Daily Behavior Characteristics and Environmental Symbiosis Mechanism of Village Residents in Alpine Pastoral Areas: Meiwu Village, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

Abstract

The characteristics of the daily behaviors of village residents and their symbiotic relationship with the environment play important roles in optimizing the spatial configuration of villages and promoting the sustainable development of the villages and the environment. This paper used the questionnaire survey method and the field observation method, collected the data of different residents’ activities by interviews and surveys in Meiwu Village, Gannan Prefecture, and analyzed the characteristics of the local residents’ behaviors and activities, as well as their interaction with spaces from the perspective of time. The results showed that the types of daily activities of village residents in alpine pastoral areas can be divided into four types: life type, survival type, leisure type, and folk type, and there were significant differences in the types of daily activities and the corresponding spaces of the different groups. Residents’ daily behaviors determine the choice and construction of the village spaces, and residents lifestyles promote the functional transformation of the living spaces. On the other hand, the village spaces can also affect the behavioral activities. This study is helpful to improve the method of evaluating the daily living spaces of pastoral villages based on residents’ behaviors, and the conclusion of the empirical study has certain guiding significance for the rural planning of alpine pastoral areas under the humanistic concept.

1. Introduction

Since the beginning of this century, significant changes have occurred in the Chinese countryside. With rapid urbanization, the loss of value of and the loneliness permeating rural settlements have been increasing. It is urgent that rural settlements serve as the conveyor of rural society and ethnic rural folk culture in a new context. Additionally, their unique emotional and cultural memory function warrant conducting an in-depth examination. “Rural revitalization” has become the call of the times. Rural settlements are the main focus of the implementation of the “rural revitalization” strategy. The research, development, and construction of rural settlements play vital roles in the construction and development of the entire social living environment. This environment is where human beings live together. In the spatial and territorial system of human settlements, with their significant regional differences, the pursuit of harmony between man and Earth and the sustainable development of the territorial system should be based on the particularities and problems of each region, and workable solutions should be formulated. There are diverse regional models of human–land interactions [1]. The living space is an important part of the rural settlement space, the basic unit in village planning, and the basic space for village residents to conduct their daily activities. It is crucial in village planning and construction to analyze the use and needs of the residents’ rural living space from the perspective of individual behaviors and to explore the interaction between their daily behaviors and the environment.

China is a multi-ethnic country. The human settlements in different regions are influenced by the complex natural environments and diverse ethnic cultures, resulting in multiple types of rich and unique human settlement units. The study of rural settlements in China cannot be separated from the particular regional characteristics. This is the result of cross-migration during the development of rural areas in China and also represents a weakness in the comprehensive and systematic study of rural areas in China. The existing undisturbed Tibetan rural settlements in the ethnic alpine areas of Gannan are some of the most important in constituting the value of rural settlements in China. Tibetan villages are places where local people live, rest, and conduct various social activities and are the core areas of production and life [2]. Their formation and development are affected by multiple factors, such as the natural environment, production methods, cultural differences, and religious beliefs, and each village retains its own unique symbiotic relationship with the environment [3]. Due to rapid urbanization, the Gannan area has implemented large-scale village planning, and from the perspective of supply, the living and landscape facilities in the village are configured according to various indicators. This model ignores the differences in the needs of residents in ethnic areas, resulting in a serious mismatch of living spaces in ethnic villages, the unreasonable spatial distribution of public services, and uncoordinated landscape facilities. Thus, in this period of new urbanization, ethnic rural settlements urgently need to have their spaces reshaped under the perspective of humanism.

The spatiotemporal characteristics of an individual’s daily activities can reflect the spatiotemporal demand for space utilization, and these are the basic indicators for the evaluation of the accessibility and mobility of a group [4]. Therefore, identifying the characteristics of residents’ daily activities and the required daily activity spaces is the focus of rural planning under the perspective of humanism. The study of residents’ daily behaviors under an international perspective originated from the systematic diary survey of residents in the early 20th Century [5]. Subsequently, the government, media, and academia launched a large-scale lifetime log survey and conducted a series of studies based on the log survey data. In 1969, Behavioral Problems in Geography was published. The publication of this monograph marks the birth of modern behavioral geography [6]. After 1970, the log survey was formally introduced in the study of spatiotemporal behavior and became the main investigation method of spatiotemporal behavior. Early behavioral research used text records as the main medium and questionnaires as the main method, focusing on the basic information of individuals’ behaviors and the content of their daily activities. Golledge R G et al. expounded on the evolution of individual behaviors in space in different periods from the perspective of geography [7]. In the 1970s, Ishimoto first introduced the main concepts of temporal geography and then developed many new research methods of temporal geography in terms of living spaces and urban areas [8,9]. In 1978, Mrtensson analyzed the time characteristics and time and space constraints of children‘s activities [10]. In 1998, Cervero studied the temporal and spatial characteristics of commuting behaviors in suburban areas of the United States and found that a longer commuting time caused by the separation of the workplace and residence was an important cause of traffic jams [11]. After the 20th Century, due to the development of behavioral research theories and methods and the influence of post-modern structuralism, research examining individual behaviors in countries other than China tended to become human-centered and microscopic in content [12,13]. In 2012, Julia Mc Quoid found that personal emotional perception was closely related to time and space by studying the time–space behavior of single mothers [14]. In 2014, Kwan et al. analyzed the differences in space utilization among different occupations and genders [15]. In 2015, Frason investigated the distribution of residents’ commuting routes [16].

