Traditional wisdom for fire resilience in stilt-house settlements and its modern transformation: a case study of Dong ethnic villages in China

Research on fire safety in traditional villages has primarily focused on disciplines such as social anthropology, safety engineering, and architectural science, with existing studies often limited to a single disciplinary perspective. Framed within resilience theory, this study employs a mixed-methods approach to collect statistical, textual, and spatial-visual data through questionnaires, interviews, and field investigations across 14 ethnic minority settlements in Guangxi and Guizhou provinces to analyze fire safety measures in traditional Dong villages in China. The analysis covers pre-disaster prevention, disaster response, and post-disaster recovery, with a focus on technological, institutional, and cultural dimensions. The study also examines the impact of social changes on fire prevention capabilities in these villages. The findings indicate that the decline of traditional social structures has led to reduced community involvement in firefighting efforts. Furthermore, modern firefighting technologies have not been fully adapted to local needs and cultural contexts, limiting their effectiveness. The paper concludes by proposing strategies to modernize fire prevention by integrating indigenous knowledge with advanced technologies. This research contributes to both the theoretical and practical aspects of fire resilience in traditional rural communities.