Tourists’ perception of the human settlement in traditional village from the perspective of the integration of geography and semiology

The traditional village living environment is an important carrier for tourists’ perception. However, there is a lack of interdisciplinary research on tourists’ perception of the living environment in traditional villages. Therefore, we integrated the theory of “Three Lives” and the triangular theory of symbols to explore tourists’ perception of Zhaoxing Dong Village living environment through spatial analysis and text analysis methods. The results indicate that tourists’ perception shows a clear spatial distribution. Moreover, the symbols of the living environment exist in production, ecological, and living places. The symbol objects are the scenic spots, tourism products, and services. The symbol form obtains the location, building materials, and decorations; And the symbol meaning is the tourists’ perception, thereby expanding the research path of living environment perception. It also provides practical insights into improving and optimizing the living environment in traditional villages through symbolizing them.