How Administrative Power Influences Cultural Diffusion: An Explanation from China's Weilongwu

The Weilongwu (WLW,围龙屋) architecture is a kind of symbolic cultural landscape of the Hakka, a typical migrant ethnic group in China. The distribution of this housing style reflects the diffusion of culture. Generally, research on cultural processes has primarily focused on cities and administrative logic, under the influence of power, neglecting the interaction between administrative boundaries and subcultures. In this study, WLWs in southern China were identified from remote sensing images. By examining the diffusion patterns of this architectural culture in conjunction with core and peripheral administrative elements, analyzing the cultural diffusion model through quantitative analysis methods, it shows that the scale of the diffusion of this vernacular housing style is related to the scales of ancient administrative districts. The diffusion was reinforced within intermediate-level scales but became constrained beyond these limits. It suggests that the administrative acted on cultural diffusion was not based on coercion but rather on coordinating Man-Land relationships within a region, through rulers’ means, eventually shaping a balance between local and imperial government relations.