A Spatial Perspective in Local Studies: The North Coast

 Sanzhi；A Spatial Perspective in Local Studies: The North Coast

In the field of "local studies," the definition of "space" is flexible; it need not be determined solely by administrative boundaries. For the purpose of community college courses, the most fundamental and manageable spatial unit is the administrative "district" (e.g., Sanzhi, Bali, or Shimen). Such units offer clear parameters, which facilitates both curriculum planning and the organization of research materials.

However, while administrative districts may serve as a starting point for defining the scope of local studies, they should not function as rigid boundaries for fieldwork.

In practice, areas like Sanzhi, Shimen, and Tamsui are contiguous—they share continuous landscapes, interconnected road networks, and features such as streams, mountain ranges, human settlements, kinship networks, and religious traditions that often transcend administrative lines. Consequently, one cannot simply halt an investigation upon reaching the boundary of a district. Administrative borders are drawn for the sake of governance, but they do not necessarily correspond to the boundaries of local life.

For instance, if an ancient trail under study in Sanzhi extends into Tamsui, the research cannot stop just because the trail crosses into the latter district. Similarly, tracing the history of a family might require extending the inquiry into Shimen or Tamsui, while studying a river would naturally involve examining its entire course, rather than just the segment contained within a single administrative district. Local relationships often predate administrative divisions and are far more complex.

Therefore, the spatial framework for local studies should be conceptualized as a "core space" supplemented by "associated spaces." Taking Sanzhi as an example, the Sanzhi District could serve as the "core space," while other areas relevant to the research—such as Shimen, Tamsui, Bali, Jinshan, or Wanli—would function as essential "associated spaces."

Furthermore, there is another critical consideration: when external data is required to explain local phenomena, the spatial scope must certainly not be constrained by administrative boundaries.

A locality’s history, population migration, industries, transportation systems, religious beliefs, and kinship ties rarely develop in isolation within a single administrative district. If local studies were to treat administrative boundaries as absolute spatial limits, it would inevitably fragment places that are, in reality, deeply interconnected.

In light of this, I propose that the fundamental spatial perspective for local studies should be understood as follows:

Administrative districts serve as basic spatial coordinates for local studies, but they do not constitute the boundaries for fieldwork. So, what is the actual scope that "local studies" (place-based research) can encompass?

Ultimately, this comes down to the field researcher’s own time, access to transportation, and personal capacity.

Based on my own fieldwork experience, using Sanzhi as a starting point, a one-hour travel radius serves as a practical scope for day-to-day fieldwork. This area roughly covers the stretch from Sanzhi to Shimen, Tamsui, Jinshan, Wanli, and even as far as Bali. This is not a rigid boundary, but rather a "living sphere"—a space one can traverse repeatedly for ongoing investigation.

However, transportation conditions can reshape the spatial dimensions of local studies.

For instance, before the completion of the Danjiang Bridge, traveling further afield from Sanzhi required a significant investment of time, making it difficult to include more distant locations in one’s regular fieldwork scope. Once transport infrastructure is completed and road networks evolve, our perception of distance shifts accordingly. With the Danjiang Bridge and Provincial Highway 61, a one-hour travel radius from Sanzhi can now extend as far as Nankan, Luzhu, and Linkou in Taoyuan.

This reveals something quite compelling:

The space of local studies is not a fixed map; it is a fluid space that shifts in response to transportation, time, and the researcher’s own capacity for fieldwork.

Consequently, the space of local studies can be understood across three levels:

First, the administrative space.

Using administrative divisions—such as Sanzhi, Shimen, or Tamsui districts—as a foundational frame provides a clear starting point for research.

Second, he space of daily life and social relations.

By tracing roads, streams, mountain ranges, settlements, industries, belief systems, kinship ties, and historical connections, one can transcend administrative boundaries to identify places that are genuinely interconnected.

Third, the space defined by the researcher’s fieldwork capacity.

The ultimate reach of one’s research depends on the time, transportation, experience, and sustained effort the researcher can commit. As the transport environment changes, this space may expand or contract.

Therefore, the space of local studies is not defined by "which administrative district I have chosen," but rather by "how far I must travel to truly understand this place."

This is precisely what distinguishes local studies from conventional research based on administrative boundaries: while administrative districts are pre-defined, the space of local studies is one that is gradually uncovered through the process of fieldwork.