The development of rural ethnic culture resources is conducive to protecting the cultural characteristics of traditional ethnic villages and achieving the great goal of the industrialized utilization of rural cultural heritage resources as well. Oriented by the goal of rural revitalization, this article targets the characteristics and problems of the development of the Tujia village of Feng Xiang Xi in Guizhou Province. Employing the methods of field investigation and cultural gene identification, this paper analyzes the cultural genes of the Tujia ethnic identity and summarizes the characteristics of its spatial representation. It is essential for us to summarize the current difficulties of rural protection and development and clarify the relationship between cultural revitalization, rural revitalization, and sustainable development, which then puts forward a new path for rural revitalization, especially by virtue of the inheritance of the spatial cultural genes of the Tujia village. Specifically, the “protection of the cultural genes of the Tujia ethnic identity” is determined as the principal policy for rural development, the rural spatial structure is reconstructed based on the study tour of the Tujia village, and the public cultural space is reconstructed based on the inheritance and utilization of the cultural genes of Tujia. In the meantime, attention should be paid to orderly construction, and priority should be given to the construction of transportation and service facilities. Finally, it is expected that the research can provide an implementation path for rural revitalization with distinctive ethnic cultures.

Drought is the major factor that limits vegetation recovery in rocky desertification areas. The leaf carbon isotope (δ¹³C) value is related to plant water-use efficiency (WUE) and is of great significance in revealing the WUE characteristics of species in karst areas. Measurements of the δ¹³C value in plant leaves and the nutrient and water contents of lithologic soils were obtained for six woody species (cypress, Cupressus funebris Endl.; mansur shrub, Coriaria nepalensis Wall.; camphor, Cinnamomum bodinieri Levl.; birch, Betula luminifera H. Winkl.; alder, Alnus cremastogyne Burk. and dyetree, Platycarya longipes Wu.) planted in three different lithologic soil types (dolomite, dolomite sandstone, limestone) in the karst area of Guizhou Province. The results showed that C. funebris in the dolomite sandstone soil had the highest δ¹³C value (−27.19‰), whereas C. bodinieri in the limestone soil had the lowest δ¹³C value (−31.50‰). In terms of lithology, the average leaf δ¹³C values were −28.66‰ (dolomitic sandstone), −28.83‰ (dolomite), and −29.46‰ (limestone). The δ¹³C values of C. funebris and A. cremastogyne were significantly lower in the limestone soil than in the dolomite and dolomite sandstone soil, indicating that the WUE of some tree species is affected by soil conditions under different lithological development processes. Moreover, the relationship between the δ¹³C value in the leaves and the comprehensive soil conditions varied among the species, and the δ¹³C value was negatively correlated with the soil water content in all three soil types. Our study provides basic data on the composition characteristics of the δ¹³C value of tree species, which is beneficial for the selection of tree species for vegetation restoration and afforestation in karst areas.

Studying the relationship between vegetation structure and diversity is important in an area having karst topography and unique traditional customs. We selected a total of six traditional villages in Zunyi City, China, to collect vegetation data. Additionally, using one-way ANOVA and the Pearson correlation coefficient analytic method to analyze, the results showed that, overall, plant communities were mostly regularly distributed. The overall differentiation degree was low aggregation, intensity, and the extreme intensity mixed state. Overall, competitive pressure, growth vigor and stability were better than the natural forest. The community stability index at lower altitude was significantly higher than that at higher altitude. The recorded plant communities in the living space were typically aggregated, the plant communities were randomly distributed in the production space, and the plant communities were uniformly distributed in the ecological space. In general, the diversity indexes, except the Jh index, were the highest in the herb layer; the second was in the shrub layer and the lowest was in the tree layer. Species diversity at the middle altitude was higher than that at low and high altitudes (except for the shrub at a high altitude of 1100–1160 m). The overall plant species diversity was highest in the living space, second highest in the ecological space and lowest in the production space. On the whole, there was a significant correlation between the spatial structure of plant communities and the species diversity of plant communities at different altitudes, and in PLE spaces. The main objective of this study was to reveal the plant community structure, species diversity, and their relationship under the dual effects of national traditional culture and karst landform. Additionally, we sought to provide theoretical guidance for the construction of plant community protection and biodiversity conservation in traditional villages in karst areas.

Urban villages, as products of rapid urbanization, are crucial for understanding urban spatial forms and social vitality. Optimizing the public space network within these areas can enhance the human environment. This study constructs a public space network for urban villages based on the topological relationships between public spaces and road systems. A vitality network is developed using a composite vitality index, gravitational model, and entropy power methods. The interaction between these two networks is analyzed through a coupling coordination degree model. The findings reveal: (1)The morphology network exhibits low-density loosening with local agglomeration at the overall level, characterized by limited connectivity and low structural stability, with their influence and intermediation capacities remain unaligned at the individual level; (2)The vitality networks exhibit similar dispersion-clustering patterns but higher structural stability at the overall level, with consistency between node influence and intermediation capacities at the individual level; (3)The coupling and coordination between the two networks is weak, particularly in MeiKuang Villages, where the disparity is most pronounced; (4)The morphology network positively correlates with individual vitality measures, suggesting that network structure influences node vitality. These results provide insights into optimizing public space layouts in urban villages, offering both theoretical and practical guidance for improving spatial configurations to enhance quality and social vitality.

Due multiple influences, such as Tusi, Tunpu, and minority culture, Tunpu military towns in Southwest China have unique historical and cultural heritage. At present, the ancient Tunpu military towns are not widely known internationally. In order to understand the layout characteristics of Tunpu military buildings in southwest China since the Ming Dynasty, the spatial distribution and military attributes of Qingyan Ancient Town, a typical military town of Tunpu culture, are studied by using Thiessen polygons, fractal theories, and complex network methods. The findings indicate that architectural spaces in the six districts have high spatial self-similarity and low spatial complexity and are distributed in clusters primarily impacted by natural factors and supplemented by humanistic factors. The architectural space networks of the six districts have high stability, low vulnerability, poor balance, and high connectivity. They reflect its interior architectural layout, which is based on close cooperation between villagers and military, taking into account trade and cultural life. Differences in the functionality of buildings lead to differences in the connectivity of the spatial network of buildings; the hierarchical, graded, and differentiated characteristics of architectural spatial network connectivity are influenced by both nature and society. Non-military functions all serve or are subordinate to military functions. The spatial network connectivity of traditional settlement architecture reflects the interaction between nature and society. By studying a Tunpu military ancient town in the southwest, we can better understand the historical military activities, cultural connotations, social changes, and historical background of traditional settlements. The historical planning of the defence of traditional settlements both contributes to its cultural heritage and as an important reference and inspiration for modern planning and management.