Previous morphological studies have confirmed that Canton settlements maintain a stable cultural landscape sequence consisting of ponds, open spaces, ancestral halls, residences, and forests. Villages in the Dongjiang River Basin exhibit an inherent coordination between cultural landscape patterns and rainwater drainage and storage systems, contributing to strong resilience against frequent heavy rainfall events. This study selects Jiangbian Village in Dongguan as a case study and develops a quantitative analysis framework by integrating GIS and SWMM (Storm Water Management Model). Using DEM-derived terrain data and land use interpretation, a hydrological model incorporating ponds, drainage channels, paddy fields, and threshing floors was established. Five levels of functional failure severity and five design rainfall return periods were applied to systematically evaluate hydrological regulation performance. The results show that (1) ponds serve as the core water-storage component of the entire system, and a 25% reduction in their functionality leads to a substantial decline in flood mitigation capacity. Paddy field ridges and drainage channels jointly provide secondary buffering functions, while village boundary structures play a significant role in flood regulation. These landscape elements possess distinct hydrological functions and collectively shape the production, living, and ecological landscapes of the village. (2) Influenced by steep topographic gradients, the village adopts a spatial configuration characterized by horizontal alleys and terraced forms, which enhance transverse drainage and connect ponds through longitudinal channels. This comb-like settlement pattern demonstrates strong adaptation to local terrain conditions. This study reveals the terrain-adaptation characteristics of traditional Canton villages and provides valuable insights for the sustainable conservation of rural cultural landscapes.
Jiang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.