Abstract:
Based on the theories of contemporary rural geography, cultural ecology, and new
archaeology, and starting with the settlement geography, this paper probes into the environmental
background, settlement patterns, and the farmland landscape of Gelao villages of Wuchuan County in
Guizhou Province from the perspective of human culture and space characteristics. Under the overall
environment background of Gelao villages, this paper conducts a series of in-depth research and analysis
of the landscape heterogeneity of the representative Longtan Village, such as the landscape composition,
spatial elements, road networks, and the residential style, through which we found the research value of
the landscape in Gelao villages, as well as many existing problems which seriously restrain its
development and protection. Therefore we carried out the overall planning for relics protection and
tourism development. which is expected to provide some references for seeking the suitable strategies to
preserve the landscape of ethnic mountain villages while developing agricultural tourism, and to find a
regional way to develop and protect the ethnic villages.