Distribution characteristics of cultural heritage of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal (Jiangsu Province segment) and its influencing factors

Jiangsu Province, as the core area of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, has a large number of canal heritage sites with Diversity and potent symbolism. For instance, the sluice gates and embankments that embody the ancient wisdom of “making the most of the situation” in flood control, the granaries and government offices with high bases and thick walls, and the settlement pattern of “water and land development, river and road adjacent” all highlight the characteristics and peculiarities of the Jiangsu section of the Grand Canal. These cultural heritages face an unparalleled strain to safeguard them, primarily due to limited resource surveys and weak control measures. Hence, it is imperative to conduct focused digital spatial surveys and conservation studies. This study focuses on the cultural heritage of the Jiangsu Province segment of the Grand Canal, a key component of the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal. It develops a statistical theoretical framework for analyzing the geospatial distribution of cultural heritage from a historical geography perspective. The study employs various systematic analyses, including the closest neighbor index, kernel density, and standard deviation ellipse, to examine the spatial agglomeration, morphology, direction, scale, and type of cultural heritage at different historical stages.