A GIS-based study on the spatial distribution and influencing factors of monastic gardens in Jiangxi Province, China

Abstract

The temple gardens are an important human landscape and have an important position in the Chinese garden system. Using GIS analysis tools, primarily the Nearest Neighbor Index, Kernel Density Estimation, and Spatial Autocorrelation, and employing a Geographic Detector model, we analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics and influencing factors of 4,317 temples and gardens in Jiangxi Province. Research shows that: 1) The spatial distribution type of temple gardens in Jiangxi Province is agglomeration type, with large spatial differences in distribution, forming a spatial distribution pattern of “generally dispersed and concentrated in some areas”; 2) the distribution of temple gardens in Jiangxi Province is uneven. They are mostly distributed in five prefecture-level cities: Ganzhou, Jiujiang, Shangrao, Fuzhou, and Nanchang; 3) The overall spatial distribution of temple gardens in Jiangxi Province has positive autocorrelation characteristics, and prefecture-level cities have significant proximity characteristics, forming a “high-high” “agglomeration” and “low-low agglomeration” distribution patterns; 4) Temple gardens in various regions are affected by geomorphological factors, and are mostly concentrated in the lower altitude range of 0–500 m and the gentle slope of 0°–30°. Most of the distribution density of temple gardens in various prefecture-level cities is within the buffer zone distance of the road network within the range of 0–1.5 km. 5) Economic, cultural, demographic, and historical factors have affected the development of temple gardens. Areas with more active economies have a denser number of temple gardens. The unique regional culture affects the distribution of temples and gardens in different regions. In places where the modern population is densely distributed, there are fewer temples and gardens, while in places where the population is less densely distributed, there are more temples and gardens. 6) The use of geographical detectors to detect influencing factors shows that the greatest impact on the spatial distribution of temple gardens in Jiangxi Province is the road network, followed by elevation, slope, GDP, and water systems. The research is conducive to scientific understanding of the distribution of temple gardens among prefecture-level cities in Jiangxi Province, and provides reference for strengthening the protection of temple gardens and exploring the tourism characteristics of temple gardens.