The traditional villages play an important role in the national culture and historical heritage, but their protection and use experience significant pressure in view of the fast urbanization process. This paper uses the spatial gene identification technology, combined with the Ripley K-function and spatial syntax to study the spatial distribution and spatial configuration of traditional villages in Jiangsu Province and based upon this develop strategies to preserve and transmit the spatial patterns of traditional villages. The findings show that the provincial traditional villages in Jiangsu are dispersed in a manner that there are more settlements in the south and less in the north. On the provincial scale, the entire distribution is clustered and the concentration level is decentralized with the level of spatial balance being relatively low. This spatial pattern also has a structure of density in the south and sparse in the north and each of the core areas is slowly decreasing in size. Overall characteristics of traditional villages are formed by the combination of the topography and the water system, and the most connected streets in terms of space and the minimum depth values are mostly located at the center of villages, which tend to be major roads or a highly developed area.
