How does historical culture shape the village clusters: Multi-dimensional Network and cluster analysis in Xinghua rural areas, China

How does historical culture shape the village clusters: Multi-dimensional Network and cluster analysis in Xinghua rural areas, China | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article How does historical culture shape the village clusters: Multi-dimensional Network and cluster analysis in Xinghua rural areas, China Guyue Sun, Hong Jiang, Hai Lyu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924762/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This study aims to explore how historical and cultural heritage can serve as a key spatial force to reshape the network structure and agglomeration patterns of village clusters. Taking Xinghua City in China as a case study, this study systematically compares geographical and cultural factors to reveal the core role of historical culture in filling the limitations of a purely geographical perspective and promoting coordinated development of villages. The study constructed a dual analytical framework that integrates geographical foundations and cultural context. Firstly, a gravity model is constructed based on geographical factors such as village size, water system, and cultivated land, and geographic network and cluster analysis are conducted. Subsequently, incorporating the relationship between tangible and intangible cultural heritage, statutory cultural protection areas, and place name culture into the gravity model, constructing a cultural network, and conducting cluster identification. By comparing the spatial patterns, node levels, and connectivity structures of geographic networks and clusters with cultural networks and clusters, the unique influence of cultural factors is revealed. Research has found that: (1) There is a significant spatial mismatch between geography and cultural clusters, and cultural influence can transcend geographical barriers and form continuous cultural radiation belts; (2) Historical Culture, as a mechanism of selective reinforcement, significantly deepens the gravitational differences among individual villages, enabling villages with profound historical accumulation such as Duotian Aquatic Village to surpass their geographical limitations and become high-level nodes in the cultural network; (3) Historical and cultural gravity effectively repairs the discontinuity in connectivity strength in geographic networks by generating medium strength connections based on shared historical memory, reshapes the pattern of inter village associations, and presents a higher centripetal force and structural density in the network. The research provides a key scientific basis for the concentrated and contiguous protection of traditional Chinese villages and rural revitalization: planning practices must go beyond simple geographical proximity, prioritize the identification and activation of cultural networks based on common historical context, and guide resource optimization and regional coordinated development. Humanities/Complex networks Social science/Complex networks Social science/Development studies Social science/Environmental studies Scientific community and society/Geography Social science/Geography historical culture traditional village clusters rural space spatial network morphology agglomeration gravity model Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files Supplementarymaterials.zip Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 03 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 11 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 24 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 19 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 09 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 05 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 03 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7924762","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":594106896,"identity":"cac99821-f239-42bc-820e-b03f7f890bbd","order_by":0,"name":"Guyue Sun","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Guyue","middleName":"","lastName":"Sun","suffix":""},{"id":594106897,"identity":"e48503e3-1bb4-482a-a3a7-8f09fba0b704","order_by":1,"name":"Hong Jiang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA4UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACxmYQ0QDlfTCwsSNNC+OMgrRkIq2CamHm+XAIbiNOwNzO/Ozh1x02efL+h49J2xgcYGZgP3x0A36HsZkby55JKza8kZYmnWNwh4+BJy3tBn4tDGbSkm2HEzfO4DEDannGzCDBY0ZAC/s3iJb+89+kLQwOMzYQ1sJjJvkRqGU+Qw6bNAORWsqkGdvSEjdIpBlb9hikJbMR8oth//Ftkj/bbBLn9x9+eOPHHxs7fvbDx/BraQBFB5BhcAAqwoZPOQjIgxz3A8RoIKR0FIyCUTAKRiwAAD8qSZGwoBmXAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hong","middleName":"","lastName":"Jiang","suffix":""},{"id":594106898,"identity":"79160dd4-b6a8-4aa1-a3de-1bf1c6378390","order_by":2,"name":"Hai Lyu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Southeast University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hai","middleName":"","lastName":"Lyu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-22 14:53:19","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924762/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924762/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103342903,"identity":"47689357-1882-4ba8-9e5d-450d108875b0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-24 15:51:52","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":4101323,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"HowdoeshistoricalcultureshapethevillageclustersMultidimensionalNetworkandclusteranalysisinXinghuaruralareasChina.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7924762/v1_covered_42437f3b-eb40-4877-9104-58951e76f4dd.pdf"},{"id":103342899,"identity":"ccf324d5-fd2b-44af-a77e-cd6ed4fa863b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-24 15:51:46","extension":"zip","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":435696498,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Supplementarymaterials.zip","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7924762/v1/49e28c912f4cdb7849304e7f.zip"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"How does historical culture shape the village clusters: Multi-dimensional Network and cluster analysis in Xinghua rural areas, China","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"historical culture, traditional village clusters, rural space, spatial network, morphology agglomeration, gravity model","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924762/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7924762/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"This study aims to explore how historical and cultural heritage can serve as a key spatial force to reshape the network structure and agglomeration patterns of village clusters. 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