As an emerging integrated economic system, the ice and snow economy holds significant importance for promoting high-quality regional economic development. This study first employs data visualization techniques to illustrate the current status of China's ice and snow economy. On this basis, it uses the LSTM neural network model to conduct a predictive analysis of its future development trends. Furthermore, by analyzing the industrial convergence mechanism and operational mechanisms of the ice and snow industry, the study explores the underlying logic driving the development of China's ice and snow economy. Finally, it identifies the challenges in its development and proposes relevant policy recommendations to promote the high-quality development of the ice and snow economy in the Chinese context. The findings show that since China was awarded the right to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in 2015, its ice and snow economy has entered a period of rapid growth. The total market scale expanded from 270 billion yuan in 2015 to 980 billion yuan in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate of 15.4%. However, the ice and snow economy still faces challenges such as homogeneous consumption structures, incomplete industrial chains, unbalanced regional development, and constraints on sustainable development. It is therefore urgent to formulate targeted solutions based on China's actual conditions, gradually establishing a well-structured ice and snow industry system characterized by clear government-market collaboration, supply-demand alignment, dynamic cost-benefit equilibrium and balanced development and protection-ultimately propelling the high-quality development of China's ice and snow economy.

In 2022, Chinese policymakers emphasized the importance of leveraging the country’s domestic energy resource endowments and implementing a phased and well-planned carbon peaking strategy by following the principle of “establishing the new before phasing out the old”. To explore the carbon reduction potential and path optimization in resource-based regions undergoing energy structure adjustments, this study employed the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System (LEAP) to simulate and analyze both a baseline scenario and a comprehensive policy intervention scenario from 2021 to 2050. This study focused on the typical resource-based region of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and developed a customized “LEAP-Inner Mongolia” model. The findings reveal that: (1) Under the comprehensive scenario, energy demand is notably reduced by 2050, with total carbon emissions cut by 70.96% compared to the baseline scenario; (2) The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) analysis suggests a persistent rise in emissions under the baseline scenario, while a carbon peak is achieved as early as 2029 under the integrated scenario; and (3) There are limitations of isolated policy instruments so a synergistic approach that integrates power generation structure optimization with improvements in energy efficiency is necessary. Accordingly, we propose a multi-pronged policy portfolio that includes the synchronized development of clean energy and efficient end-use systems, industrial low-carbon transformation, accelerated adoption of new energy vehicles, and improved inter-regional coordination. These recommendations can offer systemic insights for guiding low-carbon transitions in resource-based areas.

Rural tourism plays a crucial role in driving the sustainable development of rural economies. With the rise of the digital economy, user-generated content (UGC) videos on platforms such as TikTok have become a significant factor influencing consumer decision-making, creating new opportunities for the growth of rural tourism. Using the TikTok app as the research platform, this study examines the relationship between UGC short videos, tourists’ intentions to engage in rural tourism, and their perception of destination image. Specifically, it explores the impact of UGC short videos on tourists’ willingness to participate in rural tourism and the mediating role of destination image perception. The findings indicate that UGC short videos positively influence tourists’ willingness to engage in rural tourism. Destination image perception mediates this relationship, shaping tourists’ decisions through cognitive and emotional image perceptions. Based on these findings, this paper recommends rural tourism destination managers enhance promotional strategies and improve destination image perception through UGC short video content.

The complex types and regional differences in tourist attractions mean that the evaluation and quantification of spatial structures require inter- and trans-disciplinary methodologies. Previous studies on spatial structure have mostly focused on the law of tourist flow and the development trend of tourism, emphasising humanistic and economic methods. Currently, the main challenge of spatial structure research is the integration of natural, economic, and social factors and scientifically supporting tourism planning and management. From the perspective of geographical distance and geometric space, this study developed a quantitative method for the spatial structure of tourist attractions, which combines a grade classification index, spatial relationship function, and influence factor analysis and selects cases for implementation in a geographic information system, with the advantages of visualisation, timely data update, and convenient guidance for practice. It provided new insights for understanding the sustainable management of tourist attractions from the intersection of geography and tourism science. The research results indicate that China has the highest number of 4A and 3A level tourist attractions, accounting for 80.9% of the total. The nearest neighbor ratio of scenic areas is less than 1, showing a significant spatial distribution clustering pattern, with four major scenic area clusters located in eastern and southern China. The Natural environment determines the spatial layout of scenic areas, with 51.46% of scenic areas distributed in regions below 200 m in altitude, and 95.10% of scenic areas located in areas with a slope of less than 15 degrees. 1A and 2A level scenic areas are mainly distributed in cold and dry regions, while 5A, 4A, and 3A level scenic areas are relatively concentrated with similar climatic characteristics. 5A level scenic areas have higher GDP, population density, and growth rates. The spatial structure of scenic areas is closely related to population distribution and economic development; southeastern China accounts for more than 90% of the national population and GDP, and this region has over 60% of A-level and above scenic areas.

