Abstract:The remains of the imperial mausoleums of the Western Han Dynasty systematically established the funerary practices of ancient Chinese emperors, and served as China's first enduring symbol of unified dynastic power and society. It has attracted sustained attention from disciplines such as archaeology, history, architecture, and cultural heritage preservation. This paper conducted a bibliometric analysis through the CiteSpace platform, based on the China National Knowledge Infrastructure, examining the research hotspots and current status of Western Han imperial tombs. The study focuses on academic achievements in spatial cognition and conservation practices, sorting out the progress of research on the spatial cognition of the imperial mausoleums of the Western Han Dynasty. Research into the imperial tombs of the Western Han Dynasty has evolved progressively from textual criticism and institutional analysis to conservation and presentation. In terms of content, it focuses on three key areas: the spatial perception of the tombs themselves and the conservation of earthen archaeological sites; the concept of heritage conservation through park-style management and the associated planning transition; and the holistic conservation of imperial tombs through the integration of culture and tourism, alongside spatial adaptation and coordination. However, there remain shortcomings in terms of interdisciplinary collaboration and spatial implementation. Future efforts should strengthen multidisciplinary coordination, advance multiscale landscape interpretation from a landscape architecture perspective, deepen research into the spatial coupling between cities and mausoleums, refine the visitor experience system and operational mechanisms of heritage parks, and promote community integration and sustainable revitalisation. These measures will enhance the level of heritage conservation and utilisation.
