Taoping Qiang Village

Taoping Qiang Village is located in Taoping Township on the banks of Zagunao River in Li County. The Qiang Village is 40 kilometers away from Li County, 16 kilometers away from Wenchuan City, and 139 kilometers away from Chengdu. It is a national key document protection unit and an important scenic spot in the Jiuhuang Line tourist circle.



Taoping Qiang Village is the world's best-preserved complex of watchtowers and residential buildings that are still inhabited, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages and the maze-like architectural art of the watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a fascinating oriental castle".

It is divided into the old village and the new village. The old village is the filming location of the movie "Killing". Friends who like it can go and have a look. The ticket costs 60 yuan. https://m.mafengwo.cn/nb/public/sharejump.php?type=7&id=6713498 [My Li County Travel Notes Bipenggou-Ganbao Tibetan Village-Taoping Qiang Village]

Taoping Qiang Village, "Qizi" in Qiang language, is surrounded by mountains and rivers, with fertile soil and abundant water. It is home to outstanding people. Zagunao River, a tributary of Minjiang River, passes through the village. The village has built 8 radial exits with the ancient castle as the center, and the exits are connected to the corridors to form a road network. The villagers can move freely, while outsiders feel like they are in a maze. The houses in the village are connected and interconnected, and the outer walls are built with a mixture of pebbles and slabs, which are mottled. There are crisscrossing alleys in the village. Some houses in the village have low walls, which retains the ancient Qiang people's habit of living in "yurts".

You need to buy tickets to enter the village, but we didn’t go in and just walked around outside.

Taoping Qiang Village is an ancient village, which is really like a mountain village. It has watchtowers, ancient castles, narrow paths, and is built on the mountain. It is quite nice. There are many old ladies selling apples, yak meat, and kebabs on the roadside. They are also local specialties, and commercialization is not very serious. It may be the off-season and it is particularly bleak. Many stores seem to be closed. There are not many people coming here now, so you can play slowly. In fact, there is not much to play. The new Qiang Village behind still requires a ticket of 60 yuan. Going up along the path, it seems that there is no ticket. It is still quite difficult along the way. There is an observation deck on the top, but the wind is so strong that it almost blows people away. Of course, the scenery is also the most beautiful. Overlooking the panoramic view of the Qiang Village, looking at the surrounding mountains from a distance, and feeling the magnificence of the world.

Taoping Qiang Village is located in Taoping Township on the banks of Zagunao River in Li County. The Qiang Village is 40 kilometers away from Li County, 16 kilometers away from Wenchuan City, and 139 kilometers away from Chengdu. It is a national key document protection unit and an important scenic spot in the Jiuhuang Line tourist circle.

Taoping Qiang Village is the world's best-preserved complex of watchtowers and residential buildings that are still inhabited, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages, and maze-like architectural art of watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a divine oriental castle".

There were more than 20 people in the car, and only my friend and I entered the old village. I like architecture very much, whether it is foreign architecture or the architecture of domestic ethnic minorities, I am very interested. The old village is also the highlight of this trip. I thought the old village would not be very good, after all, it has been a long time, but after I came here, I found that it was like a maze. After entering the old village, I saw a small group invited a tour guide, so my friend and I followed in. The tour guide took everyone to the home of the Qiang King. At first, I didn’t think it was special, but I heard the tour guide say that what we saw was only one-tenth of it. What? Did I hear it wrong? Later I learned that in addition to the few houses where we were, the Qiang King’s home had a different world outside. It was like a bunker. I don’t know how many floors I climbed before I reached the top. In fact, I can only reach the external platform above. But it’s still a bit difficult to get up there. Each floor requires climbing a wooden staircase, and the size of the space is different. For example, I carry a big schoolbag, and some places are very difficult. I have to take the schoolbag off and throw it down first, and then go down. Maybe it's because I'm fat and my schoolbag is a bit bigger. But my companions also had a hard time. They were wearing skirts and long skirts. It was very hard to go up and down the stairs. I regretted it at that time. I met a very nice Qiang grandmother. When we came down, we couldn't find the way. We happened to see an old lady on the opposite side, so we walked over to ask. The old lady said and gestured, telling us that we should go down the square from this side. After we thanked her and turned to leave, the old lady was still telling us the route. When I walked to this place and looked back, the old lady was still gesturing with her hands. Let's just keep going forward. A very kind and lovely old lady.

Many people say it's not fun, but this place is really not for fun. People who like it will naturally like it. The ancient village behind is 30 yuan for admission, which is worth the ticket price.

Taoping Qiang Village

The oriental castle shrouded in clouds and mist is the best-preserved complex of buildings in the world that integrates watchtowers and residential houses and is known as the "natural air conditioner".