Effectively enhancing the efficiency of the regional tourism economy is a key issue in advancing high-quality tourism development in Northeast China and implementing the Northeast China Revitalization Strategy. Based on a tourism efficiency indicator system, this study employed an SBM super-efficiency model to calculate the tourism efficiency in Northeast China from 2003 to 2022 and analyzed the characteristics of its spatiotemporal evolution. A Tobit model was subsequently used to investigate the influencing factors, which can inform targeted measures to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry. The results reveal that the tourism efficiency is relatively low overall, and it has been shaped by many factors other than policies. (1) Tourism efficiency in Northeast China remains relatively low overall. Over time, it exhibited a spiralling upward trend that moved through three developmental stages: the stable stage, the stage of rapid growth, and the stage of fluctuations. Spatially, there are two high-efficiency clusters, the Changchun-Harbin urban agglomeration and the Southeast Liaoning urban agglomeration. However, the agglomeration effect waned accordingly as tourism efficiency gradually shifted from a polarized pattern toward a more balanced distribution. (2) While policy plays a role, tourism efficiency in Northeast China is also significantly shaped by factors such as resources, location, industry, science and technology, and education. Its correlation with the level of economic development has been comparatively minor, and there are marked differences in the factors influencing tourism efficiency across the region. According to the research conclusions, a joint development system for the regional tourism economy should be constructed at the macro level. At the micro level, efforts should focus on enhancing market competitiveness through “push-pull” strategies, while each province should pursue differentiated development models tailored to its unique characteristics.

Sport tourism is emerging as a key focus in China’s tourism development, supported by investments in infrastructure, sports events, and promotional efforts. Hainan, with its unique geographic advantages and abundant tourism resources, are prioritized by central and local governments, to establish Haikou, Sanya, and Wanning as key sport tourism hubs. However, research on evaluating regional sport tourism from an industrialist perspective remains limited. This study adopts a qualitative research approach, using semi-structured interviews with middle and senior managers from sport tourism enterprises in Hainan. These interviews provide an in-depth evaluation of Hainan’s sport tourism industry from the perspective of industry stakeholders. Data coding through Nvivo software identifies twelve critical dimensions: Brand, culture, business ethics, infrastructure, location, market, natural resources, policy, product, tournaments, funding, and talent. By analyzing these dimensions both horizontally and vertically, the study assesses the industry’s current status and challenges, offering recommendations in three key areas: ① Government: Improve transportation infrastructure and establish dedicated management departments. ②Enterprises: Focus on strategic positioning, effective marketing, and sustainable development through collaboration. ③ Public-Private collaboration: Strengthen coordination between government and enterprises to promote integrated and coordinated sport tourism development across multiple cities.

The cultural elements are the core of theme parks, which gradually interact with people as unique cultural space landscapes. The expression of culture is pivotal in determining the quality of a theme park and significantly affects the tourist experience. From the perspective of the production of culture on display, this paper explores the cultural practices of theme parks and tourists’ appeal through field research, content analysis, and grounded theory. The research findings indicate that theme parks are characterized by authenticity, interaction, participation, and readability. They rely on scene restoration, story narration, service facilities, cultural characteristics and tourist interaction to facilitate cultural engagement. Content analysis shows that tourists prioritize amusement attractions, performances, and the overall tourism experience. When theme parks serve as venues for leisure and entertainment, tourist appeal reflect in five aspects: Theme park products, tourism services, storytelling, social interaction, and immersive experiences. Meanwhile, these appeals drive the cultural reproduction within theme parks. This study expands the application scope of cultural engagement in theme parks, elucidates the evolving demands of visitors, and provides insights for theme parks to enhance their storytelling capabilities and improve tourist experiences.

