Spatial Pattern of Traditional Villages in Remote Mountainous Areas and Their Development Potential Assessment: The Case of Enshi, China

Abstract

Remote mountainous areas, due to their unique geographical and climatic environments, have ideal conditions for the preservation of traditional villages. However, economic development is also limited as a result. Rationally utilizing traditional village resources to drive economic development in remote mountainous areas is a key topic in academic research. This paper explores the spatial pattern and spatial evolution mechanisms of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture by factor analysis and K-means clustering algorithm. It proposes a preliminary method for evaluating the development potential of traditional villages based on influencing factors of their evolution, considering four aspects: (1) Traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture were mainly formed in the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. (2) Through the study of the spatial pattern of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, water systems, ethnic compositions, road network densities, and national policies have significant impacts. (3) A preliminary assessment of the development potential of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture shows that there are 25 high-potential villages, 58 medium-potential villages, and 9 low-potential villages. Corresponding construction strategies are proposed for each category. This study revealed the influencing factor of the spatial pattern of traditional villages, underscoring the sustainable development and offering practical guidance for traditional villages in remote mountainous areas.

1. Introduction

Traditional villages, also known as ancient villages, are villages that possess tangible and intangible cultural heritages and have high historical, cultural, scientific, artistic, social, and economic value [1,2,3]. As important material carriers of natural and cultural heritage, traditional villages have unique natural environments and ecological resources, and they are characterized by diversity and integration. Traditional villages play an important role in advancing the rural revitalization strategy in the new era and in helping the tourism industry to break through the current development “bottleneck”. However, with the advancement of urbanization, a new rural construction boom has emerged in many places in China, and a large number of traditional villages have been changed or even destroyed to varying degrees. This is because too much emphasis has been placed on transforming the external material environment of villages, to the detriment of village social governance and cultural reconstruction; unsustainable development of villages occurs as a result.

In China, most traditional villages are distributed in remote mountainous areas, hilly regions, and along riverbanks. Due to poor transport links with these villages, they have been relatively well preserved in the course of history [4]. However, due to the constraints of natural conditions and limited infrastructure foundations, the economic and social development of such areas has long been slow. In these areas, agriculture operates in a natural cycle within a closed space [5]. Although it is the leading industry in these areas, it has failed to achieve significant development, leading to the loss of rural vitality and a “hollowing out” of industries and the rural population [2]. Developing both tourism resources and industries in traditional villages in remote mountainous areas can provide new sources of income for local residents, promote economic development, and narrow the urban-rural gap. It will also help to attract the return of talented individuals and inject new vitality into rural revitalization.

Early international research on traditional villages mainly focused on settlement geography, analyzing the spatial layout [6], form, and structure of settlements [7]. Many European and other countries have come to regard rural tourism as a way to tackle poverty and guarantee the long-term sustainability of local economies [8]. However, some researchers have argued that research on sustainable tourism in rural areas has mainly focused on the development of tourism instead of addressing the needs of local residents [9]. Therefore, research on sustainable tourism development has not thoroughly analyzed tourism as a development strategy, although it has provided suggestions for improving the effectiveness of tourism development in local communities [10].

Chinese scholars have obtained key insights into the protection and development of traditional villages. In terms of research scale, studies have been conducted on the macro scale of provincial scope [1,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20], the meso scale of a regional perspective [21], and the micro perspective for a single village [17,22]. In terms of research content, these studies have included resource analysis, value assessment, cultural landscape, and the classification and regional protection of traditional villages. Most existing research focuses on the current development status of traditional villages and the possibility of cultural and tourism industry development. Some studies constructed a tourism development potential evaluation system for traditional villages from three aspects [23]. Other studies proposed an evaluation system and influencing factor model for traditional village cultural tourism integration to provide guidance for rural revitalization [24]. There are relatively few studies conducting predictive assessments of traditional village resources to promote their healthy and orderly development in the future. Remote mountainous areas face challenges such as high development difficulty and elevated costs. Therefore, it is particularly important to conduct assessments of development potential in traditional villages in this area within the early stage of development. The assessment is conducive to identifying areas where the village has a competitive advantage and areas that require further investment or development, which is significant for formulating differentiated development strategies for traditional villages. It ensures that the unique characteristics and values of traditional villages are maintained while also promoting economic growth and improving the living standards of residents.

