Research on settlement culture type and the characteristics in Guizhou Karst Area

This paper discusses composing factors and cultural layers of the settlement culture in Guizhou Karst Area in view of karst human-environment relationship. And then categorizes the settlement culture into 6 main types according to regional differentiation rules and combination of comprehensive analysis and leading factors. The major types involve valley settlements, hills ettlements, brook settlements, plain settlements and cave settlements as well as military outpost settlements. Special scattered pattern of the settlement is formed in karst valleys for the small space size and low environment capacity; influenced by the hill environment, typical hanging house or the Diaojiaolou is buil tc omplying with terrain in middle hill settlement, which forms the local architecture features; bead-string-shaped distribution along the river banks is formed in brook settlement for the higher environment capacity in the karst basin or valley; in plateau area, for the higher environment capacity and open space, multi national people live together and intensive village pattern settlement with frequently cultural exchanges is formed; because of the particularity of the cave environment, small settlement pattern is formed complying with the caves in cave settlement area; influenced by karst environment and human history, military outpost settlement culture mingled with the stone culture, Jiangnan culture and military cultural. This paper reveals the characteristics of different types of settlement, including settlement scale, settlement layout, settlement environment and building as well as life-style, in order to provide reference for exploiting Guizhou karst settlement culture rationally.