The investigation of individual behavior in China started relatively later than that in other countries. In 1992, Chai Yanwei conducted the first time–space behavior survey in Lanzhou on the basis of his experience investigating and researching Japan’s time–space behavior [17]. In the context of human geography, the study of the daily behavior of residents began to receive attention. Early research on behavior mainly focused on migration and commuting behaviors [18], consumption behaviors [19], cognitive maps and city images [20], and spatial behaviors and the corresponding spaces, and the research has continued to expand in other directions [21]. In the 21st Century, domestic individual behavior research entered a period of vigorous development. The main research content became the travel psychology of urban residents [22], for example their daily life behaviors (breakfast, nutrition knowledge) [23], consumption behaviors (sports, vacation travel, daily leisure) [24], cycle behaviors [25], environmentally friendly behaviors [26], gender differences [27], suburban ecology research on tourism behaviors and domestic tourism consumption behaviors [28], shopping behaviors and domestic waste source classification behaviors [29], family structures, and lifestyle behaviors [30,31]. Cities and suburbs have become the main research objects [32]. Notably, research on the behavior of rural residents has been scant, and the research on the behavior of village residents in the Tibetan area is less common than that of the latter.

Daily behaviors and activities profoundly affect the structure and shape of the space in which individuals live [33]. Many behavioral studies conducted inside and outside China have focused on the characteristics of residents daily behavior and the factors that form them, but the research objects are mainly concentrated in cities. The daily behavior characteristics of rural residents outside the urban area require further research, and few studies have investigated the daily behavior characteristics of Tibetan village residents. Based on this, this paper takes Meiwu Village, Xiahe Village, Gannan as a case, and through the combination of field observation and survey log travel data, depicts the daily behavior characteristics of Tibetan village residents, forms a space-time map of village mobility behavior, and discusses the village space selection under the influence of residents’ behavior, to judge the utilization of village space. The main contents of this study are as follows: (1) to classify the types of daily life in alpine pastoral areas based on a literature review and field research; (2) analyze the external and internal characteristics of residents daily activities; (3) summarize the choice of village space construction under the influence of residents behaviors and the relationship between behavior and space. This study can enrich the related results of rural research in the alpine and cold pastoral areas of Gannan, and at the same time, the research results can provide decision makers and planners with a new choice for the planning of minority villages.

2. Design and Case Study

2.1. Case Selection

This paper selected Meiwu Village in Hezuo City as the study area. Meiwu Village is located in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in southern Gansu Province (Figure 1). The township government of Zuogaimanma is located in Meiwu Village, and it has nine villager groups under its jurisdiction: Sasala, Qirou, Ehela, Jiake, Kalang, Xialangkan, Shanglangkan, Zhihejiang, and Sasoma. There are 1962 people from 334 households in the whole village. The Tibetan population accounts for 98% of the population, and the resident population accounts for 94%. The main economic income is from aquaculture, accounting for 70% of the total income of farmers and herdsmen. Meiwu Village is a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral area. The low-altitude hilly valley area in the northwest is the main distribution area of cultivated land, and the villager groups are located in this area. A large area of grassland is distributed across the plateau mountain area on the south and west sides. Meiwu Village is an important passage connecting the Gannan Labrang Scenic Spot to the Yeliguan Scenic Spot, and it is also the west gate of the Meiren Grassland Park Scenic Spot in Hezuo City. The group of villagers under the jurisdiction of Meiwu Village includes semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral villages, tourism development villages, and other settled Tibetan villages, which are typical and representative.

2.2. Questionnaire Survey and Data Collection

Datasets used in this paper are from a household questionnaire survey on the daily travel activities of residents in Meiwu Village. A sample survey of 9 relatively concentrated villager groups in Meiwu Village was conducted with the informed consent of village residents. The main contents of the investigation included the basic family and personal information, types of daily activities and flexible time allocation, and personal travel and activity logs in one month. Combined with the scope of travel destinations, the scope of daily activities was divided into the survey of external travel activities of the villager group and the survey of daily activities in the villager group. In the external travel and activity log survey of the villagers’ group, residents were asked about the number of trips, travel, and location of trips for a month. Combined with the actual situation of the village, eight options were provided in the questionnaire: business, school, shopping, courtesy, visiting relatives and friends, medical treatment, work, and entertainment. On the internal activity survey of the village group, questions on the daily activity trajectory of the residents were asked, including those to elicit the type of activity, location of the activity, and start and end time of the activity. Combined with the Tibetan Living Habits Questionnaire, 14 options were provided for the daily activities of rural residents: sleep, housework, dining, labor, agricultural life, grazing, school or study, caring for elderly individuals and children, physical exercise, social networking, liaison activities (internet, telephone), entertainment and leisure, religious activities (Weisang, Zhuanjing, blessing), and festival activities (Xianglang).

2.3. Research Method

The main analytical methods for studying the characteristics of residents’ daily behaviors are a social survey method, behavior annotation method, mathematical statistics method, and spatial analysis method. In this paper, a variety of survey methods were carried out in Meiwu Village, mainly based on interviews and observations. According to the time and space behavior of typical rural residents, a questionnaire was designed to obtain the required data more accurately. On the basis of a resurvey to conduct in-depth research on villages and residents, we recorded the internal and external characteristics of daily activities.