Ethnic villages have become an integral part of rural tourism, celebrated for their folk culture and landscapes. With a case study of the Guilin Longji Rice Terrace Scenic Spot, this paper examines the impact of internal and external driving forces on tourism development in ethnic villages. It presents a dynamic mechanism model that elucidates the interplay between these factors and their impact on tourism growth. The findings indicate that tourism development in ethnic villages depends on seven main driving factors: the endowment of tourism resources, the aspirations and demands of villagers, the management and operation of enterprises, government support, market demands, competitive dynamics, and media exposure. Particularly, the driving factors of tourism development in ethnic villages present mutual influence, interpenetration, and interdependence characteristics. In light of these findings, the paper concludes with recommendations aimed at promoting the development of ethnic village tourism and contributing to rural revitalization.

This study takes the children’s animation IP “Brave Brother Ah Niu” as a case study, where the animation IP refers not merely to a single work, but rather to a core content asset capable of multi-dimensional development and possessing long-term commercial value, such as a well-known character, story, or worldview. This case is used to explore the path for children’s animation IP to empower the deep integration of cultural tourism based on Bourdieu’s field theory. In response to the current challenges of fragmentation, superficial symbolization, and capital feedback disruption in development, a three-field transformation framework of “cultural production-media practice- industrial consumption” is constructed, and an integration mechanism of “empowerment-translation-feedback” is proposed. This study provides a replicable theoretical model and practical path for the Ah Niu IP and similar regional children’s animation IPs to overcome the bottleneck of cultural tourism integration, achieve cultural inheritance, and enhance the industrial value.

The rationality of the spatial configuration of public charging stations is the key to alleviating “range anxiety” of car owners and improving urban infrastructure services. This paper introduces OpenStreetMapnx (OSMnx) and takes Shanghai, the city with the highest number of new energy vehicles, as the research area. By considering the travel chain process of new energy vehicle owners, the study calculates the accessibility from vehicles to charging and from charging stations to service facilities, and identifies its spatial pattern and influencing factors. Research shows that: (1) During the travel period from residence to charging (R2C), the number of public charging stations in Shanghai increases as the time range expands, showing a spatial distribution pattern of gradually decreasing from the central urban area to the suburbs and a centripetal clustering trend; (2) The travel section from charging to service facilities (C2S), accessibility from charging stations to recreational facilities is the highest, followed by medical facilities, while accessibility to educational facilities is the lowest, showing a positive clustering distribution feature in space; (3) The impact of population distribution, economic foundation, and government role on the accessibility of different travel segments are different, but regional population distribution and social fixed assets investment have significant impacts on the accessibility of the whole travel chain of Shanghai public charging stations.

As rural B&Bs gain popularity amid growing demand for personalized tourism experiences, understanding the multifaceted drivers of customer decision-making is becoming critical. Existing research often examines individual factors, leaving a gap in comprehending complex causal pathways. This study used online travelogue data, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) and necessary condition analysis (NCA) to examine the factors and combination pathways influencing customer behavioral intentions in rural B&Bs. The results indicate that customer behavioral intentions in rural B&Bs are influenced by multiple factors including the natural environment, material space, cultural space, quality of service, experience of home, entertainment education, culinary delights, surrounding environment, and value-added services. In addition, four main types of customer behavioral intentions in rural B&Bs were identified: Environmental immersion, Educative entertainment, Service experience, and Comprehensive perception. This study contributes to our understanding of customer behavioral intentions in rural tourism settings both practically, by offering actionable strategies for B&B operators, and theoretically, by enhancing the existing framework for studying them.

This study incorporates both positive and negative tourism network attention into a comprehensive framework to examine their distinct effects on tourism development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). In particular, this study uses a spatial econometric model to accurately examine the relationship between positive and negative tourism network attention and regional tourism development, including the impact of tourism network attention on local and neighboring areas. In addition, the framework also uses fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to explore the path combination of network attention and other factors that affect varied stages of tourism development in each city of the YRD, and expounds its driving mechanism. Research findings reveal: (1) Positive tourism network attention has a “U-shaped” influence on regional tourism development. (2) Positive tourism network attention significantly promotes tourism development of both local and neighboring areas, while negative tourism network attention both hinders local tourism development and adversely affects neighboring areas via spillover effects. (3) Multiple paths for tourism development exist in the region, including four modes: Demand-facility driven, demand-resource-facility-transportation driven, word of mouth-transportation driven, and traffic-resource driven. Using the YRD as a case study, this research offers empirical evidence and theoretical insights into how positive and negative tourism network attention influence tourism development in the region.

