Objective As an important prerequisite for exploring the wisdom of traditional construction, the identification of pattern of landscape and humanity space is conducive to the proposal of pattern development strategy and the construction of identification technology, and can help solve the problem that a large number of urban spatial patterns need to be identified and protected.

Methods Following the space construction principle of “establishing line-of-sight correlation between humanity space and landscape”, this research constructs an identification approach for spatial pattern that includes five steps: “restoration and translation of historical built environment”, “extraction of line of sight”, “capture of viewed points”, “capture of densely viewed areas” and “identification of spatial pattern”, in order to open up a new perspective for the identification, protection and development of urban spatial patterns. Specifically, the “extraction of line of sight” means using the create features tool of ArcGIS to extract the orientation of humanity spaces and streets to simulate the line of sight; the “capture of viewed points” means using the Intersection Snapping Tool of ArcGIS to capture the intersection of the light of sight and the maximum value of the contour line to simulate the viewed point; the “capture of densely viewed areas” means using the kernel density analysis tool of ArcGIS to analyze the kernel density of viewed points and obtain densely viewed areas; the “identification of spatial pattern” means determining the cultural order within the city and identifying the pattern of landscape and humanity space by comparing the consistency between the densely viewed areas and visible mountain peaks at a macro scale, and analyzing the correlation between the orientation of highly consistent streets, humanity spaces and mountain peaks at the urban scale.

Results The research results show that in Sui and Tang dynasties, when the ritual order dominated urban construction, the pattern of landscape and humanity space in Quanzhou City was mainly distributed along the north-south direction, forming a north-south single axis connecting Qingyuan Mountain and Luochang Mountain, and laying a solid foundation for the long-term development of the spatial pattern of Quanzhou. During Song and Yuan dynasties featuring economic prosperity and development, Quanzhou, under the dual influence of foreign and local cultures, presented a trend of diversified and personalized urban construction to meet multiple needs such as economic, religious and cultural needs, forming a central divergent spatial pattern overlooking seven mountains. During Ming and Qing dynasties when urban construction was dominated by folk religion, relying on the street framework and driven by the “Pujing” (“mirror laying”) systempattern, Quanzhou actively built humanity space with a specific orientation to enhance the line-of-sight correlation, and created a spatial pattern emphasizing two horizontal axes and one vertical axis and clarifying the two mountains of Chao Mountain and An Mountain. In summary, Quanzhou continued and strengthened the “牛” (“Niu”)-shaped pattern led by the four axes through the coordinated construction of humanity spaces based on line-of-sight correlation. This evolutionary process exhibits the characteristics of enriched belief, personalized orientation, and scientific concept. The analysis of the aforesaid spatial pattern reveals that in terms of spatial order, Quanzhou seeks the ingenuity of nature and constructs humanity spaces with artistic conception, thus forming a spacial pattern featuring inheritance and leadership, with the “Double Ten” axis determining the spatial pattern of the eastern urban area, while the axis facing Zimao Mountain determining the spatial pattern of the western urban area. In terms of landscape construction, through the development and supplementation of humanity spaces, Quanzhou establishes a landscape system featuring city − mountain integration with a strong sense of charm; in terms of cultural connotation, mountains are related to urban culture and life, thus consolidating urban cohesion and centrality.

Conclusion Upon review and analysis, this research concludes that the pattern of landscape and humanity space in ancient Quanzhou City contains three types of construction wisdom: Construction essence of extension and sustainability of spatial order; design techniques for the hierarchy and accessibility of landscape organization; application wisdom of interaction and mutual promotion between nature and culture. Future research may expand the case studies of landscape cities in terms of research object, carry out intelligent innovation and improvement in research method, and guide the formulation of spatial pattern restoration and development strategy in practice, thus achieving the goal of comprehensive understanding and protection of the historical pattern of landscape and humanity space.