The behavioral labeling method is a non-participatory fixed-point observation method. It takes different groups of men, women, the elderly, and children in the village as the observation objects, fixes the main observation points, and observes the types, places, and times of activities of different groups in each time period in the village through direct labeling and photography-assisted recording methods such as activity codes. Recorded information includes activity subject attribute, activity type, activity mode, activity quantity, activity time, and activity space location information.

Finally, Arcgis software is used to input and visualize the spatial environment information and group behavior activity information of the research village. The attribute information such as subject attribute information and activity time information is input into the attribute table to establish the geographic dataset of different group behavior activities in the village. The kernel density analysis method is used to analyze the spatial agglomeration characteristics of different groups and different types of activities, so as to obtain various types of activity space and explore its influencing factors.

2.4. Spatio-Spatial Research Framework of Daily Behaviors

Combined with the relevant results on daily behavioral characteristics inside and outside China [34], this study determined the thinking framework of the interaction between daily behavior characteristics and the environment of village residents in alpine pastoral areas (Figure 2). Research on the characteristics of residents daily behaviors should be based on sufficient empirical investigations, a deep perception of the regional characteristics of villages in the alpine pastoral area, and the current situation of rural development in Meiwu Village. On this basis, the scope and types of daily activities of rural residents in alpine pastoral areas were determined. The external characteristics of residents’ travel behavior and the internal characteristics of residents’ daily activities were divided according to the scope of activities. According to the type of activity, it was divided into four activity types: survival, life, leisure, and folk-custom. Next, the temporal aggregation characteristics and spatial distribution characteristics of various types of activities were summarized, and the spatial characteristics of residents’ travel activities and the daily activity paths in the village were obtained, to determine the core activity space and flexible activity space in the village. Finally, combined with the research on the background environment of the village and the space of the daily activities of the village, the symbiotic mechanism of the daily behaviors and the environment was determined, to provide a new path choice for village planning on the basis of exploring the relationship between the daily behaviors and the space of the residents.

2.5. Types of Daily Behaviors and Activities of Residents in Alpine Pastoral Areas

A village is a comprehensive reflection of the interaction between humans, nature, social economy, and historical development in space. It is not only a symbol of a natural binding force but also a spatial mapping of human adaptation and transformation of nature and the intensity of human activities [35]. The formation and development of Tibetan villages in alpine pastoral areas where farming and animal husbandry are intertwined are not only affected by natural, social, and economic factors but also by, for example, tribal religious culture, ethnic customs, and production and lifestyle factors [36,37]. Among them, natural factors are the preconditions for the formation and development of villages, and social and economic development conditions are the main drivers for the development of villages. A rural regional system is an open system with a certain structure and function and is composed of natural endowments, location conditions, economic foundation, human resources, cultural customs, and other factors within a certain rural area [38]. In the rural area system of alpine pastoral areas (Figure 3), people, land, and industries constitute the core of the rural area, and natural resources, the ecological environment, economic development, social development, and cultural customs constitute the core system of the rural area system. Regional development policies, industrialization, and the level of urbanization development constitute its outer edge system.

The combination of the unique core system and the external system causes Tibetan villages in alpine pastoral areas to show great differences in village construction and village life, which are embodied in the following: (1) Regarding village location and construction, Tibetan villages have the strong, natural characteristics of hydrophilicity, terrain dependence, and resource dependence, as well as the cultural characteristics of natural worship, geomancy, and belief. (2) The mode of production is influenced by farming culture, mainly animal husbandry and semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral farming. Driven by the economy and policy, the traditional nomadic life of living with water and grass is transferred to the centralized breeding of village-based animal husbandry. However, due to the different distribution of grasslands and the scale of cultivated land, there are various living systems. With the recent rapid development of tourism, rural tourism income has gradually increased in proportion in the economy of Tibetan villages in Gannan, which has substantially affected rural lifestyles. (3) On the basis of the traditional Tibetan “blood-geographical” relationship, the social structure is integrated into the production–organization relationship of the Chinese socialist system. (4) The way of life is integrated into modern culture, but ideology is greatly influenced by religious culture.

Regional characteristics of villages affect residents daily behaviors [39]. The characteristics of residents daily behaviors are also an external reflection of the internal characteristics of the village characteristics [40]. The most common classification of residents daily activities is by their motivation [41]. Considering the relative simplicity of village activities and urban activities and the unique lifestyle of residents in alpine pastoral areas, combined with the existing classification methods, the daily activities of residents were divided into two categories—at home and outside the home—and they were classified into four types according to their behavioral purposes (

Table 1. Types of daily activities.

Activity Type	Activity Characteristics	Activity Forms
Survival Type	Activities conducted by individuals to fulfill their needs of survival.	Labor, farm work, and grazing
Life Type	Obligatory and maintenance activities that individuals must complete in their daily life.	Sleep, housework, meals, school or study, and caring for elderly individuals and children
Leisure Type	Activities that residents can freely control and choose.	Physical exercise, social interaction, and leisure and entertainment
Folklore Type	Folk and belief activities conducted by the residents affected by the nation and religion.	Religious activities (Weisang, Zhuanjing, prayer) and festivals

).

