Urban Space Ture under the Influence of Tourism:A Case Study of Langmusi Town,Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture

The spatial turn is a hot topic at the frontier of sociological research.Langmusi Town is one of the most important tourist destinations in Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture.From north to south,the overall spatial sequence of the town consists of three spaces:a sacred Buddhist temple,a traditional,quiet residential space,and a commercial space with its hustle and bustle.However,the development of tourism activities and resources is accelerating the speed of community succession,causing a complex steering of the community structure.Such shifts are reflected not only in external spatial forms,but,more importantly,within the community's internal structure.Multicultural and multi-interest groups have instigated violent and violating processes of invasion and succession within these three spaces.The growing complexity of cultural exchanges and economic interactions is gradually changing people's internal behavior paradigms,eventually creating a new mapping of materialized spatial forms and patterns.The promotion of tourist demands and the powerful influence of extraterritorial cultures have violated the sanctity and purity of the temple space,which is beginning to turn secular.The monastery is deriving a nonreligious function,closely related to tourism activities,and shows a strong spatial tendency towards extraversion and invasion of commercial space.At the same time,the privacy of the residential space is being undermined,causing changes in function and style from a single residential function to a composite living-tourism services function.The traditional Tibetan pedal house has been transformed into an ordinary bungalow;nationality and regional characteristics have subsided.The indoor religious facilities have been significantly reduced,and the external space has been forced to retrench and adapt,opening up to the outside world in alignment with the provision of tourism services.Residents ' behavior has shifted from a traditional nomadic economic mode,while enthusiasm for organized religious belief has weakened,resulting in a reduction of religious activities.Commercial space continues to invade residential space,which is being transformed from an initially integrated commercial-residential space into a homogeneous commercial district promoting a diversified range of commercial activities and evolving into the most open space of a commercial-cultural complex.This spatial-temporal transformation can be summarized as having occurred in three stages.The first phase(1990 ~ 1997) involved steering of homogeneous forms and a community structure connected by religious and blood ties and largely insulated from the external environment.The community structure remained relatively stable,and changes were limited to the natural evolution of external forms,with the three spaces maintaining relative separation.Steering of both homogeneous and diverse forms occurred during the second phase(1998 ~ 2000).The gradual increase in tourists to Langmusi,following its reconstruction,impacted on the community structure,but the cultural stroma remained unchanged.While forms of commercial service also showed a gradual increase,the inter-penetration of the three spaces was not obvious.The current stage(since2000) has entailed steering of heterogeneous and contrasting forms.Tourism demand is high,resulting in a surge of visitors to the area.The strong influence of foreign cultures and the drive for benefits have led to adaptive changes in the community's spatial structure.Moreover,permeability and invasive inter-penetration of the three spaces are strongly evident,and the speed of succession has accelerated.