Application of factor analysis in evaluating the biomechanical and visual quality of rural tourism landscapes—A case study of the adjacent areas of Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou and Chongqing
Abstract
Background: Ecological, cultural, and aesthetic values are considered vital in developing sustainable tourism within the rural tourism landscapes of Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, and Chongqing. Inadequacies in conducting biomechanical and visual analysis have led to a failure in creating a safe, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing rural tourism landscape. The following study conducts an assessment of biomechanical and visual factors that shape the rural tourism landscape, indicating that an interdisciplinary approach is essential in addressing challenges from this perspective. Objective: The research will focus on integrating an analytic framework from biomechanical stability to aesthetic perspectives into molecular and cellular biomechanics to guide sustainable landscape design in rural tourism. Methodology: A mixed-methods approach combined literature review, expert input, public participation, and structured questionnaires. Factor analysis and reliability tests were conducted on 218 responses to assess key indicators such as terrain stability, vegetation resilience, spatial coherence, and cultural authenticity. This research also points out the possibility of developing methods of landscape evaluation even at the molecular level, considering cell wall composition and microbial community interactions. The results showed three factors that explain 63.26% of the variance: Natural Landscape, Rural Settlement Landscape, and Cultural Landscape. The Natural Landscape factor explained 52.34% of the variance and relates to resistance that vegetation has to resist wind and terrain usabilities, whereas in Rural Settlements, it shows coherence in space. The cultural landscape emphasized heritage conservation and aesthetic variation with the season. New dimensions that can be given for landscapes to enhance their stability and harmony further could be given to molecular biomechanics, vegetation behavior considering environmental stressors and interaction of soil-plant-microorganisms. Conclusion: This paper presents a biomechanical and visual framework for analyzing sustainable rural tourism landscapes. Integrating molecular and cellular biomechanics can help develop a deeper understanding of vegetation stability and its interaction with aesthetics, helping policymakers and designers plan and implement safer, functional, and visually appealing landscapes that support sustainable tourism and ecological preservation.
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