Value Assessments And Protection Patterns Of Eco-cultural Preservation Area

Eco-cultural Preservation Area(EPA)is set by the Ministry of Culture to strengthen the integrated preservation for intangible cultural heritage and sociocultural systems,promote the active inheritance of fine traditional culture,and ensure the diversity of cultural ecology.Eighteen National Eco-cultural Preservation Experimental Areas have been established in our country since 2006.Previous studies have explored the theoretical origin and establishment purpose of EPA on a theoretical basis.Generally,they took the theory of cultural ecology for the theoretical basis of the EPA establishment.However,these newly established EPA cannot well link to the theory in practice and completely embody the conception of integrated preservation of intangible cultural heritage,resulting in the ineffective protection of sociocultural systems which the intangible cultural heritage lives on.Hence,correctly recognizing the value of EPA and comprehensively applying the theory of cultural ecology in the EPA value assessments and delineation of protection patterns become urgent planning problems to be solved.Based on the theory of cultural ecology,this paper starts studying the sociocultural system,and then discusses the connotation of EPA value,sets up the value assessment system for EPA,and establishes the spatial distribution database of EPA values.Furthermore,key elements and delineation methods of EPA protection patterns are determined on the basis of the evolution of the sociocultural system and the law of its spatial distribution.Through the case study on Qiandongnan National Eco-cultural Preservation Experimental Area,this paper evaluates the feasibility of the value assessment system of EPA and the delineation methods for protection patterns,which could provide the basis for the integrated preservation of EPA.Based upon structures and functions of the sociocultural system,the EPA sociocultural system could comprise four basic elements,including intangible cultural heritages,their inheritors and inheritance groups,cultural spaces and natural environments.All of these elements are the main object of EPA value assessments.From the perspective of EPA establishment purpose,the values of EPA could be reflected by the active effects arising from the integrated preservation of intangible cultural heritage and its positive functions on the society.The EPA values could be assessed from seven aspects with seventeen indicators,such as historical value,artistic value,scientific value,recreational value,educational value,diversity and preservation integrity of the sociocultural system.Additionally,according to the functions,evolutions and its spatial distribution law of the sociocultural system,the protection patterns of EPA are made up of cultural heritage community,core preservation area and cultural route,which can be delimited by difference analysis,historical map analysis and cultural relevance analysis.The EPA value assessment system and its delineation methods of protection patterns are well applied to "Qiandongnan National Eco-cultural Preservation Experimental Area Master Plan".The results of value assessments of Qiandongnan National Eco-cultural Preservation Experimental Area show that this EPA has very high artistic value,historical value and recreational value,also with high scientific value and educational value.For most part of this EPA,the diversity of the sociocultural system is very high;while in the area where the intangible cultural heritages are concentrated,the preservation integrity of the sociocultural system is high.The spatial distribution of overall EPA value is characterized by the coexistence of regional aggregation and point distribution,with Leigongshan Area,Yuntaishan Area,Licongrong Area and Jinpingtianzhu Area of high overall values.Based upon the spatial distribution law of overall values and through historical map analysis and cultural relevance analysis,this paper delimits four core areas of Leigongshan Miao Culture Core Area,Moon Mountain Miao Culture Core Area,Licongrong Nan Dong Culture Core Area and Bei Dong Culture Core Area,three cultural routes of Qingshuijiang Fir Cultural Route,Douliujiang Miao and Dong Migration Cultural Route and Wuyang River Ancient Post Cultural Route,and thirteen cultural nodes including Qingshanjie Miao Cultural Node,Basha Miao Cultural Node.