Deciphering and Preserving the Landscape Genes of Handicraft Villages from the Perspective of Production–Living–Ecology Spaces (PLESs): A Case Study of YaoTou Village, Shaanxi Province

The long-term interplay between rural handicraft industries and village development has resulted in imbalances such as the disorder of living spaces, misalignment of production spaces, and ecological space disruptions. Comprehensively analyzing village landscape elements and actively maintaining their coordinated development are the keys to the transformation of handicraft villages. This study firstly introduces the theory of landscape genes and the concept of “Production–Living–Ecology Spaces” (PLESs) and then constructs the identification system of PLES landscape genes. The system starts from the three dimensions of the production, life, and ecology spaces of the village, identifies the landscape elements that have been passed down from generation to generation, and realizes a comprehensive interpretation of the landscape elements of handicraft villages. Using YaoTou Village in Shaanxi Province as a case study, this study illustrates its landscape characteristics, based on the genetic form of PLES landscape genes, using the G1-FCE method to collect evaluation data from both tourists and residents. These data help to identify the genetic status of the PLES landscape genes of YaoTou Village and propose targeted inheritance mechanisms. The results enable the comprehensive identification of production, ecological, and living landscape elements in handicraft villages, evaluating their inheritance status to carry out targeted modern innovative transformation. This study will provide a reference for identifying and preserving the landscape elements of YaoTou Village and more handicraft villages and contribute to rural revitalization.