Taoping Qiang Village—Wandering in Aba (Part 1)

① Itinerary: Chengdu—Taoping Qiang Village in Lixian County, a total of 147 kilometers, about 2 hours and 15 minutes by car. ② Visiting time: Half a day ③ Attraction experience: The scenic area features ethnic ancient architecture and currently has no entrance fee. Taoping Qiang Village is a typical representative of Qiang ethnic architectural clusters. The village is filled with yellow-brown stone houses built step by step along the steep mountain slopes. Numerous watchtowers stand among them, earning it the title of the most mysterious "Eastern Ancient Castle." Upon entering the scenic area, the first sight is a newly built ancient-style watchtower complex, which is actually a commercial street (pictures 1, 2, 3). There are specialty shops, restaurants, and hotels, but not much to do here. The main attractions require passing through the commercial street to reach the ancient Qiang village at the foot of the mountain. The huge watchtowers inside the village are majestic and upright, standing among the closely packed village houses. They vary in height from several meters to dozens of meters and come in four, six, or eight-sided shapes, made from earth, stone, hemp fiber, and wood, with some constructed only from earth and wood. The village is a complex where stone watchtowers and residential houses merge into one. The sturdy walls made of stone slabs and yellow mud have withstood countless earthquakes without damage. The alleys between walls are deep and mysterious, and because some houses are built over the alleys, countless secret passages exist. Walking through them feels like entering a historical maze (pictures 4, 5, 6, 7). Especially many secret passages in the village (picture 5) were almost pitch dark when we visited, so elderly people and children should be careful. It’s worth mentioning a few watchtowers in the village, which are still inhabited by local residents. We visited the tallest one; admission is 10 yuan per person (children free). However, note that the stairs inside are homemade wooden stairs, quite steep and without handrails. The watchtower has 6-7 floors, and the higher you climb, the narrower the stairs become. The top floor stairs are made from a single processed log (picture 8), making climbing somewhat dangerous. Each floor has windows formerly used for shooting, allowing visitors to appreciate the Qiang village’s scenery from different heights. From the top floor, you can see the entire Hu Qiang Village panorama (picture 7). Overall, Hu Qiang Village’s original appearance is well preserved, and from different angles and locations, you can capture various beauties of this ancient architectural cluster. It’s very photogenic. Unfortunately, due to limited time, we only stayed about two hours and couldn’t fully explore the entire Qiang village. It is recommended to spend half a day here to enjoy it slowly. ④ Food recommendation: The dried yak meat sold in the scenic area is very delicious. ⑤ Accommodation: None ⑥ Expenses: Parking 10 yuan, watchtower admission 20 yuan (for 2 adults), dried yak meat 130 yuan.