3. Result

3.1. External Characteristics of Residents’ Daily Activities

The main living spaces of village residents in alpine pastoral areas is within the scope of the villager group as a unit, and the travel behavior characteristics of the villager group space is defined as the external characteristics of residents daily behaviors. The analysis of the travel survey data of residents of Meiwu Village who left the villager group demonstrated that residents’ travel mainly included picking up children, going to school, shopping, entertainment, visiting relatives and friends, seeking medical treatment, and worshipping in temples. The spatial structure and activity path of residents travel activities are represented by a spatial three-dimensional graph (Figure 4). The horizontal axis is the space axis, which represents the activity type and activity spaces, and the vertical axis is the time axis, which represents the frequency of residents trips in different village groups within a month. The horizontal coordinate is the activity spaces, which is represented by the main purpose space of residents travel and comprises two sections: the town and the urban areas. The town is the seat of the Zogmanma town government in Meiwu Village, and the urban area is Hezuo City. The types of activities are expressed in terms of picking up children—C, going to school—G, shopping—S, entertainment—E, visiting relatives and friends—F, medical treatment—D, and pilgrimage to temples—B. The ordinate represents the travel frequency of villagers in groups with different distances from the town and the urban area within one month, and the length of the histogram indicates the percentage of the total number of people conducting certain types of activities in a specific time and space. Overall, the distribution distance of the travel activities of the different groups in alpine pastoral villages is relatively concentrated, in the range of 3 km. Most of the travel purposes of women, children, and elderly individuals are the types of activities necessary in life. The activity radius is smaller than that of the youth group and the distance has a greater impact on the travel frequency. The youth have many types of activities in the market town, and their travel frequency is less affected by the distance factor than the other groups. The difference in distance from the market town also makes the characteristics of various travel activities of residents in each villager group distinct.

3.1.1. Women: Travel Radius Is Small and Dominated by Essential Travel Activities, and Travel Frequency Decreases with Distance

The travel activities of women leaving the village mainly focus on the types of activities necessary for life, such as receiving children and purchasing household appliances. The range of activities is primarily in the town, and the travel distance is inversely proportional to the travel frequency. The closer the distance, the higher the number of trips. The farther the distance, the lower the travel frequency. The number of travel activities aimed at entertainment and visiting relatives and friends is less. The trip frequency of the villagers for trips less than 2 km from the town is relatively high, mainly from once per week to once every two weeks. The frequency of trips that are far from town is mainly once per month. Travel activities for medical treatment and temple worship are less affected by distance than the other types. Among them, medical treatment activities vary according to the physical conditions of residents, temple worship activities are mainly organized by the frequency of temple activities, and the frequency of women’s temple worship activities is lower than that of elderly individuals and young people. Within the scope of urban travel, women have few travel activities, and only medical trips are not affected by distance. Generally, the travel radius of women is small, they mainly engage in necessary travel activities, and their travel frequency decreases as the distance increases.

3.1.2. Male: Many Types of Travel Activities within the Market Town That Are Less Affected by Distance

Men’s travel activities are rich in types and long distances. Household activities, such as picking up children and buying daily necessities within the township complement women’s travel, with a long distance and a high travel frequency. The travel frequency of leisure activities for the men, such as that for entertainment and visiting relatives and friends, is higher than that of women and is also affected by a certain distance factor. The male groups of the villager groups less than 1 km from the town gathered at a frequency of several times per week to once per week. The travel frequency of male groups in villager groups more than 3 km away from the town is concentrated between once per week and once every two weeks. Monastery pilgrimage activity frequency of male groups is higher and less affected by distance than those of the female groups. The frequency of villager residents traveling 1 km from town is mainly more than a week. Travel for medical care activities is not affected by distance and is mainly determined by residents personal reasons. Within the urban travel range, the travel frequency of various activities is lower than that of the activities within the town, the frequency of housework activities such as receiving children and shopping in urban areas is higher than that of leisure activities such as entertainment and friends, and travel for religious activities depends on the frequency of activities in the monastery and is less affected by distance. Overall, the radius of male activities is far and within the scope of the town, and the travel frequency of various types of activities is less affected by travel distance. In urban areas, the main travel activities are necessary travel, and the frequency of urban activities is lower than that in the market town.

3.1.3. Elderly Individuals: Travel Radius Is Small, and Activity Types Are Limited

The travel activities of the elderly group are mainly in towns, with a small activity radius and few types of activities; within the scope of the town, the elderly groups of villagers close to the town participate in activities such as picking up children and purchasing daily necessities. As the distance increases, the frequency of activities decreases, and there are fewer trips for leisure activities, such as entertainment and visiting relatives and friends. Only the elderly group of villagers within 2 km of the town participates in leisure activities in the town, and the frequency is low. Travel activities for medical treatment and temple worship are more frequent among elderly people. Medical treatment activities of elderly individuals are less affected by distance factors. Temple worship activities are affected not only by the frequency of activities held in temples but also by a certain distance factor. The frequency of pilgrimage activities in the elderly temples is mainly many times per week to once per week. Among them, the number of elderly people in villager groups less than 2 km from the town has a high proportion of multiple times per week. The elderly group of villagers who are more than 2 km from the town has a higher frequency of worshipping in temples once per week. Within the urban area, elderly individuals travel very little, and medical treatment is their main travel activity.

