Identifying ecologically vulnerable areas is critical for constructing ecological barriers and precisely controlling ecological risks. With the rapid development of big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, many intelligent methods have been developed to support the identification of vulnerable ecological areas. This paper reviews the methodological advancements in identifying ecologically vulnerable areas, including geographic zoning, expert integration, mathematical statistics, geographic information visualization, artificial neural networks, and unsupervised deep learning clustering methods. Additionally, we assessed several classic software tools used in ecology and natural resource management. Based on the review, several urgent research challenges for ecological function zoning research are proposed, such as the application of ecological vulnerability assessment intelligent algorithms, big data collaborative analysis, and the development of automated identification software. Considering the requirements in the Mongolian Plateau, this study proposes future development prospects of methods for identifying ecologically vulnerable area zoning, combined with the new AI research paradigm. They include enhancing the comprehensive analysis of multimodal data, increasing ecological barrier big data collaborative processing, advancing the interpretability of ecological function partitioning algorithms, developing automatic zoning software tools, and pushing the collaborative analysis of geographic big data and citizen science data.

Evapotranspiration (ET) is of great significance for the ecological environment and water resource utilization in arid and semi-arid regions. The Mongolian Plateau, owing to drought, low rainfall, and extremely uneven distribution of water resources, has a typical temperate continental climate. A refined understanding of the spatiotemporal distribution of ET in this region will help in establishing regulatory strategies for climate change responses, regional livestock regulation, and grassland degradation suppression. In this study, meteorological station data, precipitation data, and the Penman-Monteith model were used to study the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of actual ET over the Mongolian Plateau from 2011 to 2022. Results found that: (1) The spatial distribution of ET in the Mongolian Plateau showed a high trend in the north and east and a low trend in the middle and south. There was a significant difference in the regional annual ET, with the highest ET reaching over 500 mm and the lowest being only approximately 70 mm. (2) The annual ET values in 2013, 2018, and 2019 were relatively large, varying between 80 and 500 mm, and the overall ET of the Mongolian Plateau first decreased, then increased, and then decreased. (3) The temporal distribution exhibits a unimodal trend of increasing and then decreasing, with July being the turning point. May–September was a period of high ET, with the highest ET exceeding 100 mm. When vegetation coverage was high, precipitation was abundant, and the vegetation ET effect was strong. Winter was a period of low ET, with a maximum ET of approximately 10 mm in January and December; the ET for the month with the lowest value was approximately zero. The quantitative inversion method proposed in this study can provide method and data support for north and central Asia, and other large arid and semi-arid areas.

After the COP28 Conference, many countries are increasingly concerned about their future practices regarding food security. In North Asia, the Northeast China is the major food production base for the country. Across the border, the economy of Mongolia is heavily reliant on agricultural production and animal husbandry. In recent years, climatic extremes such as droughts and floods, combined with human-induced overgrazing, have posed alarming threats to food security. This review illustrates the challenges and constraints these two countries are facing due to climate changes and summarizes the existing measures and established programs in both countries. Furthermore, we develop the “climate resilient agriculture” (CRA) framework for improving agricultural resilience. This framework emphasizes the importance of international institutions, such as the World Bank, and developed countries to provide more financial and technological support to bolster climate resilience in Northern Asia. Finally, we conclude by encouraging cross-border co-production and collaborations among governments to implement the CRA framework to tackle future climatic challenges.

