The Wisdom in Selection of Ecological Livable Space in Tibet

He Yimin Liao Yuhan

Abstract：The Tibetan Plateau covers a vast area， of which the average altitude is too high and its ecological environment is fragile， making most areas unsuitable for human survival and development. However， as early as tens of thousands of years ago， the ancestors of the Tibetan people seemed unafraid of all dangers and difficulties and organized various activities on the snowy plateau. Also at that location， they appeared to search for ecological space suitable for human habitation， thus establishing early settlements there. The construction of an ecological living environment is an important embodiment of Tibetan wisdom on human settlement， and the first problem they faced was the choice of ecological livable living space. Early residents in Tibet appeared to decide on ecological livable space by considering the following two criteria： one is to live by the water; the other is to live near mountains.The natural geographical environment of the Plateau arguably has a direct and vital impact on the urban architecture of Tibet. Both in terms of artistic style and site selection， it is necessary to give full consideration to its natural landscape environment.

Harmony between humans and nature seems to be an essential part of Tibetan traditional architectural culture and has permeated into every link of urban site selection and space construction. The site selection pattern of urban buildings in Tibet appears to conform well to the complex geographical and climatic habitat of the QinghaiTibet Plateau， cleverly looking for advantages while avoiding disadvantages so that the buildings complement the surrounding environment. Generally speaking， the main guiding principle of the Tibetan people in choosing the location of their cities and houses is to adjust to the natural habitat as much as possible， while damaging it as little as possible. This reflects the Tibetan peoples reverence and respect for nature and their protection of the environment; it also displays their wisdom in living space choice.

The natural environment of the QinghaiTibet plateau puts great pressure on human survival. This extreme habitat arguably has given rise to the Tibetan peoples unique way of life， system of thought， and behavior; it moreover seems to have been affecting the regions  economic， cultural， and social climate as well as other issues， thus forming a unique Tibetan living system. Such a human settlement system shows itself in all interactions between humans and nature and has fostered a strong awareness of sustainability among the Tibetan people. They appear to be good at making use of the natural environment and natural resources on the Plateau to create a comfortable， livable， energysaving， green， sustainable， and ecological living environment. Although the technology and methods of a sustainable living environment created by Tibetan ancestors might be somewhat outdated compared with today， their values of protection， reverence， and harmony concerning nature present themselves as abiding sources of wisdom on human settlements， and illuminate the road of ecological living environment construction and urban living environment construction into the future.

Key Words：residential space selection; ecological settlement environment; green ecological space; human wisdom