Study Reveals Spatial Pattern of Tianshui's Folk Defensive Settlements

A team of Chinese researchers has systematically mapped and analyzed the cultural landscape of historic fortresses in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwestern China, shedding new light on a long-overlooked form of grassroots heritage. Using a combination of field investigations and geographic information technologies, the study identified 718 fortresses across the region, revealing their spatial distribution, historical significance, and the natural and social forces that shaped them. The findings, published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications also led to the creation of the first cultural landscape database of Tianshui fortresses, offering vital support for local cultural preservation and heritage tourism development.

Tianshui, often referred to as the "Land of a Thousand Fortresses," is home to a unique tradition of folk defensive settlements. Unlike formal state fortifications, these structures were built by villagers in times of unrest to safeguard communities against war, banditry, and instability. Their presence reflects centuries of human adaptation to conflict and environment, yet they have received little systematic scholarly attention until now.

Through remote sensing image interpretation, field surveys, historical literature, and questionnaires, the team cataloged fortresses averaging 5,338 square meters in size and spaced about 2.3 kilometers apart. Analysis showed that their distribution is highly clustered, with Tongwei, Wushan, and Gangu counties exhibiting particularly high densities. Kernel density analysis revealed hotspots where as many as 17 fortresses occupy just 100 square kilometers. Most structures are square, circular, or elliptical in shape, with their forms closely tied to topography—circular on hilltops, elliptical along ridges, and irregular where terrain demanded.

The researchers went further to uncover the mechanisms behind these patterns. They described a "force transmission chain" linking natural conditions to agricultural productivity, population capacity, settlement distribution, and ultimately fortress construction. This framework helps explain why fortresses arose where they did, tying cultural landscapes to both environment and human resilience.

The historical context adds another layer of significance. Many surviving fortresses were built during the Tongzhi era of the Qing Dynasty (1862–1874), when villagers sought protection amid the Shaanxi–Gansu Hui Rebellion. Additional waves of construction and reinforcement occurred in the Republican period, when warlord conflicts and banditry plagued the region. These sites embody the lived memory of past generations and a tangible record of rural strategies for survival.

"Our research shows that Tianshui's fortresses are not just relics of war but enduring symbols of community resilience and adaptation," said co-author WANG Shaohua from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chinese Academy of Sciences. "By documenting their distribution and the factors behind them, we aim to provide both theoretical insight and practical guidance for protecting this fragile cultural heritage."

The study's creation of the Tianshui Fortress Cultural Landscape Database marks an important step in addressing the research gap on folk defensive settlements in China. Comprising entity, environmental, geographic, and historical sub-databases, it lays a foundation for future scholarship while offering local authorities scientific tools to integrate heritage conservation with rural revitalization and sustainable tourism.

By drawing attention to these overlooked landscapes, the study not only enriches understanding of cultural evolution in northwestern China but also underscores the urgent need to safeguard traditions threatened by globalization.

The spatial distribution of existing fortresses in Tianshui, Gansu Province, northwester China. (Image by AIR)