The construction of an agricultural powerhouse in China is confronted with the practical dilemma of relying mainly on small-scale farming and weak agricultural competitiveness, so an exploration of feasible paths for building an agricultural powerhouse is urgently needed. This study constructed indicator systems that reflect the level of agricultural development from three dimensions: resource endowment, output status, and urban-rural relations. On this basis, the gap between China and the world's representative agricultural powers was analyzed, and the evolutionary characteristics of agricultural policies in the European Union, Japan, and the United States were explored, leading to relevant policy implications. This analysis found that the superficial problems of China's agricultural development lie in the relative scarcity of good resource conditions and insufficient modernization, while the underlying crux lies in the lack of obvious industrial competitive advantages, which is especially reflected in the lack of coordinated development between industry, agriculture, and urban-rural areas. The European Union, Japan, and the United States all focus on improving the international competitiveness of agriculture based on their comparative advantages, attach importance to the comprehensive development of rural areas, and have effectively constructed coordinated industry-agriculture and urban-rural relations, all of which have promoted the comprehensive development of agriculture. China's construction of an agricultural powerhouse should be based on its national conditions and the general laws governing the building a world-class agricultural powerhouse. The strategy should include focusing on building a diversified food supply system to ensure food security; focusing on the modernization of agricultural science and technology, which will promote the process of agricultural modernization; promoting the development of the entire agricultural industry chain, which will enhance the competitiveness and risk resistance of the agricultural industry; accelerating public policy reform and continuing to promote urban-rural integration.

To explore the universal influencing factors and promote the development of conservation tillage technology in China, this study conducted a meta-analysis of 40 relevant studies and 42 effect sizes with a total sample size of 27071 to investigate the factors influencing farmers' conservation tillage technology adoption behavior, changes in the intensity of the influencing factors over time, the existence of heterogeneity in the influencing factors and the sources of that heterogeneity. This analysis yielded three main results. (1) The variables of gender, education, arable land area, cooperative membership, propaganda, training, economic benefit perception, eco-efficiency perception, and risk preference all have significantly positive effects on farmers' conservation tillage technology adoption behavior. (2) Most of the influencing factors are heterogeneous, but the sources of heterogeneity of the variables are not reflected in the information given in the studies. (3) Over time, the influence of gender (male) on farmers' technology adoption behavior has emerged as a negative influence, and the degrees of influence of economic benefit perception, eco-efficiency perception, and risk preference on farmers' technology adoption behavior are weakening. In the future, more attention should be paid to the influence of women on the adoption of conservation tillage technologies, and other important factors should also be incorporated to promote the adoption of conservation tillage technologies by multi-stakeholder coalitions.

In recent years, an ambitious development policy named the targeted poverty alleviation policy has been implemented in China, and it has achieved remarkable success. But whether the smallholder farmers raised out of extreme poverty due to this policy have achieved sustainable livelihoods remains uncertain. This study developed a livelihood sustainability index that can comprehensively assess farmers' livelihoods, constructed an analytical model of the direct and indirect impacts of policy measures on livelihood sustainability using the farmer's perceptions of those policies as a mediator, and created a policy perception elasticity factor to screen the contributions of policy measures to the improvement of livelihood sustainability. Based on these theoretical advances, a case study of an indigenous community on the Tibetan Plateau was conducted. The results show that this policy has contributed to improving farmers' livelihood sustainability in the case areas, especially in terms of livelihood assets and livelihood outcomes, through direct encouragement and indirect influences based on the vulnerability context. In China's era of “post-targeted poverty alleviation”, the findings from this case study indicate that relevant future policies should attach importance to institutional reform and staff management, and establish practical actions to cope with the uncertainty of the vulnerability context.

The infrastructure of East Lake has undergone a gradual process of degeneration, necessitating the allocation of adequate financial resources to ensure the preservation and sustenance of its ecological environment. However, insufficient funds for conservation and management pose a problem for the management of Urban East Lake. Consequently, the research aimed to (1) identify the local visitor's satisfaction level with East Lake's facilities and environmental quality; (2) determine the visitors' perception of the conservation and management aspect of East Lake; (3) identify factors influencing local visitors' willingness to pay an entrance fee to East Lake, and (4) estimate an appropriate entrance fee for East Lake. Utilising the Contingent Valuation Method, visitors' willingness to pay was determined. The accumulation of 449 samples was based on convenience sampling. The results indicated that visitor satisfaction and attitude were both high. In addition, respondents had a good perception on East Lake. Age, income, and education level were factors that substantially affected visitors' willingness to pay; however, only the visitor variable had a positive coefficient. The estimated entrance fee was 2 USD per individual per visit. The research's findings provided significant policy and recommendations; they would serve as a baseline for the management to impose an entrance fee in East Lake.