In this paper, the first six batches of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, a typical representative case of a remote mountainous area, have been selected as the re-search object. The purpose is to explore the historical context of the formation of these villages, analyze in detail their spatial pattern, focus on the main influencing factors, and further evaluate the future development potential of each village. The study innovatively revealed the influencing factor of the spatial pattern of traditional villages concerning, which provides a comprehensive understanding of the village’s capabilities and in turn can inform strategic planning and decision-making. The explanation of the spatial pattern of traditional villages provides theoretical support and practical guidance for the protection and development strategies of traditional villages in remote mountainous areas, serving to promote the overall progress and sustainable development of rural construction in China.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Study Area

Located in the remote mountainous area in the southwest of Hubei Province (Figure 1), Enshi Prefecture is adjacent to Wushan Mountain in the west and borders Chongqing Municipality. It extends to Wuling Mountain in the south and shares a border with Hunan Province. With an average altitude of approximately 1000 m, it is situated in the transitional zone between the first and second steps of China’s terrain. The area features high mountains, long distances between settlements, and a sparse population.

Enshi Prefecture is a typical multi-ethnic-inhabited area. Through the development of the ancient Ba culture and the inheritance and innovation of multi-ethnic cultures, traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture have emerged, carrying the rich cultural heritage of ethnic groups such as the Tujia nationality. However, limited by geo-graphical location and resources, Enshi Prefecture has a relatively low overall urbanization level. There are significant disparities in development between different counties and cities, and economic development remains sluggish. In summary, Enshi Prefecture is an economically underdeveloped region that combines mountainous areas, ethnic areas, and poverty-stricken areas. The village landscapes in this area are well preserved, with unique historical and cultural connotations and architectural styles. They have high scientific research value and are precious resources for promoting economic development in Enshi Prefecture.

2.2. Data Sources

The village data used in this study come from the first six groups of the List of Traditional Chinese Villages announced by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the Ministry of Culture, and the Ministry of Finance of China. A total of 92 traditional villages in eight counties of Enshi Prefecture were selected as the research objects. The vector map of administrative divisions of Enshi Prefecture, river data, and major highway and major railway data all come from the Resources and Environ-mental Science Data Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Information on scenic spots in Enshi Prefecture comes from the People’s Government of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture. The first two batches of the list of characteristic villages of ethnic minorities in China come from the State Ethnic Affairs Commission of the People’s Republic of China; the list of national forest villages comes from the official web-site of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration; the list of key rural tourism villages in China comes from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the People’s Republic of China; the list of the first three batches of demonstration villages for rural governance in China comes from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People’s Republic of China; the list of famous tourism towns and villages in Hubei comes from the official website of the Hubei Provincial People’s Government. The 12.5 m resolution terrain data come from the Geospatial Data Cloud website. Data such as economy, history and culture, and ethnic composition of villages in Enshi Prefecture come from statistical yearbooks, government websites, local chronicles, and related works.

2.3. Methods

2.3.1. Style Structure Method

Basic information on the first six batches of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture was obtained by consulting the list of traditional Chinese villages, relevant government materials, and historical documents. Excel software (Office 2021) was used to conduct in-depth and systematic mathematical and statistical analysis of the traditional villages. The data obtained included names, formation periods, ethnic compositions, and honorary titles. This method was able to clarify the differences between villages and was helpful for the quantification of subsequent impact factors.

2.3.2. Entropy Weight Method

In order to facilitate the calculation of influencing factor weights, we need to process some information data of traditional villages in a hierarchical manner (

Table 1. List of affecting factors.

Influencing Factors	Acting Factors	Data Classification
Natural environment	Elevation	0–500 m, 500–1000 m, 1000–1500 m, and 1500–2000 m
	Gradient	0–5 degrees, 6–15 degrees, 16–25 degrees, and 26–35 degrees
	Water system	Villages are divided into two categories based on whether water sources appear in the floor plans of each village.
Historical evolution	Ethnic composition	Villages are divided into six grades according to the number of ethnic groups of villagers.
	Formation ages	Villages are divided into four grades according to their formation years.
Geographic location	Road network density	Use actual calculated value
	Transposition hubs	Villages are divided into four grades according to the distance from transportation hubs being less than 5 km, 5–10 km, 10–15 km, and more than 15 km.
	Scenic spot	Villages within 5 km of national scenic spots at level 3A or above are regarded as villages with scenic spot advantages, and the rest are general villages.
National policy	Policy measure	traditional villages that have obtained at least one of the titles such as “Characteristic Villages of Ethnic Minorities in China”, “National Forest Villages”, “Key Rural Tourism Villages in China” are regarded as villages with policy advantages, and the rest are general villages.