3.1.4. Children: Travel Activities Vary with Educational Spaces

Children’s travel activities outside the village mainly involve going to school, and there are kindergartens and primary schools within the scope of Meiwu Village. Children of kindergarten and primary school age mainly study in the town, and students of junior high school and high school age attend school in Hezuo City; therefore, children were divided into groups: 5–12-year-old kindergartners and primary school-aged children, and 12–18-year-old junior high school and high school-aged children. The travel activity spaces for children aged 5–12 years is mainly in the small town, and a very small number of children study in urban areas. The activity spaces for children aged 12–18 years is mainly in urban areas. Leisure activities, such as entertainment and visiting relatives and friends, correspond to activity spaces. Therefore, children aged 5–12 years have the highest frequency of school activities within the town. Leisure activities such as shopping, entertainment, and visiting relatives and friends are the same as school activities, and there is little difference in the frequency of various activities; children aged 12–18 years have the highest frequency of activities in the urban area, which is the main living spaces. The frequency of returning home is mainly affected by distance, at once per week to twice per week.

3.2. Internal Characteristics of Residents Daily Activities

The characteristics of daily behaviors and activities within the villager group were defined as internal characteristics. The villager group was the main scope of daily behaviors and activities of village residents in alpine pastoral areas. The analysis of the daily activity data of residents of Meiwu Village within the villager group demonstrated that their activities mainly include sleep, housework, meals, labor, farm work, herding, school or study, caring for elderly individuals and children, physical exercise, socializing, contact activities (internet, telephone), entertainment and leisure, religious activities (Weisang, Zhuanjing, prayers), and festival activities (Xianglang Festival). Specifically, it was divided into four types: life, survival, leisure, and folk-custom. Thus, the temporal and spatial characteristics of the daily behaviors of the groups were analyzed.

3.2.1. Temporal Characteristics of Residents Daily Activities

The start time of each daily activity of the residents was used as the abscissa, and the end time was the ordinate (the length of the abscissa and ordinate axis is 24 h). Kernel density was located in space in the form of points. The unit cell of the kernel density analysis was set to 5 min, and the search radius was set to 0.5 h. The results of the kernel density analysis were divided into five grades by using the natural segmentation method. The kernel density value was stratified according to the saturation difference from low to high. The highest color saturation is the hotspot of activity agglomeration, and the lowest color saturation is the lowest point of activity agglomeration (Figure 5).

(1)

Time agglomeration characteristics of life-type activities

Life-type activities are the most time-consuming and basic activities in the daily lives of village residents in pastoral areas, and the life activities of men, elderly individuals, and children are mainly related to their three meals per day and those that occur at night. The three meals had a higher frequency but a shorter duration. Before sleeping at night, the activities of men and elderly individuals are accompanied by leisure activities, and the duration of life-type activities of women is longer than that of men, elderly individuals, and children. Specifically, women wake up earlier than other residents, generally from 06:00 to 07:00, and the duration of their three meals is longer. This includes the time for pre-meal preparation and post-meal cleaning, as well as part of the afternoon and night before going to bed. The activities mainly included housework and caring for elderly individuals and children.

(2)

Temporal aggregation characteristics of survival-type activities

Women and men are the main groups participating in survival activities. The time for survival activities is mainly in the morning and afternoon: starting at 08:00–9:00 and ending at 11:00–12:00 and starting at 13:00–14:00 and ending at 15:00–16:00. Men spend more time on survival activities than women. In some centralized farming families, livestock is mainly fed by women and elderly individuals.

(3)

Time aggregation characteristics of leisure activities

The leisure activities of the different groups are mainly in the afternoon and evening, especially 18:30–21:30, which is after dinner. Women’s leisure activities have the shortest duration, are usually accompanied by other life activities, and occur mainly between 19:00 and 22:00 and in their courtyards. Males’ leisure activity time is the longest, followed by activities at night, which also contains a small part of the afternoon before supper time, and the type is mainly social activities. Children’s leisure activities are concentrated in the time after dinner, and the main activities are entertainment and physical exercise. The leisure activities of elderly individuals occur mainly between 16:00 and 17:00, with a small number of activities after dinner.

(4)

Characteristics of time aggregation of folk activities

Daily folk activities mainly include religious activities, such as Weisang, praying for the blessings, and turning sutras. They are activities in which different groups of residents occupy a certain amount of time in addition to life-type activities. Folklore activities for children and women are mainly in the morning. Women’s folklore activities start earlier than those of the children, starting at 06:30–07:00 and ending at 07:00–07:30; children’s folklore activities occur mainly before school, and the duration is relatively short; the folk activities of elderly individuals and men are in the morning and between 15:00 and 17:00. The duration of youth folk activities is shorter, and the folk activities of elderly individuals are the longest activity type in all types of daily activities except for sleep time.

3.2.2. Spatial Characteristics of Residents Daily Behaviors

Combined with the study of the time structure characteristics of the daily activities of the villagers in Meiwu Village, the most concentrated activity time was selected, and the village spaces was used as the case of the village group in Ehela in Meiwu Village. The daily activity path diagrams for women, youth, elderly individuals, and children are shown in Figure 6. The horizontal axis represents the spatial scope of residents activities, and the vertical axis represents the activity time to reflect the degree of linkage between different residents and each space in the village.