Empowering the value realization of ecological products with a digital economy is an important path for achieving the transformation of “two mountains” and the construction of ecological civilization. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2022, a fixed-effects model was used to empirically test the impact, heterogeneity and mechanism of the effects of the digital economy on the value realization of ecological products. This analysis revealed three key findings. (1) The digital economy has a significant driving effect on improving the ability to realize the value of ecological products, and this effect is still applicable in a variety of robustness tests such as shrinking the years, replacing explanatory variables, and endogeneity tests. (2) The rise of the digital economy affects the value realization of ecological products to different degrees in different regions, especially in the eastern region, while the effect in the central region is not obvious. (3) The analysis of mechanistic variables indicated that the digital economy has an impact on the value realization of ecological products through the development of green finance and government revenue. Therefore, the government should design differentiated and multi-level support policies for the realization of ecological product value according to the heterogeneity of natural resources, ecological potential and the levels of digital economy development in different regions, and it should strengthen the control of non-environmental protection behaviors of the enterprises. Enterprises should accelerate the digital transformation of the entire production, distribution, circulation and consumption chain of ecological products, and actively develop financial products and services that meet the characteristics and needs of ecological products.

Dietary modification has been suggested as a viable path to mitigate climate change. This study explored the evolution of dietary structures in China's megacities and quantified food-related carbon emissions using the carbon footprint method. Then, we developed a multi-objective optimization model to identify low-carbon dietary options that align with cultural preferences, economic feasibility, and nutritional requirements. We found that from 1992 to 2021, the total food consumption of residents in Beijing and Shanghai experienced a period of fluctuating decline and slow rise, respectively, with their dietary structures both shifting toward animal-based diets. Additionally, the significant increase in meat consumption led to increasing food carbon emissions in Beijing and Shanghai, with per capita emissions rising by 37.2% and 25.2%, respectively. According to the multi-objective optimization model, shifting towards reduced consumption of animal products, particularly meat, would align with culturally acceptable, economically feasible, and low carbon emission goals in Beijing and Shanghai, potentially leading to reductions of 92.14 t and 212.65 t in total food carbon emissions compared with the actual in 2021, respectively. This study enhances understanding of the changing dietary patterns in urban areas and their associated carbon emissions, and emphasizes the significance of optimizing diets as a key priority for advancing global sustainable development.

Canopy openings have a vital role in forest structure, regeneration, and plant composition. In this study, we investigated and compared the species composition and densities of seedlings and saplings between canopy gaps (openings) and forest understories (in dense canopies) in a sub-tropical forest of Bangladesh. We objectively identified 42 canopy openings between transect lines and 42 main plots in dense canopies, sampled for regeneration and young tree patterns. For the regeneration study, we placed 2 m×2 m four subplots in each canopy opening and the main plot of dense canopy, thus making a total of 336 subplots. The species diversity of seedlings, saplings, and trees were significantly (P≤0.05) higher in the dense canopy than in the canopy opening. Although, most dominant and frequent regenerating species such as Diospyros pilosula, Garcinia cowa, Brownlowia elata, and Lithocarpus polystachya were common in both dense canopy and openings, the canopy openings had the highest Importance Value Index, suggesting the significance of gap dynamics in the dominance of native floral species. The dense canopy played an important role in forest compositions because 12 regenerating species, including Stereospermum suaveolens and Diospyros montana, were not found in the canopy openings, implying that rain forests must maintain a high canopy cover for regeneration.

