A semantic framework for digital archives of ancient Chinese villages aimed at humanistic discovery: a case study of four villages in Henan

Introduction. Ancient Chinese villages are crucial cultural legacies facing preservation challenges. Current archiving has drawbacks. This research aims to create a semantic framework for digital archives to boost humanistic knowledge discovery. Method. We examined three common archiving rules, extracted cultural elements, and designed a semantic framework by reusing international ontologies CIDOC-CRM. Then, we applied it to four villages in Henan for dataization. Analysis. After comparing the archiving rules and integrating cultural elements, we evaluated the framework. We also processed the villages' archives, including data annotation and Protege knowledge base construction. Results. The framework consists of 6 entities, 29 relations, and 94 attributes. The semantic structures of the four villages' digital archives were presented, confirming the framework's practicality and applicability. Conclusions. The semantic framework offers a feasible solution for ancient village archive dataization and knowledge discovery. Future efforts should center on enhancing knowledge presentation and utilization for better cultural heritage protection.