).

The entropy weight method is an objective data analysis method for determining the weight (importance) of each variable, calculated based on information entropy theory.

(1)

Assume there are m objects to be evaluated and n evaluation indicators, forming the original data matrix X = $\left\{x_{ij}\right\}$, i = 1, 2, …, m; j = 1, 2, …, n. In this paper, m is equal to 92, represents the number of villages. And n is equal to 9, representing the number of acting factors.

(2)

Data standardization

For positive indicators (the larger the indicator value, the better):

$$Y_{ij}={\displaystyle \frac{X_{ij}-\min \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}}{\max \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}-\min \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}}}$$

(1)

For negative indicators (the smaller the indicator value, the better):

$$Y_{ij}={\displaystyle \frac{\max \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}-X_{ij}}{\max \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}-\min \left\{x_{1j},x_{2j},\dots ,x_{mj}\right\}}}$$

(2)

Obtain the standardized matrix Y = $\left\{y_{ij}\right\}$.

(3)

Calculate the proportion of each sample value under each indicator:

$$p_{ij}={\displaystyle \frac{y_{ij}}{{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^m{y}_{ij}}}$$

(3)

(4)

Calculate the entropy value of the j-th indicator:

$$e_j=-k{\displaystyle \sum }_{i=1}^m{p}_{ij}\ln \left(p_{ij}\right), k={\displaystyle \frac{1}{\ln m}}$$

(4)

(5)

Calculate the coefficient of variation of the j-th indicator

$$g_j=1-e_j$$

(5)

(6)

Calculate the weight of each indicator:

$${\omega }_j={\displaystyle \frac{g_j}{{{\displaystyle \sum }}_{i=1}^n{g}_j}}$$

(6)

Among the acting factors selected in this paper, water system, ethnic composition, road network density, scenic spot and policy measures are positive indicators, the remaining factors are negative indicators. X = $\left\{x_{ij}\right\}$ represents the raw data of various influencing factors for each village, Y = $\left\{y_{ij}\right\}$ represents the optimized data after standardization. ${\omega }_j$ is the calculated weight of each acting factor.

2.3.3. Factor Analysis

Factor analysis is used to calculate the comprehensive value of the development potential of the villages. After the results are obtained, the 92 traditional villages are ranked to analyze the comprehensive development potential of each traditional village in the future.

$$P_{ij}={{\displaystyle \sum }}_{j=1}^n{\omega }_j\left\{x_{ij}\right\}$$

(7)

where Pij represents the comprehensive evaluation value of the development potential of the i-th village. ${\omega }_j$ represents the weight of each indicator, $\left\{x_{ij}\right\}$ represents the corresponding scores of each indicator.

2.3.4. K-Means Clustering Algorithm

The K-means clustering algorithm is an unsupervised learning clustering method used to divide a data set into K clusters. It is simple and intuitive with a clear spatial division, and it can divide a large amount of data into clusters within a relatively short period of time. Based on the development potential scores of each village, this method was used to divide traditional villages into three categories: high potential, medium potential, and low potential, in order to propose construction strategies for traditional villages with different development potentials.

3. Temporal Context of the Formation of Traditional Villages

3.1. Initial Formation: From the Qin Dynasty to the Song Dynasty

As early as the pre-Qin period, ancestors settled in the area of Enshi Prefecture and began their arduous journey of production and daily life. However, given the harsh natural environment, the limited material resources meant that it was difficult for villages of a certain scale to emerge. Through the comprehensive examination and analysis of the various literature materials, it can be concluded that the native residents of Enshi Prefecture gradually settled there during the relatively stable hundreds of years after the Tang and Song Dynasties. Immigrant ethnic groups that successively migrated to Enshi Prefecture and indigenous ethnic groups mainly composed of the Gelao nationality jointly developed and utilized natural resources, and these groups mutually accommodated and adjusted to each other in terms of lifestyle and customs [25]. At the same time, the central government intensified its development efforts in the so-called “barbarian” areas, established military farms, recruited people to cultivate the land, and introduced advanced production methods from the Central Plains region. These initiatives significantly promoted the formation and development of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture [26].

