Continuation and evolution of collective memory manifested in rural public space: Revealed by semi-structured interviews and emotional maps in three migrant villages in Chaihu town

Dachaihu is the largest centralized migrant resettlement area in China, resulting from the early reservoir migration that occurred after the founding of New China due to the construction of the Danjiangkou Water Conservancy Project. The quality of life for villagers in migrant areas has improved due to the rapid development of society since the reform and opening up, of the “Beautiful Countryside Construction” and the “Rural Revitalization Project.” However, the subsequent changes in physical space, combined with the issues of rural depopulation and aging, present the area with dual challenges: a decline in collective memory and the deterioration of public space. Starting from collective memory, this study draws an emotional map from the interaction between elements of spiritual memory and material spatial places, analyzes the developmental changes and inter-generational differences between collective memory and public space through field research in three sample villages of the Dachaihu migrant resettlement area in Zhongxiang City. And from the support of rural public space to the spiritual culture and behavioral activities of villagers, it put forward the strategy of building public space with collective memory as a breakthrough, and put forward the goals of reconstructing collective memory and reviving rural public space for the construction of resettlement areas under the influence of major social and historical projects.