Narrative and Space: Reconstruction of Heritage Network for South China Historical Trail

Abstract

South China Historical Trail is a channel of communication inside and outside Lingnan in different historical periods. It is also known as a corridor of population migration, a channel of commodity exchange and an ancient road of civilization and culture. In view of the limitations of focusing on space while ignoring narrative in the previous research of ancient post road, the analysis method of narrative spatial structure was introduced herein. Based on the four main functions of South China Historical Trail, including postal exchange, military war, commerce and trade, and official travel, the holistic and systematic narrative space study of South China Historical Trail was carried out in order to construct a relatively complete narrative space structure of the heritage corridor network. Research showed that the four functional narrative points all rely on corridors. Its spatial structure took Guangzhou as the main core, with Leizhou and Yangjiang in western Guangdong and Chaozhou in eastern Guangdong as the sub-core. A waterway-based land as the auxiliary network system was formed; The post road shifted from the original military function to the economic function, experienced the internal communication with the Central Plains to the coastal areas, and then to the world through the Maritime Silk Road. It became the epitome of the historical development process of Lingnan region. The narrative spatial structure analysis method can deeply explore the historical characteristics and cultural connotation of the heritage corridor, and promote the overall cognition of the post road. The analysis results have certain guiding significance for the construction and protection of the heritage corridor network of South China Historical Trail. It can also provide a reference for other scholars to carry out the research on similar heritage corridors.