3.2. Stable Pattern: From the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty

During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, Enshi Prefecture entered the era of Tusi politics. Within the Tusi system, the central dynasty and the Tusi mutually utilized and relied on each other. The territories occupied by powerful and influential families were stable, and the separatist situation improved to a certain extent. In the Yuan Dynasty, a total of nine new traditional villages emerged, mostly formed by refugees and forcibly resettled immigrants. Following a period of social unrest, the prelude to “Jiangxi fills Hunan and Hubei, and Hunan and Hubei fill Sichuan” began at the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty. Recruiting refugees, registering the population, and expanding taxes were the top priorities of the imperial court. In the Ming Dynasty, 16 new traditional villages were added, totaling 25 in the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The Ming Dynasty improved the Tusi system on the basis of the Yuan Dynasty. In order to strengthen the control of the central government over the Tusi areas, the Ming Dynasty also set up guards in Enshi Prefecture. The soldiers of the guards and their families accounted for a considerable proportion of the immigrants in the Ming Dynasty. The increased population promoted the development of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture.

3.3. Suffering Turmoil: The Late Ming–Early Qing Dynasties

In the late Ming Dynasty, numerous peasant uprisings broke out in Enshi Prefecture. However, due to the limitations of the peasant class, strategic mistakes, and the intense suppression by the Qing troops and the landlord class, the peasant uprisings ended in failure. This was also the main reason why most of the Tusi in the western Hubei area during the Qing Dynasty originated from the peasant uprising army. At the same time, many foreigners migrated to places such as Hefeng and Pengshui to avoid the war, including the Mongols and Bai people. In addition to the external factor of war, internal factors such as natural disasters (including floods, tiger disasters, and plagues) also caused population loss. A large number of immigrants settled in the transportation artery areas of eastern Sichuan and western Hubei, and some even went deep into the river valley flats in the mountains [27]. The number of villages formed during this period was relatively small at only six. There were three main migration patterns and outcomes: First, people moved to remote mountainous areas that were difficult for the ruling power to reach in order to avoid the war; second, they moved to places including the Jianghan Plain and Sichuan in response to the decree of “Immigrants filling Sichuan” issued by the Qing government; third, they died from disasters.

3.4. Prosperous Development: After the Abolition of the Tusi System in the Qing Dynasty

The development and sustainability of traditional villages are inseparable from the support of a relatively stable social environment. The Qing Dynasty first continued and improved the Tusi system of the Ming Dynasty, before then vigorously implementing the important measure of the abolition of the Tusi system. As recorded in historical records, “The elders and children of the indigenous people are jubilant and have presented petitions to express their gratitude. From then on, the indigenous people have long enjoyed the joy of light corvee and low taxes”. This transformation achieved a dual organic integration of the system and culture, playing a significant role in promoting the consolidation and long-term development of a multi-ethnic country [28]. The number of traditional villages increased by 57 during this period, driven by the stable and reliable economic development foundation and the inclusive and diverse cultural integration during this period.

4. Influencing Factors of the Spatial Pattern of Traditional Villages

Drawing on existing research, it can be concluded that the natural environment [11,12,13,14,15], historical evolution [15,18], geographical location [3,4], economic development [3,11], and national policies [29,30] are the main factors influencing the spatial pattern of traditional villages (Figure 2). Among the natural environment factors, altitude, slope, and water system affect the site selection and layout of traditional villages. Historical evolution factors, including ethnic composition and formation age, significantly influence the architectural style and customs of the villages, thereby shaping their unique historical and cultural connotations. With the advancement of urbanization, increased investment in the construction of rural transportation infrastructure has led to denser rural road networks, improved road grades, and a significant improvement in traffic conditions. The geographical location factor covers the accessibility of traditional villages to roads, transportation hubs, and scenic spots, which can serve as indicators of the development potential of the villages. National policies encourage social participation in protection efforts by implementing protection and development measures. The aim is to ensure the renovation, repair, relocation, and development of traditional villages to promote their sustainable development. Economic development determines the living and production mode of villagers in traditional villages, and this influence runs through the evolution process of traditional villages.

Since the data in this study are difficult to accurately measure in terms of their specific degree of influence on the spatial pattern of villages, this can be determined through variable conversion. However, it is more difficult to quantify the economic development status of each village. Therefore, economic factors will not be included in the subsequent calculations.