The tourist’s sense of place plays a pivotal role in the protection and renovation of historical districts, and it is an important driving force for the development, evolution and spatial reconstruction of historic districts. This study examines the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of tourists through the framework of sense of place (SoP), using Yongqingfang—a representative historical district in Guangdong—as a case study. Additionally, it proposes a model to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the generation of sense of place. The findings indicate that perception of place activities and the perception of place environment positively influence tourists’ positive emotional responses and their behavioral intentions. Based on the analysis of the results of hypothesis testing, the study also tested the mediating effects of positive and negative place emotions. It was determined that tourists generate place emotions in their cognition and experience of a place, and these emotions subsequently influence their behavior intentions. The study provides theoretical guidance for the choice of development pathways, renovation and reconstruction of historical districts from the perspective of the generation mechanism of tourists’ sense of place.

Regional clustering has become a distinctive feature of the homestay industry in terms of spatial distribution in many countries. However, identifying and quantifying the advantageous locations suitable for the agglomeration of the homestay industry at the micro-scale is still in the exploratory stage. Therefore, with the support of multi-source data and the spatial entropy weight superposition method, drawing on concepts from physics such as gravitational and magnetic fields, and based on relevant location theories, the environmental field strength and its quantitative model are proposed to evaluate micro-locations suitable for homestay development. Finally, a case study was conducted in Wuyuan, China. The results show that the homestay industry is mainly distributed along traffic lines and rivers, which is greatly affected by tourism resources and rural settlements, and the degree of agglomeration is gradually increasing; The environmental field strength is closely related to the accessibility of infrastructure and the development of tourism resources, and the overall structure tends to be networked, polycentric and “core-periphery”; there is a positive linear correlation between the distribution of homestay industry and environmental field strength. This study provides a basis for optimising decision-making related to the sustainable planning and site-selection of tourism destinations and the homestay industry.

Residents constitute the core stakeholders in tourist destinations such as traditional villages, with their subjective well-being serving as a pivotal determinant for the sustainable development of tourist destinations and the enhancement of tourism quality and efficiency. Wulong Village of Langzhong City is chosen as a case site, and an index system through literature analysis is constructed, anchored in social exchange theory. Some mathematical methods are utilized for a comprehensive analysis of residents’ subjective well-being level, influence factors and the relation between subjective well-being and pro-tourism behavior. The findings reveal that: (1) Both the explicit driving factors and the recessive association factors demonstrate positive correlations with residents’ subjective well-being and pro-tourism behavior. Residents exhibit a pronounced focus on future-oriented dimensions, with the spiritual facets of these dimensions directly shaping their pro-tourism behavioral tendencies; (2) The weight values of explicit driving factors correspond to the ranking of measurement index values, whereas coefficient of variation values show significant fluctuations, exerting a substantial moderating effect on pro-tourism behaviors; (3) Recessive associative factors exert both significant positive and negative impacts on residents’ subjective well-being and pro-tourism behaviors, while educational attainment functions as an explicit or implicit transmission mechanism, influencing the emotional cohesion underlying residents’ pro-tourism behaviors; (4) Residents’ subjective well-being and pro-tourism behaviors across four explicit driving dimensions (material well-being, livelihood security, self-worth, and future expectations) significantly and positively influence pro-tourism behaviors. Additionally, senses of gain act as intermediary drivers for pro-tourism behaviors, generating positive supportive effects that facilitate local tourism development.

The development of rural tourism not only plays a crucial role in driving the high-quality growth of destination economies but also significantly affects the livelihoods and well-being of residents in these areas. The objective of this study is to evaluate the well-being of residents in rural tourism destinations. With the Rice Dream Space in Shenyang as a case study, this study selects the residents from 18 administrative villages in the street where the scenic area is located as the research subjects. By conducting field surveys, 204 valid questionnaires were collected. Then, the SPSS 26.0 was employed to analyze these questionnaires, aiming to provide an in-depth understanding of the residents’ well-being in the context of rural tourism development. It establishes an indicator system based on four dimensions: Economy, politics, culture, and environment, and employs factor analysis to evaluate the livelihood well-being of residents comprehensively. The findings indicate that the level of livelihood and well-being among residents in rural tourism destinations is relatively high. Among the four dimensions, the cultural aspect received the highest average evaluation, while the economic component had the lowest. Based on the specific context of the research area, this study also offers countermeasures and suggestions aimed at enhancing the livelihood and well-being of residents in rural tourism destinations.

