Identifying and Conserving Cultural Landscapes in a Mountain Traditional Village From a Relational Conservation Perspective: The Case of Hejiayan Village, Youyang, Chongqing

Abstract

This study falls within the category of applied research.This applied research aims to identify the cultural-landscape system of Hejiayan Village in Youyang, Chongqing, and to translate the diagnosis into operational conservation strategies. A mixed-method design was used, combining documentary analysis, spatial interpretation, field observation, photographic evidence, review of AHP weights and the K-prototypes classification of 59 traditional villages and 17 factors, and an object–relation–condition–pressure–response analysis. The results show that Hejiayan belongs to the mid-mountain natural–human-dominant type. Its core value lies not in isolated heritage sites but in a relational network connecting mountains, water systems, terraces, settlements, buildings, skills, and community use. Current risks are concentrated in discontinuities among water–soil processes, dwelling renewal, intangible-heritage transmission, and tourism use. The study proposes a three-level control system comprising core relational units, a production–living transition zone, and a peripheral coordination zone, supported by community co-governance and a versioned, multi-date database. The applied framework links regional typology, village-scale diagnosis, and adaptive monitoring without treating cluster membership as a conservation grade.