(1)

Pathways for women’s daily activities: simple and concentrated

Space for women’s daily activity mainly involves their courtyards, sheds, white pagodas, and farmland. Among these spaces, the home has the longest activity time and the highest frequency of space and mainly includes sleep, housework, labor, caring for elderly individuals and children, and preparing three meals. Outside space activities are mainly to work on the farmland and visit the Mani Room to turn prayers and pray for blessings. They have less time for leisure, entertainment, communication, and other activities, and the required activity space is mainly in courtyards. The daily activities of this type of resident are simple and concentrated, and the activities are mainly concentrated in their own homes; the linkage with the outdoor space of the village is not high.

(2)

Pathways for men’s daily activities: wide range and more outdoor activities

Men’s daily activity spaces mainly involves their courtyards, sheds, white pagodas, farmland, relatives and friends’ homes, and public houses. Indoor activities are mainly sleep, three meals per day, and other life activities. Outdoor activities require a long duration and have a high frequency of travel; among them, productive activities had the longest duration, and the corresponding spaces were mainly pastoral sheds and farmland. Leisure activities are mainly concentrated after meals, and the required spaces are mainly village leisure squares, family and friends’ homes, and public village houses. The folk-custom activities are mainly Zhuanjing and blessings, and the residents of this type have a wide range of daily activities, more outdoor activities, are closely linked with the villagers’ group spaces, and have a high demand for public activity spaces and belief spaces in the villagers’ group spaces.

(3)

Pathways of daily activities for elderly individuals: relatively concentrated range, less outdoor activities but longer duration

The daily activity spaces of elderly individuals mainly involve their courtyard, shed, family and friends, public housing, and white tower. Indoor activities are mainly lifestyle and leisure activities such as sleep, three meals per day, and watching television. Outdoor activities are mainly religious activities, communication, and leisure; among them, folk activities, such as Zhuanjing and prayer, take a long time, and the frequency of reaching the religious spaces is high. The range of daily activities of this type of resident was relatively concentrated, and the travel form was mainly walking. There are fewer types of outdoor activities, but the time required is longer, and the demand for outdoor spaces in the village group is higher.

(4)

Children’s daily activity path: There are few types of activities in the villager group

Because the junior-high-school-and-above school children are in Hezuo City, the villagers’ group activities are less; thus, the study of children’s activities in the scope of the villagers’ group focused on mainly school and kindergarten children. The children of each villager group in Meiwu Village mainly attend the secondary school in Zogaimanma Town, which is relatively close to each village. The children’s daily activity spaces in the village group mainly involve their courtyard, white tower, and village leisure square, and indoor activities are mainly sleep, three meals per day, learning, and other life-oriented activities. Outdoor activities mainly include diversion before morning school, blessing activities, and leisure and entertainment activities after afternoon school. The spaces required are the belief spaces and village leisure spaces.

3.2.3. Temporal and Spatial Composition of Residents Daily Activities

The living spaces in the village spaces are the projection of various daily activities, including but not limited to the material space carrying various daily activities [34]. Combined with the classification of daily activities in alpine pastoral areas and the research on the daily activities path of different residents in the village (Figure 7). The living spaces in the village was divided into five categories: residential, production, leisure, communication, and belief spaces (

Table 2. Classification of village living space types.

Space Type	Spatial Feature	Material Space Form of Expression
Residential Spaces	Main bearing residents sleep, life must, housework but also includes some contacts, leisure, and entertainment activities.	Home
Production Spaces	Producing economic benefits, carrying production and business activities of residents.	Farmland, sheds
Leisure Spaces	Provision of physical environment and facilities for leisure and recreation, carrying residents’ daily recreation and communication activities other than home.	Village leisure square, basketball court
Communicative Spaces	Carrying residents’ daily communication activities outside the home, the more flexible form.	Streets and lanes in front of residence, symbolic space
Belief Spaces	Carrying folk belief activities of residents of Zhuanjing, praying for blessings, and Weisang.	White Pagoda, Mani Room, Weisang Terrace

). Among these spaces, the residential space is the core component of the living spaces of the village residents, and it is also the longest and most concentrated spaces for the daily activities of the resident. Production space is an important part of the living spaces of the village residents. This space is also an important space carrier for production and business and is the space in which the village labor force needs the longest time and the highest frequency of interaction, in addition to the living spaces. Leisure spaces is the main outdoor space for leisure activities, entertainment, and the communication of village residents. The main demand objects of leisure spaces in the village are elderly individuals and children. Communicative space refers to the space that enables people to gather, stay, and chat. Communicative activities are usually accompanied by other activities, and because of the limited external objective environment, communication activities are less limited, and the material space is in various forms. Therefore, its scope overlaps with residential, production, and leisure spaces to a certain extent. In addition, it includes residential streets, landmark spaces, and other material space forms, which are unique to villages in alpine pastoral areas. Belief space carries folk belief activities, such as Weisang, praying for blessings, and turning menstruation. This space is another type of core space among the living spaces of Tibetan villages.

