The historic district is the memory of a city

which makes a great influence on city development. Having a good understanding of the historic district is conductive to the protection

inheritance and development of a city in culture. In this paper

temporal-spatial evolution research method in geography was applied to study the evolution of Xiaogongyuan district

the origin of Shantou city

focusing on figuring out its development stages and influence factors. The results are as follows: ①  the development of Xiaogongyuan district can be clearly divided into three periods of the rising

prosperity and decline periods. ② The characteristic of periods was the result of the interaction of geographical

economic

administrative and social factors

which once played an unequal role in intensity and efficiency in each period owing to spatial expansion and functional change of Shantou city. ③ As the original place of Shantou

Xiaogongyuan district has been considered as an iconic place associating with Shantou identity. In the future

more attention should be paid on promoting its protection and reconstruction

rebuilding its characteristic and function

and hence renewing its vitality in the development of Shantou city.