Multi-scalar Spatial Organization and Representation of Mausoleum Towns of the Western Han Dynasty Under the Concept of Holistic Protection
At the great national archaeological site in Xi'an,there is a wealth of cultural heritage,among which,the mausole-ums representative of the Western Han Dynasty serves as an important window for exploring the historical development of the dy-nasty.The multi-scalar spatial organization and representation of cities surrounding mausoleum of the Western Han Dynasty not only reflect the concept of integral development of early cities based on local conditions but also had the promotion effects on maintaining political stability,sustaining imperial power,and developing the framework for the capital city of Western Han Dynasty.Studying 11 mausoleum towns built for the emperors and their relatives during the Western Han Dynasty,using the methods of dual evidence and graphic analysis,and reviewing archaeological information and historical records and literature,this paper recon-structs the cultural and natural contexts before developing a spatial model to simulate the historical and geographical features of the imperial capital area of Western Han Dynasty in accordance to the historical development of the dynasty.Moreover,from the perspec-tives of the imperial capital area as a whole,the mausoleum integrated with its surrounding town,and the mausoleum town itself,this paper analyzes the organization and representation of the mausoleum town driven by its balanced,multifunctional roles.This study reveals that by building the mausoleum town,people were evacuated and protection was provided around Chang'an so that a system wherein the capital city would serve as the center of the Guanzhong Plain with surrounding cities providing auxiliary functions could be established.The mausoleum town were developed at different times at different locations in a well-organized man-ner,corresponding to the development plan for the capital city.Moreover,each mausoleum-surrounding city was consistently built in accordance with local environmental conditions.With their flexible site selection and adjustable sizes,the cities are integrated organi-cally with the mausoleum as a unified visual identity to create royal temperament,and embody ancient wisdom in maintaining the balance between two functions of the city,namely,to worship the mausoleum and urban living.Under the influence of mausoleum-related rites and rituals,many mausoleum towns had a rectangular layout with the most prestigious residents occupying the northern part of the city,which was divided into different districts by alleyways.However,when the moat and road networks of the cities were constructed and their different functions were designed,environmental factors which had negative impacts on the construction work were avoided or removed,showing a tendency to adapt the construction work to local conditions and requirements.This study reveals the urgency to holistically preserve the space of the great archaeological site of Chang'an of the Western Han Dynasty,and shows that mausoleum towns should not be ignored when preserving and interpreting the value of emperors'mausoleum of the Western Han Dynasty so that true historical information and important cultural implications of the emperors'mausoleum of Western Han Dynasty can be conveyed to the public.
mausoleum towns of the Western Han Dynastymulti-scalar spaceheritage valuewisdom in traditional construc-tionenvironmental adaptability
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