The Study Of Settling Down Of The Tibetan Herdsmen In Gannan

From ancient times Tibetan nomads living on the grassland of the southern Gansu province have been herding flocks migrating with changing seasons in search of juicy grass, and thus a particular lifestyle of their own had also been formed in the long cause of nomadic existence. However, due to the rapid development of local society and economy, as well as the restrictions from policies and the ecological environment, it is hard for the traditional nomadic economy to meet the requirements of the modern social development in pasturing areas. The traditional nomadic existence characterized by wholly dependence on natural environment has been gradually replaced by the modern animal husbandry which is operated in large scales, with settlements instead of migrations as its most salient feature. In some countries with a higher level of modernization in animal husbandry, such as America, New Zealand and Australia, settlement has proved to be not only a crucial step in developing and prospering animal husbandry, but playing a pivotal role in safeguarding social security and improving the life standard of nomads. At the same time, it has turned out to be hard for those countries living on animal husbandry and depending on traditional migratory pasture like Kenya, Kazakhstan, and Mongolia to ascend to the ranks of advanced nations and developed countries. Therefore, a research on nomadic settlements is of great theoretical and practical significance to the wellbeing and building a moderately prosperous society in pasturing areas.The case study here chose an ordinary nomadic settlement in Maqu County as its object to further examine the settlement of Tibetan nomads in the southern Gansu province from a perspective of cultural anthropology and national economics. The research was conducted by taking into consideration of the specific circumstances there and applying relevant theories such as ethnology, ethnic policy and national economics.This article is composed of five parts. The first part is an introduction to the background and significance of the research, the relevant theories, the literature review at home and abroad and the research purpose and methodology. The second part outlines the background of nomadic settlement in the southern Gansu province, especially the description of the settlement process and the improvement achieved in the settlement projects. The third part illustrates the settlement of Tibetan nomads in Renqin village, Maqu County. Special attention was paid to the pastures and settlement models, as well as the changes of production and lifestyle, values and interpersonal relationships after the settlement. The fourth part explains the idea and policy which contribute to the settlement of nomads, and addresses the problems in economy, society, culture and ecology. The fifth part puts forward the solution to the problems present in settlements in Renqin village, Maqu County.