Page 156 - JCAU-7-2

Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Tracing Minyue Kingdom’s roads with LCP

models, making the reconstruction of the ancient paths of comprehensive spatial representation of these historical
the Minyue Kingdom feasible. routes.
3.2. Data sources 3.3. Research methodology

This study harnesses a diverse array of data sources to 3.3.1. Technical route
reconstruct the ancient road transportation networks of This study employs an integrated methodology combining
Fujian province, including: various software tools and data analyses to reconstruct the
(i) High-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) ancient road network system during the Minyue Kingdom
data: period.
A 12.5-m precision DEM dataset provides detailed • Data collection: Microsoft Excel was used to aggregate
topographical information for the study area (Source: pertinent historical data.
https://www.gscloud.cn/). • Database construction: ArcGIS Pro was employed to
construct a database encompassing nodes related to
(ii) Landset 8 remote sensing imagery: the ancient roads.
Imagery with a 30-m resolution and <1% cloud cover • Data analysis: DEM data of Fujian province (focusing
was used to extract geographic cost data for the route on slope and aspect) and Envi5.3 remote sensing
(Source: Geospatial Data Cloud). data were used for analytical purposes. This analysis
facilitated the comprehensive formation of resistance
(iii) Key points database for the ancient Minyue values for geospatial elements across Fujian province.
Kingdom roads:
• Network system restoration: By integrating key points
This database was developed using two primary data data from the ancient roads, a cost-distance analysis
sources: tool was applied to reconstruct the ancient road
• The Atlas of Chinese Cultural Relics: Fujian network system of the Minyue Kingdom (refer to
Branch (State Cultural Relics Bureau, 2009): Figure 3 for the technical route).
This atlas compiles results from the first and The core of the research methodology is centered
second cultural relic surveys conducted in Fujian on collecting key nodes from the ancient roads of the
province. While the atlas includes locational Minyue Kingdom era, identified as the “source” in this
information on nodes related to ancient study. Subsequent steps involve determining the resistance
pathways, it lacks precise coordinates, which values that shaped the formation of these ancient roads,
are an invaluable form of metadata (Gregory & culminating in the restoration of the network system.
Ell, 2007). Therefore, geographic rectification 3.3.2. Minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model
methods were employed in GIS to align the atlas
with actual geographic locations, allowing for the In this study, the MCR was used to generate LCP, which
determination of coordinates for these sites. represents the minimum-cost path across the landscape,
• The Third National Cultural Relics Census: Additional conceptualized as an ancient pathway. The MCR model is
data on less-documented ancient pathway sites were a pivotal tool for computing the landscape cost associated
sourced from the List of Immovable Cultural Relics with varying resistance levels originating from a defined
provided by the county and municipal cultural “source.” This model quantifies the effort required to
heritage authorities in Fujian province. This dataset overcome such resistance (Hardt et al., 2023; Knaapen
includes key sites such as corridor bridges, fortresses, et al., 1992). Integrating the cost-distance concept
mountain passes, and postal stations relevant to the commonly employed in GIS, the MCR model incorporates
Minyue Kingdom’s road networks. three critical components: the “source” of the ancient
road, the route itself, and the resistance base surface. The
Since many of these sites lack precise geographic foundational formula for the MCR model, reflecting these
coordinates and rely solely on descriptive address considerations, is as follows:
information, Gregory & Ell’s (2007) methodology for
i=m
digitizing historical geographic locations was employed. R MCR = f ∑ j=n D ×R imin (I)
ij
Using this approach, all ancient pathway sites were
georeferenced in a GIS environment, generating latitude In Equation I, f is a positive, unknown function
and longitude coordinates. This process significantly encapsulating the minimal resistance relationship of any
enriched the database of ancient pathway sites from the given point on the ancient road. This function takes into
Minyue Kingdom era, providing a more accurate and account both the spatial proximity to ancient road-related

Volume 7 Issue 2 (2025) 6 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.4226