Spatial Sociology Perspective: Sichuan PaoGe Culture Formation

Sichuan’s PaoGe culture, originating in the Qing Dynasty and flourishing during the Republic of China era, was a folk organizational culture centered on mutual aid and loyalty, serving dual roles in local protection and resistance against oppression. This culture profoundly shaped Sichuan’s social landscape; although it contained feudal remnants, its formation mechanisms remain valuable for research. PaoGe activities often took place in architectural spaces such as guild halls, ancestral temples, and teahouses, which served as both gathering points and carriers of cultural transmission. While existing studies predominantly approach the topic from literary, historical, sociological, and political perspectives, this article innovatively employs architectural and spatial sociology lenses to analyze how architectural symbols, place spirit, spatial forms, and street textures in Chengdu Plain towns influenced the formation of PaoGe culture. This includes the role of symbols such as worship halls in lodge spaces, tea-mediated dispute resolutions (“chi jiang cha”) in teahouses, and martial arts practices in courtyard spaces in fostering PaoGe culture. It also encompasses the contribution of spatial forms in PaoGe activity sites like teahouses, docks, and PaoGe buildings, as well as the concealment, complexity, density, and functional diversity of urban and rural street networks in the Chengdu Plain to the development of PaoGe culture. Through this research, new perspectives and methodologies are provided for the study of Sichuan’s PaoGe culture.