The function of mine spoil following restoration depends on the development of soil aggregation. Two models may contribute to consideration of how spoil may be restored: the hierarchical model and the interdependence model. This study examined the relationship between plant diversity and water stable aggregate in mine spoil. Four plant species Dodonaea viscosa (Jacq), Pittosporum phillyraeoides DC, Hymenosporum flavum (Hook) F. Muell, and Pandorea pandorana (Andrew Steenis) inoculated with eight different Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi were either grown as a single species or a mixture of all species in pots containing mine spoil amended with 18% compost. Soil aggregation was measured as mean weight diameter (MWD) and organic carbon was determined after 12 months. Aggregation of spoil from under the mixed plant treatment was in the middle of the range for single species, for overall MWD and weight of each of the water-stable aggregate fractions. MWD of soil under P. phillyraeoides was higher than for all other single plant species and plant mixture. Organic carbon in the water-stable micro-aggregate sized fraction was greater in all planted than the unplanted treatment. The mean soil carbon concentration of P. pandorana was higher than all other single plant treatments and plant mixture. The study suggests that the development of aggregation of mine spoil amended with compost is independent of plant diversity.

Bracket fungi (Polypores) are a morphologically distinct category of Agaricomycetes (Basidiomycota) that are important agents for decomposition and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. The species composition and ecology of these fungi in particular forest ecosystems are overlooked in Nepal. Thus, the current study is aimed at assessing the diversity and distribution of bracket fungi in oak-dominated forests in the middle mountains of central Nepal. Regular field visits over a six-year period (2017–2022) were done at nine study sites of oak-dominated forests in Karnabhumi Community Forest (KCF) and Gumalchoki Community Forest (GCF) from Makawanpur and Kathmandu districts respectively. A total of 26 species of bracket fungi belonging to 17 genera and 8 families were reported. The majority of the bracket fungi are known to be saprobic, while Coltricia cinnamomea is the only mushroom found to be mycorrhizal based on its ecology. Most of the bracket fungi were found to be inedible, while Ganoderma lucidum, Laetiporus sulphureus, and Pycnoporus cinnabarinus were found to be medicinal. The diversity indices, such as the Shannon Weiner index and the Simpson diversity index, were found to be 0.26 and 0.53 in GCF, respectively, and 0.17 and 0.35 in GCF. This suggest that Oak dominated forests harbor considerable diversity of bracket fungi such that conservation of these forests is necessary.

Land use structure is an important factor affecting carbon emissions. Taking the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYRUA) as an example, this study uses transfer matrix, the carbon emission coefficient method, spatial analyses and geo-detectors to analyze the carbon emission effects of land use changes, as well as their spatial evolutionary characteristics and driving factors, based on the data of 31 cities during 2010–2020. This analysis led to three outcomes. (1) The carbon sinks are insufficient to counterbalance the carbon sources, and net carbon emissions continued to grow from 144.88 million t in 2010 to 160.37 million t in 2020 due to the expansion of construction land. (2) The high-value areas of net carbon emissions shifted from dispersed to concentrated, while low-value areas shifted from concentrated to dispersed and decreased in number. The spatial agglomeration pattern is dominated by High-High agglomeration (H-H) and Low-Low agglomeration (L-L) areas. (3) The spatial differentiation of carbon emissions from land use (LUCEs) is primarily influenced by population density, carbon emission intensity, and technological innovation. Moreover, the interactive effects of land use, energy-efficient technologies, population status, industrial structure, and economic development significantly amplify their individual impacts.

