Spatial Distribution and Influence Factors of Chinese Traditional Villages

Based on the publicly announced first 646 traditional villages, this study applied the methods of data analysis and spatial structure research to analyze the provincial, zonal and ethnological distribution of traditional Chinese villages. It shows that, the spatial distribution of the first publicly announced Chinese traditional villages is extremely uneven, dispersed in five major areas,with more in Southeast China than West China, more Han villages in the East and more minority villages in the West. Natural geographical environment, current population distribution pattern, level of regional economic development, accumulation of historic and cultural heritages, as well as rules and standards in the definition of traditional villages are the main factors affecting the spatial distribution.