Taoping Qiang Village has built 8 radial exits with the ancient castle as the center. The exits are connected to the corridors to form a road network. The locals can enter and exit freely, while outsiders feel like entering a maze. Opening hours: 08:30-17:30, the ticket price is 60 yuan, we caught up with the discount event and bought the ticket at half price. The reference time is 2 hours. The parking lot is 10 yuan for 3 hours and 15 yuan for more than 3 hours.

In fact, there are several small attractions along the way, such as Taoping Qiang Village and Diexi Haizi, where you can get off the car to take a look when you stop for a rest, but we just passed by them in a hurry because we were in a hurry.

Return to Chengdu and have lunch at Taoping Qiang Village

There is a snack street in front of the scenic spot.

A variety of Qiang specialties, noodle shops, barbecues are available

I especially recommend the Dandan noodles from the Chongqing Xiaomian restaurant. A large portion costs 15 yuan. The portion is large, the taste is good, and the noodles have just the right texture.

I especially like the chili and fried soybeans.

The hot and sour noodles are just okay, the taste is light

The grilled yak beef next to it is not bad, 5 yuan a skewer, but the grilled tofu is not tasty, it is too old.



In addition, I recommend the fruits here. The apples, plums, and pomegranates are all very sweet and delicious.

You can buy good quality plums for about 4 yuan per pound.

The Qiang village rebuilt after the 512 earthquake not only follows the Qiang architectural style with its stone construction, but also has a strong commercial atmosphere.

However, the old Qiang village still retains the characteristics of Qiang customs.

May is the season when Wenchuan cherries and small cherries are ripe. The families who grow cherries in the Qiang Village are very enthusiastic and sell them at a very low price. You can also climb the trees to pick them yourself.

The architectural style is so interesting, and the intricate road network and water system are worth a visit.

It has a strong Qiang flavor and is quite unique, so it is worth a visit.

Tibetan villages are actually all very similar. Taoping Qiang Village is one of the filming locations for the movie "The Killing", so there are probably more people coming here to visit.

Taoping Qiang Village is located in Taoping Township, Li County, about 170 kilometers away from Chengdu. It is the only ancient Qiang village that has been well preserved after the 5.12 earthquake. It still maintains the primitive simplicity of the Qiang people.

Taoping Qiang Village is built on the mountain, with the Zagunao River flowing in front of the village. There are two nine-story earthen houses in the village, facing the beacon tower on the opposite mountain.

The houses in the Qiang village are built on the slopes of the mountain and are all made of stones. The ancient Qiang ancestors used mountain springs to build underground ditches to flow under the houses in the village, making it very convenient for drinking and fire fighting. People walking in the village can only hear the sound of water flowing underground. It is the most complete "living fossil" of Qiang architectural culture and art in the world. Many movies have been filmed here.

At noon, I had lunch at Taoping Qiang Village in Li County. After lunch, I walked around the village for half an hour. The village looked relatively new and clean, with many homestays and quite leisurely. There was a small square inside, with many locals selling apples. I strongly recommend the apples here. Although they may not look very beautiful, they are very sweet and crisp. You can buy more. There are very few places to buy fruits in the next few days. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can prevent chapped lips, especially in the plateau area.

I took a brief tour of Taoping Qiang Village. This Qiang Village is built on a mountain (said to be a dragon vein). When a car passes by the periphery, you won't find any houses inside. Every household is connected, and there are countless secret passages, as if you have returned to the Anti-Japanese War.

Parking on the side of the road, no tickets required. The scenic area gives people a sense of commercialism, and the browsing time is about half an hour.

It is suitable for those who want to learn about Qiang culture. I just watched the fun.

It is a very interesting place. Only by climbing the mountain towers can you experience the hardships and helplessness that the Qiang ancestors had to endure in order to survive.

Taoping Qiang Village Scenic Area is on the roadside from Wenchuan to Li County, and the ticket price is 60.

This place is worth a visit for those who are interested in cultural tourism. We went there, but we were not too interested. We still prefer natural scenery.

One and a half hours is enough to visit Taoping Qiang Village, and it is recommended not to stay here for too long.

It's a nice village. We came across it on the way to Bipenggou. We can stroll around there, have a meal and take a rest before continuing on our way.

The ancient village has a history of more than 2,000 years. There are local Qiang people as guides. The fee is 30 yuan. You can pay later. There are wizards inside to read people's fortunes and pray for them. At the end, they ask for money. You can also use Alipay. It is best not to be fooled. You can refuse the blessing notes they give you and go directly to the rooftop to take pictures.