Soil salinization is a type of soil degradation phenomenon caused by the gradual accumulation of salt in soil due to natural processes or improper irrigation practices. Understanding the spatial variations of salinization is the basis for salinized land management and resource utilization. Taking Yinbei Plain irrigation area of Ningxia as the research area, 154 sampling points were set up and soil samples were collected at depths from 0–100 cm in six layers to determine the pH value and total salt content of the soil. Then geostatistics and GIS were used to study the spatial variations of soil pH and total salt content in the irrigation area. The results show three important aspects of this system. (1) The soil in the study area is alkaline soil with pH values ranging from 8.18 to 10.22, and the pH increases with increasing soil depth. The pH values of soil at 0–10 cm are significantly higher than at depths of 10–20 cm and 20–80 cm (P<0.05). The variation coefficients of the soil pH value in each layer are less than 10%, which is characterized as weak variability. The total salt content of soil decreases with increasing soil depth, ranging from 0.24 to 14.95 g kg^–1. The total salt content of soil in the surface layer at 0–10 cm was significantly higher than in the lower soil layers (P<0.05). The coefficient of variation of total salt content showed moderate variability except at depths of 10–20 cm and 80–100 cm. Other layers have variabilities of more than 100%, indicating strong variability. (2) The semi-variance function fitting of pH and total salt showed that the soil pH value in each soil layer depth block base ratio ranged from 28.1% to 61.2%, which indicates a medium spatial correlation, and the spatial variability was mainly influenced by the joint action of human activities and natural factors. The total salt block base ratio of each soil layer ranged from 5.5% to 13.3%, which indicates strong spatial autocorrelation. The variation among soil samples is mainly caused by natural structural factors such as parent material, topography, soil and groundwater level. (3) Kriging interpolation was used to obtain the spatial distribution of soil pH values and total salt contents in the study area, and the results showed that the overall pH distribution was high on the eastern and western sides and low in the middle. The total salt distribution was patchy and uneven, and the saline soil was mainly distributed in the surface layer. As the depth increased, the total salt content declined, and the proportions of saline soil and severely salinized soil decreased. In the whole study area, mild salinized soil was the main category, the total salt content increased from south to north, and the profile characteristics of total salt content were mainly surface clustering. This study investigated the distribution and spatial heterogeneity of soil salinization in the Yinbei Irrigation Area, and provides theoretical guidance for the formulation of soil salinization control measures in this area.

Based on the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), the Sustainable Livelihood Framework of Yujiale fishing tourism farmers was developed. Starting from the perspective of farmers, grounded theory was used to excavate the specific forms of information capital that were represented. Subsequently, the quantitative analysis method was used to quantify the livelihood capital of farmers from six dimensions: natural, physical, financial, human, social and information capital. Finally, Geodetector methods were adopted to explore the factors influencing the information capital level. The results show that the weight and value of information capital are high, which is an important factor that cannot be ignored. In addition, the educational age structure and economic income ability are important factors affecting the level of information capital. This study provides theoretical support for pinpointing the intrinsic value of information capital in the livelihood capital structure of farmers, and for comprehensively interpreting the livelihood level of farmers in the rural tourism destination of Changdao of China.

Awe, as a positive emotional experience, is recognized for its role in facilitating tourists' pro-environmental behavior (TPEB). However, despite its significance, awe has received minimal attention in tourism-related research. This research introduces an expanded model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB) that integrates awe into the rational-oriented TPB framework to examine its impact on TPEB. We collected data at the Mount Huangshan scenic spot in China and employed structural equation modeling for data analysis. Findings suggest that the extended TPB model, which incorporates the emotion of awe, outperforms the original TPB model in predicting TPEB. Awe experienced in nature-based destinations is mainly influenced by the perception of the natural environment (PNE) and significantly predicts TPEB. Study findings offer an integrated framework combining emotional and rational perspectives to understand the factors driving TPEB in nature-based tourism. Furthermore, the study aims to establish connections between the psychological experience of awe and the philosophical perspective of the sublime. Importantly, our findings provide compelling evidence supporting the role of nature-based tourism as an effective model to facilitate tourists' environmental attitudes, emotions, and behaviors. Finally, the implications for practice are discussed.

In the mass tourism era, the rising demand for personalized and high-quality experiences necessitates a distinct urban tourism image. This study examined tourists' perceptions of Harbin during non-ice and snow seasons using network text analysis within the “cognitive-emotional-overall” framework and a ROST content mining tool. Our analysis of travelogues revealed that Harbin is seen as an exotic, culturally rich destination, yet tourists have limited awareness of its natural resources. While overall emotional responses from tourists were positive, facilities and services received some criticism. The views of tourists were primarily focused on popular urban sites, highlighting the need for diversification. This study contributes to the theoretical discussion on the formation of the city's tourism image and suggests strategies that will allow Harbin to transition from a season-specific tourism model to a year-round tourism model, thereby enhancing its four-season destination brand in terms of infrastructure, industry innovation and market management.

