Abstract: Has the landscape always been there? What are the criteria by which a landscape “appears”? Augustin Bereque, a French geographer and Orientalist, summarized seven criteria deciding the appearance of landscapes. Based on these criteria, we can talk about landscapes relatively accurately for a certain ethnic group or culture. From the anthropological perspective and the view that human existence is different from that of animals and materials like stones, this research explores the existence of human beings as the “terroir” (fûdosei) as proposed by Watsuji Tetsurô. Based on the research results of La Villette School teachers, it puts forward that landscape is not the environment, but a subjective expression of the environment by humans. With Augustin Bereque’s seven criteria, it concludes that human’s true cognitive thinking of landscape began in China in the 4th century. It also discusses how to construct the world and express the environment (nature) and human cognition of landscape, while reflecting on the researches of landscape architecture.