Unreasonable land use practices have led to the imbalance of ecosystem functions and a continuous decline in the supply capacity of ecological products. Ecological restoration zoning serves as an effective spatial solution. Traditional approaches to delineating ecological restoration zones often rely on a single perspective, such as ecological security or risk assessment, while neglecting the interrelationships between ecological security elements and risk-inducing activities, as well as the adaptive capacity of ecosystems themselves. This study focused on the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area, and integrated multidimensional ecosystem services (water, soil, air, biodiversity, carbon) with circuit theory to construct an ecological security pattern featuring optimal corridor widths. Meanwhile, ecological resilience and the intensity of human disturbances were quantified and overlaid to jointly determine the priority order of ecological restoration zones. The results revealed three key aspects of this system. (1) A total of 55 ecological source patches were identified under this framework, covering a total area of 9062.0 km². This study detected 130 ecological corridors with a total length of 653.6 km, and they were classified into 18 high-resistance, 70 medium-resistance, and 42 low-resistance corridors, primarily distributed in the central region. In addition, eight ecological pinch points were identified as critical nodes for restoration. (2) Ecological resilience in the Guangzhou Metropolitan Area shows a spatial pattern of “high in the east and west, low in the south”, although it generally remains at a moderately low level. In contrast, the impact of human disturbances displays a pattern of “high in the central and southern regions, low in the northeast and west”, with a moderately high intensity overall. (3) The Guangzhou Metropolitan Area was zoned into five categories: priority restoration areas, key restoration areas, general restoration areas, secondary restoration areas, and routine restoration areas. The total area of the priority restoration zones is 1051.80 km², and these zones are mainly distributed across districts and counties such as Duanzhou, Gaoyao, Gaoming, Dinghu, Fogang, Conghua, and Zengcheng. By establishing a technical framework of “ecological security pattern-ecological risk assessment-ecological restoration zoning”, this study rationally prioritized restoration efforts, thereby providing actionable insights for advancing ecological civilization and guiding ecological conservation management in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Exploring the changes in food consumption and dietary nutrient intake of Chinese urban and rural residents is of great significance. This study constructed a Chinese food nutrient model using data from “China Statistical Yearbook”, “China Rural Statistical Yearbook”, “China Yearbook of Household Survey”, and “China Yearbook of Rural Household Survey”. The structure and changes in food consumption and nutrient intake among urban and rural residents in China from 2000 to 2020 were analyzed using dietary balance indices and comparisons with dietary recommendations. The results show that higher consumption of cereals and lower consumption of dairy products remained the main problems in food consumption by both urban and rural residents from 2000 to 2020. The dietary nutrient structure of urban and rural residents developed a dual calorie structure dominated by grain and supplemented by vegetable oil, a dual protein structure dominated by grain and supplemented by pork, and a triple fat structure dominated by vegetable oil and supplemented by both pork and grain. Rural plant-based and animal-based dietary nutrition lagged behind that of urban areas, with a difference of roughly 20 years. The results of this study clarified the food consumption and dietary nutritional structures and changes of urban and rural residents. We found the deficiencies in the current dietary structure and made recommendations for improving the nutritional health of urban and rural residents.

The A-level tourist attractions are an important carrier for the development of the tourism industry. As the most fundamental tourism supply, studying their spatial distribution pattern and driving forces is of great significance for promoting the process of regional tourism industrialization. This study used the tourism resource abundance index, nearest neighbor distance index, and geographic detector model to study the spatial characteristics and driving forces of A-level tourist attractions in China. The results showed that the A-level tourist attractions in China exhibit significant spatial clustering, but there are significant regional differences. They are mainly distributed on the southeastern side of the Hu Huanyong Line. Overall, the average of tourism resource abundance index is 71.74. The proportion of cities above that average is relatively low, and they form local high-value clustering areas mainly in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, Yangtze River Delta, and Chengdu-Chongqing regions. The spatial distribution patterns of various types of scenic spots also exhibit agglomeration characteristics, but their agglomeration scales and spatial patterns exhibit obvious regional differences. The spatial distribution pattern of A-level tourist attractions in China is a result of the combined effect of regional socio-economic factors and scenic environmental factors. Among them, the explanatory power of regional socio-economic factors is stronger than that of scenic environmental factors. Among the scenic environmental factors, resource endowment has the strongest explanatory power, and there are significant differences in the dominant factors influencing the distributions of different types of A-level tourist attractions.

