A Comparative Study of Bazaar Cultural Spaces in Central Asia and China

With the advancement of modernization, traditional bazaars have encountered challenges, such as diminished vitality. Concurrently, the trend of integrating cultural spaces into bazaars has become increasingly evident. Understanding the relationship between bazaars and cultural spaces, as well as the preferences of users of these spaces, is crucial for enhancing bazaar vitality. Employing field research, questionnaire surveys, cross-analysis, and the narrative preference method, this paper compares the bazaar cultural spaces of Central Asia and Chinese from four perspectives: the current state of the bazaar, development overview, user preferences, and cultural space type preferences. This aims to deepen the understanding of the commonalities and differences between the two regions, and to explore the development trends of bazaars and their cultural spaces. The study reveals that (1) Spaces with diversified functions, high accessibility, and openness can enhance the vitality of the bazaar; (2) There exists a synergistic, mutually beneficial relationship between the bazaar and the cultural spaces; (3) Central Asian residents place greater emphasis on the environmental quality of the bazaar and the engaging content of its cultural spaces. In contrast, Chinese residents are more focused on the accessibility of the bazaar and the openness of the cultural spaces; (4) The function of art and culture is the preferred type of cultural space in the bazaar among residents of both regions. This study significantly contributes to the planning, design, and optimization of bazaars and their cultural spaces.