Research On The Traditional Fort-type Settlements

The traditional fort-type settlement is a sort of typical defensive settlement in ancient China. However, the academic circles still haven't paid much attention to its importance. Besides, the remains of the historical structures are in danger to be destructed in current society development and massive construction. Accordingly, the systematic study is pressing and necessary. The thesis firstly reviews the classification of Chinese traditional settlements systematically from the new macro viewpoint---"type of defense", sets up the framework of "traditional defensive settlements", and discovers the fort-type settlement's essential character of "linear defense around gatherings", through the comparison with other kinds of defensive settlements. Secondly, with reference of historical literature and concrete examples, the study clarifies the origin and evolution history of the traditional fort-type settlements, and illustrates the rule that fort-type settlement and ancient city held the same prototype and developed at the same pace. Focusing on the two fort-type settlement systems of the civil defense and the military defense, the study analyzes their formation, characters, functions, and structures in different historical period respectively. And it also sums up the development and structure of the traditional fortification from the angle of architectural technology. Based on above analysis, the thesis selects Qin & Jin area as a sample, where there were a number of fort-type settlements historically and currently, lots of defensive fort-type settlements in the period of Ming Dynasty, Qing Dynasty and Republic of China still exist. After making clear the overall environment and distribution state, it summarizes common and specific characteristics with the support of abundant and varied case studies, in order to get more accurate and substantial cognition of such a particular settlement type. Furthermore, the study puts emphasis on the dual defensive functions both of substance and psyche in architecture to reveal the spatial connotation of fort-type settlement intensively. Meanwhile, toward the psychological defensive system, the author puts forward the concept of "the defense effect of virtual image". The relative study not only enriches the defensible space theory, but also inspires us on how to create safe habitation in today's architectural design and planning.