Research On The Construction Of Xi’an Urban Canal-system And Human Settlements In The Ming And Qing Dynasties

As the material support for survival and development of the city, the canal system is animportant natural factor which restricts and affects the space layout of the city, also an coreelement which maintain the natural ecology and good human settlements. Xi ’an, which has agood ecological environment, surrounded with mountains and river, has developed canalsystem, is one of the best natural geographical position for urban location and development.From Fengjing and Haojing in the Zhou Dynasty, Xianyang in the Qin Dynasty, to Chang ’anin the Xihan, Sui and Tang Dynasties, then Xi ’an from the Five Dynasties, the Song and YuanDynasties to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the canal system plays a decisive role in the citysite selection and spatial layout of Xi ’an. To Xi ’an, which is the social, economical andmilitary town in the northwest region, effects on the canal system to city are not only reflectedon the changes of city site, but also related to the construction of human settlements.Therefore, the thesis takes Xi’an’s human settlements in the Ming and Qing Dynasties as theobjects of study, takes the relationship of canal system and human settlements as thebreakthrough point, through analyzing the changing process of canal system and urban humansettlements during the historical periods, reveals the deep-seated motivation that theimportance of ecological environmental protection on Qinling Mountain which is the mainconservation area of Xi’an’s river and canal system. On this basis, combined with socialeconomy and ecological environment, further explored the relationship between Xi’an andWei River on the city following in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the trend that city expandsalong the river on the city changing. At the same time, the relationship between Xi’an’s livinglife, production defense, ecological landscape of human settlements and the canal system inthe Ming and Qing Dynasties is systematically combed, the construction wisdom of Xi’an’surban human settlements which based on the canal system in the Ming and Qing Dynasties issummarized, the proposed strategy about Xi’an’s urban human settlements is put forward, inorder to realize the harmonious development of the human settlements and the canal system.The thesis is divided into four parts.Part one: the first chapter is introduction. The research background and significance are introduced, the research object and the related concepts are defined, the human settlementsand the historical canal system at home and abroad, urban historical research status andresearch level of Xi ’an are reviewed, the corresponding research methods are put forward, theexploration and research framework of the thesis are illuminated.Part two: the second chapter is the background of the construction of Xi’an’s urban canalsystem and human settlements in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. First, on the basis of theanalysis about Xi’an’s urban development of geographical conditions and river environment,the historical track and the development process of Xi’an’s urban river changes in differenthistorical periods before the Ming Dynasty are amplified. Then, combined with the socialeconomic foundation conditions of Xi’an’s urban construction and the environmentalbackground of Xi’an’s urban canal system construction, inheritance and evolution of cityabout Xi’an’s city-canal interaction in the Ming and Qing Dynasties are explored.Part three: including the third chapter, the fourth chapter and the fifth chapter. Therelationship between Xi’an’s urban human settlements and canal system in the Ming and QingDynasties is intensive studied, mainly from three aspects, the relationship between Xi’an’surban human settlements and living life, production defense, ecological landscape. The thirdchapter discusses the interactive evolutionary relationship between Xi’an’s living space,commercial and cultural space, administrative space and the canal system. The fourth chapterstudies the function of the canal system to Xi’an’s urban human settlements from three levelrelated to the survival of city, agricultural irrigation, military defense, and disaster preventionsystem. The fifth chapter analyzes each component part of landscape network of Xi’an’s urbancanal system, and combed the integrated spatial pattern of urban human settlements and canalsystem landscape through the landscape, the canal corridor, and the canal network.Part four: the sixth chapter is the contemporary reflection of Xi’an’s urban canal systemprotection and reuse in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On the basis of discusses above thechapters, the experience and wisdom about Xi’an’s human settlements construction in theMing and Qing Dynasties are theoretical summarized. At the same time, through the relatedcases of other cities about human settlements construction based on the canal system, andcombined with the problems existing in Xi’an’s urban canal system and human settlements inthe contemporary, the strategies and suggestions of Xi’an’s urban human settlements construction based on the canal system are put forward to provide reference.