These influencing factors also interact with each other [29]; affected by factors such as terrain and transportation, the economic development of villages is limited to a certain extent. In this study, a superior geographical location can bring more possibilities for the industrial development of traditional villages but also lead to an imbalance in the implementation of national policies. Good socio-economic development is conducive to allocating funds for the conservation and repair of traditional villages but also inevitably brings the risk of excessive development. To sum up, the spatial evolution of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture is a complex and dynamic process jointly influenced by multiple factors over a long period.

4.1. Natural Environment

In the early stage of the formation of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, they were mainly influenced by natural environmental factors. The directions of mountains and rivers dominated the forms of the villages. When choosing the village sites, villagers would fully consider the natural environment and live near mountains and rivers. To quantify the specific impact of topographic and geomorphic features on the spatial distribution of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, first use the slope function in ArcGIS to convert the elevation data into slope data, then superimpose the elevation and slope data with the point data of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, and the elevation and slope data of each village were obtained through spatial connection (Figure 3a).

Enshi Prefecture is home to the Wuling and Wushan mountain ranges. The terrain is complex, with steep peaks and deep gullies. An in-depth analysis of DEM data and Google Earth three-dimensional image materials, combined with information on the topographic conditions, shows that mountain-top villages account for the smallest number of villages in the data set (Figure 3b). The reason for this is that the increase in altitude leads to steep terrain and harsh climatic conditions, thereby increasing the difficulty of village construction. However, these conditions are favorable for the conservation of the original style of traditional villages. Mid-mountain villages account for the largest number of villages in the data set, mainly benefiting from the comprehensive ad-vantages of constructability, defensibility, and cultivability of this terrain. The distribution of other site selection types is affected by the overall topographic features of Enshi Prefecture and the later urbanization development process.

There are several important rivers in Enshi Prefecture, such as the Qingjiang River and the Youshui River. These rivers meander through the mountains, providing an important source of water for local agricultural irrigation and domestic water use [3]. The geographical location of the water system layout strongly influences the spatial form of the villages (

Table 2. The location types of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture are based on water systems.

Type	Adjacent Type	Interspersed Type	Surrounding Type
Feature	One side of the village is close to a wide water system. The village usually develops longitudinally along it but keeps a certain distance due to flood concerns.	A water system runs through the village, villagers build residences along. It is a sub-tributary, enabling bridge-building for communication.	Such water systems have a large curvature in flow. They surround the village periphery or divide its interior into small clusters.
Number	13	15	9

). Based on the positional relationship between the water system and the villages, the site selection of traditional villages was divided in this study into adjacent type, interspersed type, and surrounding type. In the period before the development of road transportation, water transportation was a crucial mode of travel in the Enshi Prefecture area.

In order to facilitate the calculation of influencing factor weights in terms of the natural environment, water systems were divided into two categories based on whether water sources appear in the floor plans of each village. Comprehensively considering the actual data of the altitude slope of 92 villages and the altitude slope classification standard formulated by the China Agricultural Zoning Committee, the slopes of each village were divided into four grades of 0–5 degrees, 6–15 degrees, 16–25 degrees, and 26–35 degrees based on the slope grades of cultivated land in China. The altitude was divided into 0–500 m, 500–1000 m, 1000–1500 m, and 1500–2000 m according to the prevailing classification standards.

4.2. Historical Evolution

The historical evolution of Enshi Prefecture influences aspects such as the form, architectural style, ethnic composition, production, and lifestyle of traditional villages. In order to consolidate its ruling territory, the central government adopted the policy of “governing the barbarians with the barbarians” in the southwestern Hubei region since the Tang Dynasty. Among them, the chieftain system implemented during the Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties had the greatest influence on regional governance. According to the different ruling systems, the eight counties of Enshi Prefecture were divided into three categories: inland areas, areas jointly managed by chieftain and flow officials, and chieftain areas (Figure 4).

The overlay analysis of the division result map and the distribution map of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture indicates that the number of traditional villages in areas jointly managed by chieftain and flow officials and chieftain areas is significantly larger than that in other areas. This finding is not accidental but stems from the close relationship between factors such as site selection, layout, architectural style, and historical and cultural value of traditional villages and the lives of ethnic minorities. Specifically, the ratio of ethnic minority population in these two types of areas is relatively large, and their lifestyles, cultural customs, and esthetic concepts have had a profound impact on the formation and development of traditional villages. In terms of historical features, villages were divided in this study into four grades according to their formation years, while ethnic composition was divided into six grades according to the number of ethnic groups of villagers.

