Objective The deactivation of cultural landscapes, limitations of restoration theories, and ambiguity of technical pathways are significant issues in the protection and development of traditional villages. These issues contribute to the loss of unique identity, ineffective activation, and unsustainable outcomes. To address these issues, this research aims to develop an adaptive landscape gene restoration model. This model seeks to move beyond static approaches by dynamically integrating intrinsic cultural – spatial “genes” into contemporary contexts. Furthermore, the research explicitly aims to explore and define a systematic technical pathway for the effective protection and activation of traditional village landscape genes, thereby enabling their sustainable revival. In summary, the aim is to develop an adaptive landscape gene restoration model and explore a systematic pathway for the protection and activation of traditional village landscape genes.
Methods The landscape gene theory regards villages as living cultural entities with genetic attributes, providing new perspectives and methods for solving the problems of the survival of traditional village culture and ecology. The landscape gene theory identifies the unique cultural features and spatial expression mechanisms of villages, which is applicable to the application scenarios of this research where key genes are identified for systematic protection. This research introduces the DFRI based theory as theoretical interfaces, and proposes an adaptive restoration model and a chained activation pathway of “identification – diagnosis – restoration”. This helps to view the protection and development of traditional villages as an organic whole, clarifies the steps and methods in protection practices, and avoids the fragmentation of protection work. With the landscape restoration of Xiankeng Village as the research object, this research, through case study methods, integrates the landscape gene theory framework with mutagenic factors to the landscape genes to implement landscape restoration strategies, causing the landscape genes to undergo favorable mutations and guiding the better inheritance and dissemination of landscape genes.
Results This research proposes the DFRI base (differentiation, form, response and iteration bases) theoretical model for adaptive restoration and the “identification – diagnosis – restoration” chained activation pathway: 1) Precisely identify and extract landscape genes through multiple technical methods, and construct a gene information chain; 2) based on the DFRI base theory and the landscape gene variation theory, inspect and diagnose the gene information chain; 3) according to the inspection and diagnosis results, formulate targeted restoration strategies such as differential deduction, form adjustment, response activation, and iterative continuation. The research identifies the key driving factors for the evolution of landscape genes in Xiankeng Village, including natural environment, social economy, cultural institutions, and modern construction needs. Through a systematic diagnosis of the mechanism of landscape gene variation, the research implements strategies such as differential deduction, form adjustment, function activation and iterative continuation to restore and recreate the vanished spaces existing only in historical memory. The guidance of favorable variations and the regulation of unfavorable variations in the restoration of the village landscapes in Xiankeng Village have verified the applicability of the aforesaid framework in the restoration of traditional village landscapes. The research restores the damaged landmark buildings, carry out form restoration and function activation, and implant new places, new functions, and new industries to activate the public spaces of the village.
Conclusion The results of the landscape restoration practice in Xiankeng Village show that the restoration model and pathway introduced in this research can enhance the cultural, ecological and economic benefits of the village, achieve the dynamic inheritance of cultural genes and the adaptation to modern functions, and realize the synergy between the integrated protection of cultural genes and the sustainable development of the village. The idea of new – old integration and coexistence provides a theoretical framework and practical model for similar traditional villages. Landscape gene variation is an inevitable evolutionary mechanism in the process of adapting to changes by traditional villages over time. By identifying and diagnosing landscape genes across multiple time sequences, it is possible to analyze the key variation factors influencing the formation and transmission of cultural landscapes in traditional villages at various historical stages, thereby helping to identify the variation factors that require attention in restoration strategies. Restoration strategies should not merely focus on replicating the physical form but should instead view landscape genes as carriers of cultural memory. By establishing a spatial layout where historical genes and modern functions coexist, we can guide the occurrence of beneficial variations and mitigate the cultural fragmentation and landscape degradation caused by adverse variations. Landscape gene variation is an inevitable process for traditional villages in the face of changes in the times and environment. When the landscape genes of traditional villages undergo adverse variation, restoration strategies should not merely replicate the physical carriers for them but should instead protect them as containers of memory. A balance must be struck between the preservation of historical genes and modern functional requirements. By achieving coexistence between the old and the new, new meanings can be imparted to the local site, which not only aids in the static preservation of the historical and cultural heritage of traditional villages but also promotes the functional regeneration of traditional cultural genes in modern society.
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