lifestyle view of “poetic living” reflects the aspirations of the Chinese people over millennia for a life infused with poetic essence, guiding the creation of a charming rural atmosphere. At the workability level, the industrial view of “agriculture as the foundation of the country” underscores the importance of agriculture and moderate development, driving sustainable and high-quality economic growth in rural areas through modern transformation. At the harmony level, the cultural concept of “harmony in diversity” empowers the construction of rural spiritual civilization, promoting cultural integration and collaboration to meet the growing spiritual needs of the populace. Lastly, the social view of “mutual assistance”, rooted in traditional Chinese rural society, can enhance local customs, cultivate family values, and unite communities, thereby elevating rural social civilization.

Results/conclusion Based on the coupling relationship between the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages and the contemporary rural human settlements, this research utilizes ecological civilization principles in the new era as theoretical guidance, and adopts a problem-oriented approach to benchmark against development goals and identify gaps. From six perspectives — culture, industry, community, ecology, space, and artistic conception — the research proposes that the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages can guide the construction of harmonious and beautiful rural human settlements in the new era through the “three harmonies and three beauties” framework. The “three harmonies” focus on social and cultural connotations: Harmony of culture (exploring and promoting excellent agricultural culture and cultural integration), harmony of industry (leveraging rural resource advantages to foster production integration), and harmony of community (enhancing the rural mutual assistance system and improving social governance). Conversely, the “three beauties” emphasize spatial form and function: Beauty of ecology (aligning with natural evolution to establish a robust ecological safety barrier), beauty of space (utilizing natural materials to restore the countryside’s inherent beauty), and beauty of artistic conception (intertwining nature and culture to recreate a poetic living environment). This research systematically organizes the insights derived from the wisdom of human settlement construction in traditional villages to inform the construction of modern rural human settlements, with a view to providing scientific support and guidance for the high-quality development of rural human settlements.