4.3. National Policies

As an essential carrier of a long history and splendid culture, the future development of traditional villages has a close association with the guidance and support provided by national policies (

Table 3. A list of honors of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture.

Honorary Title	Names of Traditional Villages	Number	Publication Year
Characteristic Villages of China’s Ethnic Minorities	Huangbo Village in Laifeng County, Hukou Village in Enshi City, Malüxi Village in Xianfeng County, Jinlongba Village in Enshi City, Shuijing Village in Lichuan City, Niudongping Village in Badong County, Qingyangba Village in Xuan’en County, Shepanxi Village in Xianfeng County, Shemihu Village in Laifeng County, Xing’an Village in Laifeng County, Shiqiao Village in Laifeng County, Xishan Village in Hefeng County	12	2017
National Forest Village	Erguanzhai Village in Enshi City, Qingyangba Village in Xuan’en County, Lianghekou Village in Xuan’en County, Liangxihe Village in Xuan’en County, Yumu Village in Lichuan City, Malüxi Village in Xianfeng County, Banshajie Village in Laifeng County, Xishan Village in Hefeng County, Qingshuitang Village in Xuan’en County, Tangyasi Village in Xianfeng County, Heidongtang Village in Laifeng County	11	2019
Key Villages for Rural Tourism Nationwide	Erguanzhai Village in Enshi City, Niudongping Village in Badong County	2	2019
National rural governance demonstration villages	Shiqiao Village in Laifeng County, Erguanzhai Village in Enshi City	2	2019

). National policies play an important role in resource investment, planning guidance, cultural protection, and social attention. Since the emergences of the concept of “traditional villages” in 2012, China has introduced a series of policies on the conservation and development of traditional villages yearly, committing to promote their sustainable development. These policies are mainly divided into two categories: protection and development.

Among the protection-oriented policies, the “Guiding Opinions on Accelerating the Protection of Traditional Villages” in 2014 clearly put forward basic principles, goals, and measures for protecting traditional villages. Since 2020, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development has organized and carried out work on the centralized and contiguous conservation and utilization of traditional villages. In addition, the state has also established special funds for the protection of traditional villages, such as special funds for village protection and funds for supporting the construction of national characteristic villages at the village level. These policies have provided strong support for the protection of traditional villages.

Development-oriented policies have a strategic plan for rural revitalization at their core, aiming to enhance the livability and business viability of traditional villages. An example is the “Implementation Plan for Rural Construction Actions” promulgated in 2022. Enshi Prefecture has adopted a five-step approach to actively promote high-quality development in ethnic villages and vigorously develop characteristic industries such as rural tourism, thereby promoting economic progress in traditional villages. The “14th Five-Year Plan” of each county and city clearly emphasizes the need for comprehensive innovation in rural governance and the further deepening of rural reforms. In recent years, many traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture have received numerous honors, which have helped to highlight local advantages, attract tourists, promote the development of characteristic industries, stimulate the coordinated development of surrounding areas, and foster a positive situation of regional linkage.

In terms of policies, traditional villages that have obtained at least one of the titles, such as “Characteristic Villages of Ethnic Minorities in China”, “National Forest Villages”, “Key Rural Tourism Villages in China”, and “Demonstration Villages for Rural Governance in China” were regarded in this study as villages with policy advantages, and the remainder were viewed as general villages.

4.4. Geographical Location

A favorable geographical location provides convenient transportation and efficient information circulation, which is conducive to cultural inheritance and tourism development, attracts investment and talents, creates employment and increases in-come, and promotes the prosperous development of villages. This study breaks down geographical location into three factors for analysis: roads, transportation hubs, and scenic spots.

Roads are the bridges for economic and social communication between traditional villages and the outside world. The distribution map of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture and the distribution map of roads at all levels in Enshi Prefecture were superimposed for analysis, and a road network density calculation was carried out for general roads (Figure 5). Finally, the corresponding road network density values of each village were obtained through spatial connection. The results show that the road network density values of most traditional villages are less than 46 km/100 km², the road network is relatively sparse, and the transportation supply capacity is relatively limited.

