Reconstruction of Ethnic Villages Under the Intervention of Relocation: Functional Improvement and Suitability Enhancement: A Case Study of Yongcong Township in Liping County

Xiaojian Chen, Fangqin Yang, Jianwei Sun (), Lingling Deng, Jing Luo and Jiaxing Cui
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Xiaojian Chen: School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
Fangqin Yang: School of Economics, Guizhou University, Guiyang 550025, China
Jianwei Sun: School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
Lingling Deng: School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
Jing Luo: Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China
Jiaxing Cui: Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory of Geographical Process Analysis and Simulation, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-22

Abstract: Ethnic villages are a multidimensional interactive space between cultural inheritance and modernization; analyzing their spatial reconstruction is fundamental for promoting agricultural and rural modernization and sustainable ethnic development. This study examined ethnic villages in Yongcong Township, Liping Country, from 2016 to 2022, focusing on changes in function and suitability under relocation through a function and suitability evaluation index. Case comparisons were made between administrative villages with high functional and suitability levels and those with resettlement sites. In 2016, ethnic villages followed a growth pattern of Yongcong–Dundong–Guantuan, with low patch density, dispersed distribution, and simple shapes. By 2022, functionality and suitability significantly improved, with an increase in village patches and larger patch areas shifting toward spatial aggregation. Horizontally, land use within reconstruction boundaries diversified by function, whereas vertically, housing structures were reorganized: non-settlement villages retained traditional and modern types while settlement villages combined both, leading to a shift from functional singularity to multifunctionality. Relocation-induced reconstruction may lag local knowledge systems and reduce well-being. Initially, government-led suitability enhancement dominates; gradually, villages increasingly internalize regional identity and competitiveness. By analyzing post-relocation village reconstruction, this study supports the integration of ethnic and regional dynamics, achieving high-quality sustainable development in minority regions.

Keywords: relocation; ethnic villages; spatial reconstruction; land use transformation; housing structure; function enhancement; regional identity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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