Location and Spatio-temporal Distribution Characteristics of Geomantic Pagodas in Guangdong and Jiangxi Based on GIS

摘要

Geomantic pagodas are evolved from Buddhist pagodas in the history of China. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, people attached importance to the imperial examination, so they were keen on construction of geomantic pagodas in landscapes to pray for good luck. This phenomenon was more obvious in southern China, especially in Guangdong and Jiangxi. In this paper, the location and spatiotemporal distribution of geomantic pagodas in Guangdong and Jiangxi were studied by using Google Earth and Arc GIS, combining with ASTER GDEM data. In addition, the effects of elevation, topographic profile and slope on site selection of geomantic pagodas were investigated to sum up the distribution and space environment characteristics of geomantic pagodas in Guangdong and Jiangxi, explore the relationship between geomantic pagodas structure and city landscape, and investigate the effects of spatio-temporal distribution of geomantic pagodas on city pattern.