Formation and Morphology of Shantou Port Settlements Driven by Commerce
A port settlement is a commercial settlement on the coastal belt that develops around a port.Seaborne trade is the economic driver of port settlements.The port is equipped with two spatial elements:"port"and"market".The former refers to a seaport or estuary port,while the latter refers to the commercial market.Port settlements have always been a bridge for cultural communication and trade between China and foreign countries.Shantou,a modern trading port in China,is a settlement in the Han River basin in eastern Guangdong that has significantly influenced the national trade network and the Chaoshan town system.This study uses historical maps,economic history,and local records to examine the evolutionary pattern of the port settlements in the Han River Delta,reviewing the historical spatial development of Shantou through historical map translation and the architectural typology of the settlements,especially early in the Republic of China when the ports were dominated by commerce and formed through bottom-up power.The morphological features of Shantou port settlements are summarized from the perspectives of site selection laws,spatial structure,and the street system.The wisdom and diversified cultural values of human settlement construction in seaports are explored.The results can provide scientific references for developing and planning port settlements and protecting their heritage.The study concludes that there are three patterns in the spatial evolution of the port settlement cluster in the Han River Delta.First,important port settlements are distributed along tributaries of the Han River,with the highest density along the coast.Second,with changes in the navigation of different tributaries,the port settlements originated in the eastern tributaries of the Han River,dispersing into the western and northern tributaries of the river.Third,the locations of port settlements on the same tributary advanced from the hinterland to the coast with the outward relocation of ports.Seaborne trade played a vital role in the Chaoshan economy,with port settlements emerging in different stages and becoming an integral part of the Chaoshan urban system.However,their distribution layout has changed significantly along with the prosperity of Shantou.Shantou port settlements experienced the generation,development,and maturity stages from the Song Dynasty to the early Republic of China.According to the summary,the two most important mechanisms for developing port settlements are geography and commerce.The natural geographical conditions not only provided good ports and water transportation for the settlements but also limited their expansion and form.The demand for efficient transportation driven by trade and commerce determined the transportation patterns in the settlements.The morphological features of Shantou port settlements in the maturity stage are summarized from macro and meso perspectives.From the macro perspective,port settlements lie at the outlet of the Estuary Delta.These settlements have a broad economic hinterland due to the unique natural conditions of wind prevention and water depth at the confluence of three rivers and harbors.The settlements developed according to natural topography.The streets and port spaces,which have highly efficient communication with ports,dominate the spatial layout of port settlements,forming a circular landscape pattern of"sea-port-market-household".The north/south spatial division of the settlements put the Chinese in the north and foreigners in the south,with the center being the guild hall in the commercial district near the sea.From the meso perspective,the port settlements have highly mature commerce,thus forming two commercial blocks of retail and wholesale.The streets extend perpendicular to the harbor bank,forming multiple patterns such as radial,grid,and comb-like patterns.The morphology of Shantou port settlements is a part of the city's memory and unique landscape,which shall be protected and revitalized in the current urbanization.This review and summary of port settlement morphology will provide academic references for project planning and strengthen people's understanding of the settlements'diverse historical and cultural heritage.
port settlementssettlement morphologyShantouthe early Republic of China
万方数据
维普