Tourism-related plastic waste poses a significant threat to ecosystems worldwide, underscoring the need for effective tools for measuring its generation and informing decision-making and management. This paper introduces the concept of the tourist plastic footprint through a conceptual framework analysis and proposes a measurement methodology that uses a time-geography approach. Empirical data were collected from Fragrant Hills Park in Beijing and analyzed using statistical methods. The findings reveal that the plastic footprint of tourists at Fragrant Hills Park averages 10.04±0.32 items per capita per day. The waste consists of 27 distinct components, with the key contributors including plastic garbage bags (17.12%), plastic food packaging (12.48%), and tableware packaging (9.96%). Plastic garbage bags are predominantly discarded in hotel settings, while tableware packaging is primarily disposed of in restaurants outside the scenic area. Plastic food packaging is discarded in various locations, including the scenic area, transportation hubs, and hotels. This study enhances the tourism ecological footprint literature by providing deeper insights into the plastic consumption of tourists and offering a structured framework for quantifying plastic waste. For practical application, it offers valuable guidance for decision-makers in tourist destinations who aim to improve their plastic pollution control measures.

Against the backdrop of rapid tourism development, the imbalanced distribution of conflicting interests among community residents in tourist destinations has become a focus of attention. As core stakeholders of tourist destinations, community residents play an indispensable role in creating a “hospitable atmosphere”. Community residents' participation in tourism development is vital for promoting sustainable development. Environmental justice theory emphasizes the fairness of resource allocation and participation in negotiations, and it has developed into an essential issue for the sustainable development of tourist destinations. This study took Skula Town in Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture as a case study to explore the participation behavior of residents in ethnic tourism communities in the development of tourist destinations. Based on grounded theory and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), a complex causal model of high participation behavior of the residents in ethnic tourism communities was constructed to reveal the multiple influencing factors and their interrelationships from the environmental justice perspective. Nineteen complex combination paths were identified that can promote the high participation behavior of community residents, which verified the diversity and complexity of the conditions behind the high participation behavior of residents in ethnic tourism communities. The results show that fair resource allocation, effective environmental protection measures, and residents' recognition of tourism development are the key factors driving high participation behavior. This study reveals the complex relationships between multiple factors that influence participation behavior from the perspective of environmental justice, with the aim of deepening our understanding of residents in ethnic tourism communities' participation in tourism development and providing a reference for the sustainable development of local tourism and the stable development of society.

Developing the rural homestay industry is beneficial for poverty reduction in rural areas and its sustainable development is closely related to the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs. Based on a first-hand questionnaire survey data for 368 rural homestay entrepreneurs, methods such as factor analysis, multiple regression analysis and the mediation effect test were used to explore the impact of entrepreneurial motivation on the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs and its internal mechanism. The results indicate that entrepreneurial motivation has a significant positive impact on rural homestay entrepreneurs' continuous operation intention. Community relations and entrepreneurial performance perception not only have simple mediating effects, but they also play a serial role in mediating the above relationship. This study provides a systematic theoretical framework for understanding and improving the continuous operation intention of rural homestay entrepreneurs, which can assist in ending the poverty dimension of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to some extent.

Within the domain of homestays, it is imperative to prioritize the augmentation of hosts' pivotal role and the facilitation of pro-environmental behavior among tourists as essential strategies for promoting the sustainability of homestay accommodations. This research utilizes homestays in Pingtan Island as a specific example and employs a survey methodology to collect data. Additionally, a structural equation model is utilized to analyze the causal relationship between situational factors within homestays and the pro-environmental behavior of tourists, specifically within the context of host-guest interaction. The results of the study indicate that there is a favorable correlation between environmental quality and the interaction between hosts and guests, and visitors' pro-environmental behaviors. Furthermore, it is worth noting that situational circumstances play a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of host-guest interaction. This, in turn, serves as a mediator for the influence of situational factors on tourists' pro-environmental behavior. Based on the aforementioned findings, the present study proceeds to examine the pragmatic ramifications of the research and provides recommendations for prospective areas of investigation.