4. Discussion

4.1. Choice of Village Spaces under the Influence of Behavior

4.1.1. Village Pattern Choice under Natural Worship

Tibetan culture takes religious beliefs as the core, and religious worship is an interpretation of natural worship, which endows all natural substances with sacred attributes, awe, and promises of good sustenance [42]. This complex belief mentality is mainly reflected in the respect for and compliance with nature in terms of village location, landscape relationship, and layout. Village residents in pastoral areas have a strong worship of sacred mountains and holy water, and their villages choose the distribution pattern of “back-to-mountain” and “facing water” at the beginning of their formation. The villagers’ groups under Meiwu Village are all distributed in the northern valley of the village. Most of the villagers’ groups were located at the foot of the mountain. The construction pattern is based on the mountains and rivers and basically presents the landscape pattern of “mountains-villages-fields-waters” (Figure 8).

4.1.2. Settlement Agglomeration under the Action of Attraction

The portability of life affects the development and scale of settlements. The town government of Zogmanma is located in Meiwu Village territory and is equipped with public service facilities such as rural kindergartens, central primary schools, and township hospitals. The distance from the township government and convenience of accessibility have a certain impact on the size of the village and the number of village residents (Figure 9). Jiake Village, Ehela Village, and Zhihejiang Village are close to the town government, and their village scale is large. Sasala and Kalang are far from the town government, and their village scale is small.

Religious belief is the core of Tibetan culture, which determines the relationship between humans and nature and among humans. The core status of religion also determines the code of conduct for all production and living behaviors of residents in the village, including construction and development behaviors [43]. Temples, the Mani House, the white tower, and other faith spaces are the main connection points in the overall spaces of the village. Where there are temples, the surrounding villages will gather, and the longer the temple history, the higher the level, the closer the distance to the temple, and the larger the scale of the village. In the context of Meiwu Village, the temples in the village area are located in the village group of Kako, and the residential courtyards around the temple are concentrated. The construction of temples is mainly on high terrain; thus, religious buildings and temples are higher in elevation than the surrounding residential courtyards, separating them from residential buildings.

4.1.3. Villages Space Formed by Order

The composition of the village spaces was self-similar. Many courtyard spaces in Meiwu Village have homogeneous characteristics (Figure 10). The courtyard form of traditional dwellings is dominated by the “hui”-shaped quadrangle, generally composed of gates, walls, main houses, side houses, and miscellaneous houses. The courtyards are constantly self-replicated, and the courtyards are combined to form groups. Multiple groups form villages around, for example, roads, farmland, and rivers. The self-similarity of this courtyard form forms the unique overall stability characteristics of the village. The orderly and hierarchical road system constitutes the hierarchy of villages, forming an obvious transition from the village public spaces to the roadway semi-public spaces and then to the door entrance semi-private spaces to the courtyard private space. Within Meiwu Village, the communication spaces between members occurs in the Mani House, Public House, and other spaces. Under the domination of this pattern, public housing, Mani housing, and nearby areas formed the village’s “vitality point.”

4.1.4. Place Function Defined by Habit

A space consists of multiple locations. A place is the trigger for events. Human behavior defines the attributes of place at a specific time, and the behavior of daily production activities in the village defines the production function attributes of the place where production activities occur. The behavior of crowd gathering and communication activities defines the functional attributes of assembly and communication in the place where the assembly activities occur. The daily chatting and greeting communication behaviors that occur in the village define the function attributes of chatting, greetings, and exchanges in this type of event venue. These types of behavior activities make different places have a clear functional theme, and people are used to determine what type of communication activities occur in what type of places. For a long time, this habitual behavior and thinking mode defined the attributes of places in the village and formed the exact use function of places, where different internal place activity nodes acted as landmarks in the villagers’ psychological consciousness. Through different nodes, roadways, and their relationships, the villagers establish their overall perception image and psychological model of the village and form a functional prototype of the village spaces.

As a traditional Tibetan village, its functional layout has Tibetan cultural characteristics, which profoundly reflect the characteristics of the spatial function prototype of the Meiwu Village residents affected by Tibetan culture. Baita and Manifang, as the core of social-spatial organization in Tibetan settlements, have an important impact on the spatial composition of villages. Villagers, in accordance with their beliefs, the layout of the siege and white tower formed a structural fit. The white tower formed the village’s psychological center, social center, and space center. Therefore, living in the tower is an important feature of the spatial structure prototype of each natural village in Meiwu.

4.2. Residents’ Daily Activities and Environmental Symbiosis Mechanism

Living spaces are a spatial carrier of the daily life behavior of village residents. Behavior and space are affected by several factors (Figure 11). Regarding the internal factors of the village, the natural environment is the basis and constraint condition for the emergence and development of the village living spaces. Natural conditions such as topography and rivers affect the location, size, shape, and lifestyle of village living spaces, and the influence of geographical location is mainly reflected in the development of living spaces. The differences in distance and accessibility between villages and towns make urban culture and other cultures have different degrees of influence on the ideas and living habits of village residents, affecting their spatial choices. Regional culture is an important reason for the differences in living spaces among villages’ living spaces. As a Tibetan settlement village, Meiwu Village has significant indigenous regional cultural characteristics, which profoundly affect the residents ideas and living habits. On the one hand, this is manifested in the form and layout of the external material space of the village’s living spaces and the special significance spaces, such as the white tower and the Mani Room. On the other hand, this also affects residents preferences and use of living spaces internally. The village social relations composed of kinship, geography, and cultural identity determine the degree of separation of village living spaces and have a certain impact on the situation, distribution, and scale of living spaces. As far as the external factors of the village are concerned, the policy planning factor is an important factor in the planning and construction of the living spaces of the village. In the context of rural revitalization, top-down planning, and optimization of the village by relevant agencies, the increase in village leisure places, public service facilities, and the improvement of the living environment has also had a significant impact on the type and scope of the living space of the village, and the increase in functional space also affects the daily behavior of residents.

