Between Square and Circle: Environmental Philosophy in Qiang Culture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s Eastern Edge

Between Square and Circle: Environmental Philosophy in Qiang Culture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s Eastern Edge | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Between Square and Circle: Environmental Philosophy in Qiang Culture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s Eastern Edge Likai Lin, Suoyi Kong, Mengjia Gu, Yan Gui This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7912231/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Spatiotemporal worldview of traditional Chinese thought and expresses an understanding of natural order. This conceptual framework has long served as a philosophical foundation for the harmonious relationship between humans and nature. This study further identifies widespread philosophical interpretations and practical applications of this principle in the traditional settlements of the Qiang people on the eastern edge of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, revealing a deep-seated environmental wisdom that informs local strategies for climatic and topographical adaptation. The research findings reveal that the environmental philosophy embedded in the traditional settlements of the Qiang people manifests in five key dimensions: (1) The siting wisdom of "embracing yin and facing yang". (2) The spatial layout wisdom of "front-back enclosure". (3) The constructive wisdom of "yin-yang integration". (4) The productive wisdom of "from round to square". (5) The religious wisdom of "square over circle". This study elucidates the environmental adaptation wisdom embedded in the spatial organization of traditional Qiang settlements through the philosophical framework of "heaven round, earth square," thereby exemplifying the core Chinese cultural principle of harmony between humans and nature. The findings offer substantial theoretical insights for contemporary ecological urban development and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage. Social science/Anthropology Social science/Development studies Social science/Environmental studies Scientific community and society/Geography Social science/Geography Humanities/Philosophy Social science/Sociology Heaven is round and earth is square Settlement environment Environmental adaptability Philosophical practice Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 14 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 29 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 29 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 27 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 27 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 10 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 03 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 31 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 31 Oct, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7912231","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":613925274,"identity":"5270b875-9e2f-4cfa-b25c-080da43d5237","order_by":0,"name":"Likai Lin","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xihua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Likai","middleName":"","lastName":"Lin","suffix":""},{"id":613925281,"identity":"800793f2-24cf-49af-bea3-18ab19ffa84e","order_by":1,"name":"Suoyi Kong","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xihua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Suoyi","middleName":"","lastName":"Kong","suffix":""},{"id":613925282,"identity":"ab6c646a-35bd-477e-8a85-f6e20f5e4f59","order_by":2,"name":"Mengjia Gu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Xihua University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mengjia","middleName":"","lastName":"Gu","suffix":""},{"id":613925288,"identity":"bae42e50-bfd7-4f7c-8223-64245a05cc85","order_by":3,"name":"Yan Gui","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAyUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACfvmHDQYfftgwM7Y3EKlFsiG5oXBmTxo7c88BIrUYHEhv+MzBdpiffUYC0VoONm5m4DkszTvz8cYbDDU20YQddrCx2bjAIt1YcnZasQXDsbTcBkJa+A4zthnP4LFONpydYybB2HCYsBaGY4ztv3nYmOv33zxDpBaBM4wNxjxszsyMM3iI1CI5g7HBEBjIzIw9QL8kEOMXfgn2B9CoPLzxxocaGyL8ggQMJBJIUQ7RQqqOUTAKRsEoGBkAAB5nQaGbFjmuAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Sichuan Technology and Business University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yan","middleName":"","lastName":"Gui","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-21 08:23:40","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7912231/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7912231/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":106401284,"identity":"8ee2ea3d-4c1f-49e3-b2f8-5a5fa0c2a2bb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-08 08:45:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":2472832,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscriptforreview.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7912231/v1_covered_f4e7297c-1681-4b7b-bc8a-6656cd802944.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Between Square and Circle: Environmental Philosophy in Qiang Culture on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau’s Eastern Edge ","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"humanities-and-social-sciences-communications","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"palcomms","sideBox":"Learn more about [Humanities \u0026 Social Sciences Communications](http://www.nature.com/palcomms/)","snPcode":"41599","submissionUrl":"https://submission.springernature.com/new-submission/41599/3","title":"Humanities and Social Sciences Communications","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Nature AJ","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Heaven is round and earth is square, Settlement environment, Environmental adaptability, Philosophical practice","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7912231/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7912231/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Spatiotemporal worldview of traditional Chinese thought and expresses an understanding of natural order. 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