Urban Subarea: Regional Landscape System and Zonal Construction—“Nine Hills and Five Rivers” and the Ancient City of Shaoxing

This Chapter examines the urban subarea structure of the ancient city of Shaoxing from the perspective of a regional landscape system, focusing on how the natural framework of the Nine Hills and Five Rivers shaped long-term urban zoning and spatial organization. Situated within the mountain–plain–water landscape of the Shanhui Plain, Shaoxing City developed a distinctive urban form in which topography and hydrology functioned as a stable landscape substrate for urban construction. From a landscape architectural and urban morphological perspective, this chapter elucidates how hills, rivers, lakes, and water networks collectively structured urban functional zoning, including administrative precincts, residential quarters, commercial districts, storage and dock areas, gardens, and religious sites. Methodologically, the study integrates historical landscape analysis with spatial interpretation, using the Southern Song period (1127–1279) as a focal moment to examine the interaction between natural landscape systems and artificial hydraulic intervention in shaping subarea patterns. The analysis demonstrates that Shaoxing’s urban development was not the result of incremental urban expansion alone, but rather a process of continuous adaptation to a persistent landscape framework. The enduring role of the Nine Hills and Five Rivers reveals a landscape-driven logic of subarea construction, offering a representative model for understanding regional landscape systems as formative forces in traditional Chinese urban morphology.