As the subject of behavior and space, people use space to produce behavior. Under the influence of these factors, the two constantly change and interact, influence, and adapt [44]. Regarding the daily behavior of village residents being related to the village space, on the one hand, residents lifestyles promote the transformation of living space functions, and their long-term behaviors in a certain space transform a space without specific spatial attributes into a living space. When people gather and conduct communication activities in streets, alleys, village entrances, and courtyards, the spaces such as streets and alleys and village entrances gradually change to be compatible with the attributes of such activities. On the other hand, the behavioral needs of residents guide the development of village living spaces, such as Tibetan residents every day. To conduct religious activities such as prayer, in the process of village construction, a corresponding religious space is necessary to carry such activities. Regarding the village living spaces being related to the behaviors and activities of the village residents, the construction of the living spaces promotes or restricts the living behaviors of the village residents, and the quality, area, and scale of different types of living spaces promote or restrict the activities frequency. The form of activities, duration of activities, and quality of leisure activities facilities also affect the participation and enthusiasm of residents in activities. Functional differences in living spaces also affect the choice of residents’ living behaviors.

5. Conclusions

Based on the profound perception of the regional structure system and village characteristics of villages in alpine pastoral areas, this study used the methods of kernel density analysis and daily path description to explore the daily behaviors of village residents in pastoral areas from both external and internal aspects based on the observation of villages and activity log data. Also explored was the relationship between residents behavior and the village environment according to the temporal and spatial characteristics of the daily behaviors of residents in villages.

The main conclusions of this study are as follows:

(1)

The life of Tibetan villagers in the alpine pastoral areas of farming and animal husbandry is affected by natural and socio-economic factors, as well as religious beliefs, ethnic customs, and other factors. On the basis of identifying the characteristics of villages in pastoral areas, the daily behavior activities of residents are summarized into four types: survival type, life type, leisure type and folk custom type.

(2)

The travel activity range of village residents in alpine pastoral areas is concentrated within 3 km, and the travel activities of different groups differ greatly in distance, frequency, and purpose. The male group’s travel activities were the most active and involved the widest range of activities. The travel purpose of the groups of women and elderly individuals is mostly activities necessary in life, and travel frequency is greatly affected by distance. The longer the travel distance, the lower the travel frequency.

(3)

The temporal and spatial characteristics of the types of activities in different groups show certain commonalities and differences. Regarding time characteristics, lifestyle activities are the most basic activities that occupy the longest time in each group’s daily life, and women’s lifestyle activities use the longest time; folk activities are the types of activities that for each group occupy a certain amount of time; the main group of survival-type activities for women and men, men’s survival activity time is higher than other groups; leisure activities of each group mainly occur in the afternoon and evening, and the time required is the shortest; for spatial characteristics, women’s daily activities are mainly concentrated in their homes, the daily activities path is simple and more concentrated; male groups have a wide range of daily activities, outdoor activities, and close space linkage with the village group; the range of daily activities of elderly individuals is relatively concentrated, and the travel is mainly walking. There are fewer outdoor activities, but the time is longer. There are limited types of activities in children’s village groups, and the space required is the belief spaces and the village leisure spaces.

(4)

Residents daily behavior determines the choice and construction of village spaces, and residents lifestyles promote the functional transformation of living spaces. Residents behavioral needs to guide the development of village living spaces. Village spaces also affect behavioral activities. The construction of living spaces promotes or restricts the occurrence of life behavior of village residents. The quality, area, and scale of the types of living spaces promote or restrict the frequency, form, and duration of residents’ activities.

In general, the study of the characteristics of the daily behaviors of residents in Meiwu Village, Gannan Prefecture, is a scientific judgment on the relationship between rural life and the environment in typical areas. The external and internal characteristics of different groups within the scope of village groups were studied from the perspective of time and space, and the symbiotic mechanism between residents daily behavior activities and the environment was discussed based on the temporal and spatial composition of residents daily behavior activities. The research results of life characteristics not only truly reflect the spatial and temporal characteristics of different residents daily lives in alpine pastoral areas but also reflect the great differences in the demand for living spaces between pastoral village residents and general village residents. For researchers, this study enriches the research content of villages in the alpine pastoral area of Gannan from a microscopic perspective and provides new ideas for future related research. For planners and decision makers, the study on the relationship between residents daily activities and living environment further explores the influencing factors of the differences of residents living behavior characteristics in pastoral areas and provides a new research path and direction for future pastoral village planning.

However, this study has two main limitations. First, due to the many influencing factors and complex influencing ways of behavior and environment, it is difficult to use mathematical models to deal with them. This paper mainly describes the relationship between village environment and residents activities in reality without quantitative analysis and lack of data support. Secondly, this paper makes a comparative analysis of the characteristics of daily activities of residents of different ages and genders who live in villages but does not make a specific classification analysis of the living behaviors of people who go out for work during the day and live in villages at night, and the research depth of the spatio-temporal characteristics of daily activities of residents in villages is insufficient. The follow-up study will focus on improving the above aspects to supplement the scientific nature and completeness.