Sichuan Province has abundant leisure sports resources. An evaluation of the competitiveness of its leisure sports resources can provide a scientific basis for the selection and development of leisure sports industry clusters in Sichuan Province. In addition, a competitiveness evaluation index system for leisure sports resources was constructed to assess the competitiveness of leisure sports resources for 21 regions in Sichuan Province. The results showed significant differences among the 21 regions, and they could be divided into three levels. Specifically, the first level included the seven regions of Chengdu, Leshan, Yibin, Mianyang, Zigong, Aba and Luzhou; the second level included the 11 regions of Ya'an, Guangyuan, Ganzi, Neijiang, Deyang, Guang'an, Liangshan, Nanchong，Panzhihua, Bazhong and Dazhou; and the third level included Meishan, Suining and Ziyang. In view of the resource conditions, environmental conditions, and development conditions, Chengdu, Leshan, Yibin, Mianyang, and Zigong were chosen as the most suitable areas for leisure sports industry clusters in Sichuan Province. Furthermore, suggestions for these five potential leisure sports industry clusters were proposed to promote the high-quality development of the sports industry in Sichuan Province.

The royal gardens in Beijing are numerous in quantity, diverse in type and remarkable in features, embodying profound cultural connotations and precious heritage values. This study was guided by Chinese leaders' important speeches on the inheritance of excellent traditional Chinese cultural genes and the theory of Cultural Gene. It sorted out the presentation forms of cultural heritage resources of Beijing Royal Gardens (BRGs), and then identified and extracted the cultural genes of BRGs. In the extraction of cultural genes, resources are divided into two categories based on their perceptibility: material cultural genes and intangible cultural genes. The material cultural genes are mainly reflected in tangible elements such as architectural style, landscape layout, and plant configuration of gardens, which together constitute the unique style of the BRGs. The intangible cultural genes are more reflected in the historical stories, cultural connotations, aesthetic concepts, and other intangible elements carried by gardens, which endow gardens with deeper spiritual values. Furthermore, based on the importance and stability of genes, the extracted cultural genes are divided into four types: core genes, attachment genes, mixed genes, and mutant genes. Core genes are the essence of the BRGs, with high stability and inheritability; Attachment genes are related elements derived around the core genes, which are equally important although not core; Mixed genes are the result of the integration of multiple cultural elements, reflecting the diversity and inclusiveness of culture; Mutant genes are cultural innovations that have emerged during the historical development process, injecting new vitality into the BRGs. Finally, corresponding inheritance strategies were proposed for different types of cultural genes. Core genes: Adhere to essence and strengthen core values; Attachment genes: innovative inheritance, optimizing the supply of derivatives; Mixed genes: overall protection, achieving collective prosperity; Mutant genes: selected identification, optimal fusion and development.

COVID-19 has tremendously impacted the travel habits of urban residents. This study used the “node-line segment-network” hierarchy and Baidu migration big data to conduct a comparative analysis of the travel network patterns of urban people on China's National Day holiday before and during the COVID-19 outbreak (i.e., 2019 and 2021). The results revealed four interesting patterns: (1) In 2021, there was an increase in the aggregation coefficient and access to the intra-provincial linkage network, indicating a higher degree of the travel agglomeration of residents under the pandemic. (2) In 2021, the “hub-and-spoke” pattern on the national scale, the “core-edge” pattern of the intra-provincial scale and the “rhomboidal” structure of the extra-provincial scale were more contracted, aggregated, and low-value. (3) The coverage of the urban advantageous association decreased while the total numbers of urban clusters and single provincial clusters increased, reaching 25 and 16, respectively. This indicates that the pandemic intensified the effect of administrative boundaries as a barrier. (4) The primary determinants of movement during the pandemic were urban competition, policy control, administrative boundary barriers, and the travel intentions of residents.