In the context of dual-cycle development, improving the supply and demand capacity of ecosystem services is foundational to promoting high-quality economic development. Based on accounting for the supply and demand of ecosystem services in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) from 2000 to 2020, we analyze the characteristics of their temporal and spatial evolution and classify the ecological types of 41 cities in the YRD in 2020. The findings are as follows: (1) During the 20 years, the supply value of ecosystem services in the YRD has decreased, but the overall value is high. Moreover, the spatial distribution of ecosystem services shows a notable distribution pattern of “high in the south and low in the north.” Furthermore, the demand for ecological value has increased significantly, and the demand of the northeastern plains region is much higher than that of the southwestern mountainous region. (2) The spatial heterogeneity of ecosystem service supply-demand balance in the YRD region is pronounced, with a notable distribution pattern, mainly dominated by cities with balanced supply-demand that forms a high-value area centered on Shanghai-Suzhou and a low-value area dominated by Chizhou-Huangshan and Huabei-Bozhou, which have strong ecological and economic synergies. (3) By 2020, there were 2 ecological conservation cities, 3 ecological restoration cities, 29 ecological remodeling cities, and 7 ecological development cities in the YRD, indicating overall coordinated ecological and economic development.

Linxia brick carving is an artistic carrier of multi-ethnic cultural intermingling, but its symbolic abstraction and diversity make digital conservation challenging. Currently, the traditional qualitative recording methods are unable to realize dynamic analysis and innovative applications. This study builds a framework for the integration of vector representation and multimodal semantic mapping, and uses that framework to quantify the historical semantics, artistic fusion, and technological features of Linxia brick carving cultural heritage by constructing a 26-dimensional vector space. This approach allowed us to solve the semantic heterogeneity of the textual-image data through the help of structured descriptive templates. The results show that this framework can support the systematic analysis and innovation of Linxia brick carving cultural symbols with high classification accuracy and reveal the structured semantic association of patterns. This study realizes the transformation of abstract symbols to computable values through the generalized 26-dimensional vectors, and can use standardized templates to regulate their digital expressions, depending on multimodal data sets that establish the multidimensional innovation of artificial intelligence-driven protection mechanisms. The results can provide methodological support for the shift in cultural heritage from static records to living inheritance, and demonstrate potential transferability to analogous heritage contexts through dimensional remapping and template localization strategies. These advances can promote the deep integration of artificial intelligence and traditional art symbols, and thus support research on the protection strategies for traditional cultural heritage in the era of digitalization.

The Zhengtai Railway is an important logistics channel connecting Shanxi with the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and the Yangtze River Delta, and it has a profound impact on regional industrial development. Based on the theory of heritage corridors and using GIS spatial analysis technology, this study conducted a multi-dimensional analysis on the industrial heritage along the Shijiazhuang section. (1) The temporal characteristics indicate that the heritage, which was established in 1896, is mainly composed of the three major industries of pharmaceuticals, textiles, and steel. (2) The spatial pattern shows an axial distribution of “dense in the west and sparse in the east”, with Xinhua District, Chang’an District and Luquan District as the agglomeration cores. (3) By constructing an evaluation system that includes four types of factors: natural environment, transportation conditions, heritage value and service facilities, the suitable areas of the corridor with “three cores and one surface” were identified. Finally, the strategy of “dynamic width control + themed cluster protection” was proposed, which provides a new idea for the protection of linear industrial heritage.

With the rapid development of information technology, drone oblique photography technology is an emerging means of spatial data acquisition that shows great potential in the field of cultural heritage protection. This study focuses on the use of drone oblique photography technology for the digital construction and protection of Liao Pagoda models, with the aim of developing an efficient and accurate 3D model construction method, and applying it to the field of ancient architectural heritage protection. As an important historical and cultural heritage in northern China, the protection and revitalization of the Liao Pagoda are of great significance for inheriting historical and cultural heritage and promoting regional tourism development. However, traditional surveying methods have problems such as low efficiency and insufficient accuracy in collecting the information and constructing the models of ancient buildings such as Liao Pagoda. The drone oblique photography technique provides a new technological pathway for solving these problems with its ability to quickly obtain high-resolution 3D spatial data. Based on this advantage, by analyzing the characteristics of drone oblique photography technology, this study explores its specific application mode in the digital protection construction of Liao Pagoda, which provides theoretical support and a technical foundation for the field of cultural heritage protection.

