How does historical culture shape the village clusters: Multi-dimensional Network and cluster analysis in Xinghua rural areas, China

This study aims to explore how historical and cultural heritage can serve as a key spatial force to reshape the network structure and agglomeration patterns of village clusters. Taking Xinghua City in China as a case study, this study systematically compares geographical and cultural factors to reveal the core role of historical culture in filling the limitations of a purely geographical perspective and promoting coordinated development of villages. The study constructed a dual analytical framework that integrates geographical foundations and cultural context. Firstly, a gravity model is constructed based on geographical factors such as village size, water system, and cultivated land, and geographic network and cluster analysis are conducted. Subsequently, incorporating the relationship between tangible and intangible cultural heritage, statutory cultural protection areas, and place name culture into the gravity model, constructing a cultural network, and conducting cluster identification. By comparing the spatial patterns, node levels, and connectivity structures of geographic networks and clusters with cultural networks and clusters, the unique influence of cultural factors is revealed. Research has found that: (1) There is a significant spatial mismatch between geography and cultural clusters, and cultural influence can transcend geographical barriers and form continuous cultural radiation belts; (2) Historical Culture, as a mechanism of selective reinforcement, significantly deepens the gravitational differences among individual villages, enabling villages with profound historical accumulation such as Duotian Aquatic Village to surpass their geographical limitations and become high-level nodes in the cultural network; (3) Historical and cultural gravity effectively repairs the discontinuity in connectivity strength in geographic networks by generating medium strength connections based on shared historical memory, reshapes the pattern of inter village associations, and presents a higher centripetal force and structural density in the network. The research provides a key scientific basis for the concentrated and contiguous protection of traditional Chinese villages and rural revitalization: planning practices must go beyond simple geographical proximity, prioritize the identification and activation of cultural networks based on common historical context, and guide resource optimization and regional coordinated development.