Transportation hubs are important for promoting the multi-faceted development of traditional villages. Buffer zone analyses were carried out for traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture and the eight transportation hubs in Enshi Prefecture within the ranges of 5 km, 10 km, and 15 km (Figure 6). The results indicate that only a small number of traditional villages are located within the buffer zone, but most of them are within the 15 km buffer zone. Thus, it is evident that the accessibility between traditional villages and transportation hubs is not satisfactory. Among the eight counties and cities in Enshi Prefecture, the village conditions in Laifeng County and Xianfeng County are relatively good. In the subsequent influencing factor calculation process, villages were divided into four grades according to the distance from transportation hubs being less than 5 km, 5–10 km, 10–15 km, and more than 15 km.

Traditional villages with scenic spots nearby can obtain more development re-sources, such as richer economic sources, more complete infrastructure, and more employment opportunities. Villages close to scenic spots can conveniently utilize the tourism resources and tourist flow of the scenic spots. After visiting the scenic spots, if tourists have spare time, they are usually willing to explore the surrounding villages, experience the local culture and customs, and purchase agricultural and sideline products. Scenic spots of grade 3A and above refer to those evaluated according to the national quality grading standards for tourist scenic spots. These scenic spots usually have high tourism value, including aspects such as history, culture, and natural scenery, and can meet the tourism needs of tourists. Buffer zone analysis was conducted for all scenic spots of grade 3A and above in Enshi Prefecture within a 5 km range (Figure 7). The results show that 14 villages are located within the buffer zone and have good advantages for tourism development in terms of geographical location. Among them, Shuijing Village in Lichuan City and Erguanzhai Village in Enshi City have become star-level scenic spots. For some other villages, such as Malüxi Village in Xianfeng County, the construction of scenic spots is progressing rapidly. In the subsequent influencing factor calculation process, those within 5 km of national scenic spots at level 3A or above were regarded as villages with scenic spot advantages, and the remainder were considered general villages.

5. Result

5.1. Significance of the Influencing Factors on the Spatial Pattern of Traditional Villages

By considering the action characteristics of each influencing factor and the variable conversion results, the entropy weight method was used to calculate the weight of each influencing factor. The weight calculation results of these eight influencing factors are as follows (

Table 4. The judgment results of the significance of the acting factors of the spatial pattern of traditional villages.

Influencing Factors	Weight (%)	Acting Factors	Weight (%)
Natural environment	20.931	Elevation	1.218
		Gradient	1.562
		Water system	18.151
Historical evolution	20.077	Ethnic composition	17.995
		Formation ages	2.082
Geographic location	20.258	Road network density	15.342
		Transposition hubs	0.726
		Scenic spot	4.190
National policy	38.734	Policy measure	38.734

).

The results show that national policies have the most significant impact on the development of traditional villages. The future development of traditional villages is inseparable from the guidance and support of national policies. National policies have a significant impact on the development of traditional villages in remote mountainous areas because they play an important role in resource investment, planning guidance, cultural protection, and social attention. Among the natural environmental factors, water systems have the greatest impact because water sources provide the basic conditions for villagers to realize their livelihoods and production. Within the historical evolution factors, ethnic composition has the highest impact because only when people of different ethnic groups live together in villages can a diverse cultural landscape with rich cultural connotations of traditional villages be formed. Among the geographical location factors, road network density has the most obvious impact. A reasonable road network density can increase the connectivity between villages and the outside world, enhancing the economic vitality of villages. Despite regional differences in the spatial pattern of traditional villages, there are certain commonalities in the factors affecting their distribution. By comparing it with previous related studies, it can be seen that the policy factors have the largest weights, followed by the geographical location factor. This shows that our research results are highly scientific and have certain reference values.

5.2. The Development Potential of Traditional Villages

Correctly understanding the development potential of villages is the basic prerequisite for good development of villages in the future. Based on the calculation of the original scores and weights of various influencing factors, the development potential values of each village were initially obtained. Then, using the K-means clustering analysis method, they were divided into three types: high-potential type, medium-potential type, and low-potential type (Figure 8a).

The results show that there are 25 high-potential villages, 58 medium-potential villages, and 9 low-potential villages (Figure 8b). This confirms that there are currently fewer high-potential villages in Enshi Prefecture. Most of them are medium-potential villages, making overall development more difficult. At the county level, there are significant differences in the development potential of villages in various counties and cities of Enshi Prefecture. Xuan’en County has the largest number of villages with high development potential, and the overall development conditions of its villages are relatively good. Lichuan City has the largest number of villages with medium development potential, followed by Laifeng County (Figure 8c). This indicates that this area has relatively good development conditions in some aspects, but there is still much room for improvement. The development potential of villages in the other five counties and cities is generally poor. Subsequent in-depth investigations and studies are needed to identify the key factors restricting the development of their villages and formulate corresponding countermeasures.

