LAUSR

The present study analyses the effects of soundscape on rural landscape evaluations, 8 including landscape visual aesthetic quality (VAQ), landscape tranquility and landscape 9 preference, based on audiovisual information collected in typical rural villages using the methods 10 of an audiovisual experiment and eye-tracking test. First, the results showed the landscape 11 evaluations influenced by different soundscapes are significantly different. Generally, the 12 evaluation scores with natural or musical sounds were higher, and for positive landscapes, the 13 difference among different sounds is greater than that for negative landscapes. Moreover, the 14 landscape evaluations could be enhanced by sound stimuli, including natural or artificial 15 soundscapes and for both positive and negative landscapes. Third, soundscapes can also 16 modulate the effects of landscape elements on landscape evaluations. No-vegetation ground, 17 vegetation, mountains, the sky, and water were found to be significant landscape elements that 18 influence landscape evaluations with sound stimuli, and in particular, the landscape evaluations 19 could be substantially decreased by particular disturbing elements together with artificial sounds. 20