The study tourism regional system constitutes a spatial complex that enhances the value of study tourism. However, research concerning the system’s conceptual foundations and empirical quantitative analyses remains relatively limited. Grounded in the theory of place identity, this study investigates the connotations and influencing factors of the research-oriented regional system and constructs an evaluation index system accordingly. Based on a survey of 553 study travel bases (camps) and related business sites in Zhejiang Province, the entropy weight method is employed to empirically assess the development level of study travel across the province’s 11 municipalities. The results reveal that among the primary subsystems of the evaluation index, the weights rank in descending order as follows: study activities, study resources, service facilities, and transportation networks. Significant disparities are observed in the weights of secondary and tertiary indicators. Empirical findings indicate that Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Huzhou rank highest in terms of system development. Drawing on the Zhejiang experience, the study proposes development pathways for other regions from three dimensions—study travel enterprises, bases (camps), and regional study travel administrators—including dual emphasis on curriculum quality and service standards, co-development of resources and service infrastructure, and coordinated top-level design and resource allocation.

Rapid urbanization significantly influences urban renewal and the construction of new spaces in metropolises within developing countries, particularly affecting the ecological patterns and security of urban landscapes. This study conducts an in-depth analysis of landscape ecological change indicators in Hangzhou from 1990 to 2020, summarizing typical driving models and formation mechanisms behind these changes while proposing optimization strategies. The findings indicate that since 1990, driven by urban expansion, Hangzhou’s landscape ecological pattern has experienced overall stability alongside localized drastic transformations, revealing three distinctly different stages around West Lake, along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and across the Qiantang River. This evolution is primarily propelled by public service facilities, tourism development, industrial parks, landscape ecological corridors, and other forms of spatial expansion. Such processes reflect a comprehensive interplay among population urbanization dynamics, land use policies for urban areas, adjustments in administrative divisions, as well as the snowball effect stemming from capital-driven growth and wealth accumulation associated with new urban space development. The results presented herein serve as a representative case for understanding both the characteristics and driving forces behind changes in China’s urban landscape ecological patterns; they also hold significant implications for predicting and optimizing regulatory frameworks concerning spatial expansion policies in other nations and regions.

This study focuses on the Pearl River Delta Urban Agglomeration (PRDUA) as the research subject, incorporates the vulnerability assessment framework of the human-earth system to optimize the Landscape Ecological Risk (LER) index assessment model, and spatially visualizes the vulnerability degree, landscape disturbance intensity, and optimized LER of PRDUA in the representative years of 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017, and 2022. The contribution of ecological land restoration to the evolution of LER is measured using the factor detector and interaction detector results of the Geodetector. Four restoration indicators are selected: ecological land area, proportion, cohesion, and AI (Aggregation Index). The results show that: (1) Between 2002 and 2022, the vulnerability in PRDUA exhibited a decreasing trend, albeit with notable spatial disparities. Areas of low vulnerability predominantly lie on the periphery of PRDUA, whereas high vulnerability zones are concentrated within its core. (2) The change in LER and vulnerability is highly consistent. Between 2002 and 2022, the high-risk areas show a shrinking trend and are mainly located in Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, and Shenzhen. Low-risk areas are mainly located at the edge of the PRDUA. (3) Based on the Geodetector, the contribution of single factor of ecological land restoration to LER change is low, and the contribution of two factor interaction is significantly enhanced, especially the cohesion and AI interactions contributed the most. In the period 2012-2022, the q-value of the explanatory power of the interaction between cohesion change and AI change reached 62.213%, which was the strongest explanation for changes in LER. These findings provide an innovative approach to understanding and mitigating LER in highly urbanized areas, and are also important for building ecological security patterns and promoting sustainable development.

