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Existence of irrigation ponds exhibits a cultural but not a natural landscape on Taoyuan Plateau. This particular landscape is resulted from the interaction between the factors of living style, social organization, technology, and the natural environment in the area. In other words, it is a functional relationship of these factors that might consture the landscape of irrigation ponds on the Plateau. This research attempts to probe into the spocial landscape of irrigation ponds on the Plateau through the concept of landscape confeguration and system function to find out the major factors that affect the distribution of irrigation ponds as well as their functional operation. The findings are as follows: 1. Period of private irrigation ponds Owing to the special natural environment and to the needs of irrigation water for rice paid, the spread of irrigation ponds reflected the process of land reclamation before the completion of Taoyuan Canal. In this period, because of the old social organization and of lacking advanced engineering techniques, the private ponds usually built on the slope area for saving rain water are numerous and small. General speaking, the dimension and the distribution of the ponds are primarily governed by the rainfall and the slope terrain of the natural enveronment. 2. Period of public irrigation ponds After the completion of Taoyuan Canal in 1928 and the built of Shimen Canal in 1964, operational irrigation ponds are no longer limited to the slope area for collecting rain water. Consequently, the type of the ponds becomes public and larger as opposite to private and small in the past. However, due to the advancement of engineering techniques and the change of social organization, the number of irrigation ponds decreases as it shifts from sea-shore toward inland. To sum up, the landscape of irrigation ponds on Taoyuan Plateau is the result of the interacting factors between the living style, social organization, technology and the natural environment. The changes in functional relationship could be recognized by the types and the distribution of ponds, on the opposite, the changes of their types and distribution might represent the changes in functional relationship as well as the change of culture landscape in the studied region.keywords: irrigation ponds , cultural landscape , functional relationship , configuration and distribution , functional operation
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