At the village level, high-potential villages typically feature large-scale ancient architectural complexes with profound cultural connotations. They hold significant advantages for tourism brand building and have irreplaceable value for the development of tourism resources. For example, Qingyangba Village in Xuan’en County is home to Qingyang Pavilion Street, which was built in the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. In recent years, this ancient street has driven the development of tourism and livestreaming industries. For villages ranked in the middle, the richness and quality of their tourism resources are inferior to those of the leading villages, and their architectural and cultural heritage characteristics have not yet been prominently showcased. Villages ranked at the bottom often have poor geographical conditions such as high altitude and large slope changes, which lead to difficulties in development; as a result, their development potential is less promising.

Given the large number of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture and that the survival status of each village varies significantly, different development measures should be implemented for different types of traditional villages. For high-potential villages, village infrastructure should be further improved, and villagers should be mobilized to participate in the development and management of the village. Combined with local advantages, reasonable planning and brand building for overall development should be carried out. For medium-potential villages, their advantages and dis-advantages should be identified to achieve maximizing strengths and avoid weaknesses. Regional pilot development could be carried out to avoid blind follow-up development. For low-potential villages, in addition to receiving policy support, the villages themselves should actively explore characteristic development paths. They can also pursue regional linkage development with surrounding medium and high-potential villages to realize resource sharing and complementary advantages.

6. Discussions

6.1. Main Findings

This study employed technical software such as ArcGIS10.7 and SPSS19.0 to study the origin, spatial pattern, and influencing factors of 92 traditional villages in the first six batches in Enshi Prefecture. The main findings are as follows:

(1)

The traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture were mainly formed during the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, showing a stepped development. The development context can be summarized into four stages: “initial formation—stable pattern—tur-moil—prosperous development”. A total of 86% of the traditional villages were formed during the Ming and Qing dynasties, which is related to the historical population migration of “Migration from Hubei and Hunan to Sichuan, and from Jiangxi to Hubei and Hunan”.

(2)

Through the study of the spatial pattern of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture, the influencing factors can be classified as the natural environment, historical evolution, economic development, geographical location, and national policies. The spatial evolution of traditional villages is the consequence of the joint action of many influencing factors. Among them, the water system (in the natural environment factor), ethnic composition (in the historical evolution factor), road network density (in the geographical location factor), and national policies have significant influences on the spatial evolution of traditional villages. They are the main driving forces that have promoted changes in the spatial pattern of Enshi Prefecture.

(3)

Traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture can be divided into high-potential villages, medium-potential villages, and low-potential villages according to the assessment of development conditions. Among them, medium- and low-potential villages account for the majority, and their overall development difficulty is relatively high. However, these villages are located in favorable natural environments, and they contain distinct architectural features and unique cultural connotations. If sufficient funds are invested by the government, supplemented by scientific and reasonable development plans, the future development prospects of the villages will show a positive and promising trend.

6.2. Limitations

This paper has presented an in-depth analysis of the origin, spatial pattern, and development potential of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture. The aim was to propose construction strategies for traditional villages with different development potentials and provide specific guiding opinions for the sustainable development of traditional villages and provide a valuable reference attempt for identifying the influencing factors of the future development of traditional villages in such areas.

However, the research has several limitations that need to be addressed in future research: (1) The traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture have distinct regional characteristics and ethnic minority cultures. This paper has not provided enough detail in the historical review of the villages and the description of the ethnic composition, and it has not explored how the location of each village was determined by its ethnic attributes. (2) In analyzing the spatial evolution process of traditional villages and deter-mining an evaluation system for village development potential, this paper still lacks in-depth discussion on multiple factors such as population flow, infrastructure, and industrial development. Further consideration is needed on how to quantify these factors. (3) The influencing factors of the development potential of traditional villages also interact with each other. Therefore, the future development of villages is a complex process in which many factors play a role over a long period. This paper is insufficient in explaining the interaction between different influencing factors. (4) Given the large number of traditional villages in Enshi Prefecture with different development potentials, a key question for future research is how to implement reasonable protection measures while realizing the activation and sustainable development of villages and stimulating their endogenous driving forces.