Abstract:

"The Belt and Road Initiative" has activated the westward economic and trade route, and the state has entered a new integrated development stage of land and sea. Previous studies mainly focused on ocean-oriented urban circulation network, however the research on the inland-oriented area needs to be expanded in both content and methods. Using spatial analysis, the paper constructed a framework of "circulation cost-accessibility and the ratio of export-oriented trade-market competition and policy protection-circulation structure and organizational models", and conducted research on the structural features of westward circulation network and organizational models of the circulation of goods based on the west corridor. The research finds that the high grade circulation node shows the overall approximation on the path of the minimum time and the cost of the freight, and the production capacity of flow node shows significant difference under the market competition, the coastal areas nodes, especially the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta, have significant scale advantages of current flows, but inland nodes with local subsidy policies could radiate the coastal area and launched supply competition. Wuhan, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Chongqing and Changsha are the best inland nodes of coastal source. According to the characteristics of westward circulation network in the aspects of nodes, lines and flow, the "delta structure" of the country's westward circulation can be extracted. Based on the key nodes of westward circulation network, the paper proposed four patterns: the unified marshalling pattern, key node cities model, "export cities" model and key port cities model. The westward circulation has experienced the initial stage, diffusion stage and dispersed stage, and will enter the integration stage. The leading power of westward circulation will eventually return to the cities located in the advantageous space.

Key words: westward circulation network, structural features, organizational model, the west corridor