The ancient villages in Suzhou, Jiangsu with a unique water town pattern and landscape style are important regional cultural carriers formed by the interaction of nature and humanity. Currently, the rural digital governance of Suzhou has achieved phased results in infrastructure coverage and governance digitization, but some realistic problems still remain, such as insufficient local culture mining, limited quality improvement, and fragmented application of digital technology. This study focuses on the problem of cultural heritage and industrial integration in the process of traditional village renewal from the perspective of digital empowerment. Taking the residential environmental governance of traditional villages in Xishan Island of Suzhou as an example, and through the introduction of artificial intelligence technology methods, this study systematically analysis the spatial characteristics and cultural value of ancient villages, and constructs a path for the identification and activation of local cultural resources. This research aims to achieve industrial linkage and cluster development in the villages, promote the deep integration of art and technology, and promote the harmonious and sustainable development of the rural residential environment with a new quality of creativity. This study constructs a collaborative village renewal framework of culture-space-technology, and explores the integrated application mode of artificial intelligence in the mining of local culture and the promotion of characteristic industries.

This study constructs a multidisciplinary assessment system adapted to the characteristics of rural landscape heritage in Xingtai City and uses that system to comprehensively evaluate its historical-cultural value, ecological environmental value, social identity, and development potential, thereby providing a scientific basis for the protection and sustainable utilization of rural landscape heritage. The assessment framework was constructed through methods such as literature review, expert interviews, and field research, combined with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This framework integrates qualitative and quantitative analysis and assigns reasonable weights to each assessment dimension. The results indicate that the core value of Xingtai City’s rural landscape heritage lies in the dual advantages of historical-cultural and ecological environmental resources, with the weights for historical-cultural value and ecological environmental value being 30% and 25%, respectively, Significantly higher than social recognition (20%), and together with development potential (25%), constitutes the core value dimensions in the evaluation system. Ultimately, the assessment system reflects the local characteristics and development needs of Xingtai City’s rural landscape heritage, especially in terms of historical-cultural protection and ecological tourism development. This study provides a theoretical reference and practical guidance for the assessment of rural landscape heritage in other regions.

In 2022, the Chinese government proposed the goal of “building livable, industry-suitable, and harmonious villages”. Rural human settlement governance is shifting from “hardware renovation” to “systematic governance”, yet issues such as insufficient collaboration among multiple subjects and poor interest coordination still restrict governance efficiency. Existing studies have gaps in analyzing the logical connections and micro-mechanisms of “co-construction, co-governance, and sharing” in rural contexts, highlighting the urgent need to explore replicable transformation paths.This study took Xizhuang Village, Hebei Province as a case, adopted a progressive data collection strategy of “pre-survey, field survey, and literature verification”. Through semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, participatory observation, and policy text analysis, it spanned multiple subjects including governments, villagers, enterprises, and social organizations in analyzing the practical path for transforming the co-construction, co-governance, and sharing concept into rural human settlement governance.This study proposes the concept of “heterogeneous collaboration”, verifying that subjects with interest differences can cooperate through selective incentives. The analysis revealed generational differences in participation: young people prefer digital channels, while the elderly rely on acquaintance mobilization. A “cultural sharing” dimension was added, with villagers’ life satisfaction increasing to 92% and rural tourism driving an average annual increase of 12000 yuan in the villagers’ income.The conclusion is that the Xizhuang Village case verifies the practical feasibility of the co-construction, co-governance, and sharing concept. Its logic of “interest coordination + cultural adaptation” provides a replicable experience for other villages in the North China Plain. Future efforts should optimize benefit distribution through institutional innovation, expand the sample scope for cross-regional comparative studies, and improve the governance sustainability mechanisms.

As global efforts to achieve carbon neutrality accelerate, understanding how digital economy development contributes to urban carbon reduction is crucial for achieving sustainable development. This study examines the impact of digital economy expansion on carbon emission intensity in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, a key economic hub in China. Using panel data from 41 cities (2011-2021) and a moderated mediation model, we analyze how industrial upgrading and Green Total Factor Productivity (GTFP) mediate this relationship. Our findings confirm that the digital economy significantly reduces carbon intensity both directly and indirectly through these two pathways. In addition, government investment in science and technology positively moderates this effect by strengthening the carbon reduction impact via industrial transformation. Spatial heterogeneity analysis reveals that these effects are more pronounced in cities within the “one core, five circles, and four belts” framework and in non-resource-based cities, highlighting regional disparities. These results underscore the need for targeted policy measures, including enhanced digital infrastructure, green finance mechanisms, and regional collaboration to maximize the decarbonization benefits of digitalization. By integrating digital and low-carbon strategies, policymakers can drive high-quality, green urban transformation.