At noon, we had lunch at Jiujiu Fish Restaurant in the ancient village. Fish tofu is the signature dish, mainly made of catfish, spicy, fragrant and tender, and goes well with rice. The proprietress was enthusiastic and good at doing business. Before leaving, she gave the driver a can of Red Bull and told him to be careful on the way.

The scenery here is mainly the old Qiang village with ancient buildings. The people here are very nice, and the food and accommodation are very affordable. After you find a place to stay, they will take you to visit the old Qiang village, and you don’t need to pay the entrance fee. The food is also very special, and the accommodation environment is also very good. We stayed in the first "Garden Hotel" on the far right of the parking lot, 150 yuan/room, including breakfast, and free Qiang village tickets.

In Taoping Qiang Village, the first feeling is that physical recovery has been completed. The houses and roads where the Qiang people live are even better than before. The completion of the national highway has also allowed the Qiang people to develop tourism. The endless stream of tourists like us has also brought a good source of economic income to the Qiang people. However, when we asked where we could hear Qiang flutes and mouth harps, the answer we got was, there is none.

There is a maze-like underground water network here, which plays a huge role. First, it can supply the villagers with water for daily life. Secondly, it has a fire prevention function. If a fire occurs in the village, the stone slabs can be opened to get water to put out the fire, ensuring the safety of the whole village. Thirdly, it can adjust the indoor temperature and humidity in the village. Fourthly, if there is a war, the underground water network can cut off the water supply, and the villagers can hide or escape through the underground channels.

The Qiang wooden lock, which is known as the "No. 1 lock in the world", consists of three parts: the lock shell, the lock cylinder and the key. The lock shell is firmly embedded in the thick stone wall on the side of the door, which is as thick as the wall. There is a secret "mechanism" inside. The lock cylinder can move left and right in the lock shell, which is called a switch. The key is a delicate wooden piece with staggered wooden teeth on it, like a "Bagua formation".

Because of the special architecture, beautiful scenery and unique cultural charm, this place is also a famous sketching base.

Nowadays, the whole village has become commercialized due to the development of tourism, with small stalls and vendors everywhere selling some specialties and small commodities.

The local area is also rich in many specialties. Looking at this pile of dry goods, I can't even name a single one. However, since it is a specialty of the mountains, it must be rare to see it in the city, let alone know it. So when you come here, you must experience the authentic food here and feel it.

Taoping Qiang Village is the best-preserved combination of watchtowers and dwellings in the world, and enjoys the reputation of "natural air conditioning".

I really like this kind of small village located in the mountains and forests. It feels like a paradise. They are quiet and peaceful.

A typical Qiang tribe, with a most primitive, original and pristine feeling.

The Qiang village under the sunset has its own beauty compared to the Tibetan village I visited before. The Tibetan village is concentrated, elegant and exquisite, and the photography effect is also excellent; the Qiang village is more scattered, clean and simple, making people feel close to life.

In the morning, the Qiang village is quiet, with only the gurgling sound of spring water from the mountains. With a perfect and scientific water network, roads extending in all directions, and the perfect integration of watchtowers and houses, the village is like a maze.

The old buildings in Taoping Qiang Village are wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. Each house is connected and supports each other. Therefore, although this place was a severely affected area during the Wenchuan earthquake, the old village was miraculously preserved intact. One cannot help but admire the solidity of the old craftsmanship.

Here we don’t paste the word “Fu” on the door. Instead, we paste a creative word, which is simple and clear, and has both above and below, which means a prosperous life.

The building is very distinctive and is also the filming location for some movies. The fruit inside is pretty good.

I heard that the village is known as a mysterious oriental castle, so I stopped the car and went in to take a look. According to the introduction, Taoping Qiang Village is the most well-preserved building complex in the world that integrates watchtowers and residential houses. It has a complete underground water network, well-connected passages and a maze-like building that integrates watchtowers. The village is also the place that left the deepest impression on me during the 13-day trip.

The village is very large and crowded with people. Many villagers are selling local specialties, including delicious apples and very sweet persimmons.

There is no entrance fee to Taoping after 8:30 during the day and at night. We happened to go there at night, so we didn't pay for tickets, so the price-performance ratio was better.

I also recommend hiring a tour guide, because the guide's explanation is very detailed. After all, they have their own culture. Otherwise, it would be meaningless to wander around without knowing anything. In addition, you have to pay to enter the private house, but it is recommended to only go to Xiaoqiong Qiang's house. Because they are the bone center. Basically everything is included, and Huang Bo's movie "Killing" is mainly here.

The architecture of the ancient village is integrated with the mountains in the west. There is no commercial atmosphere here, but more of a strong ethnic culture and the breath of spring. Green willows and red flowers, early spring in the ancient village in the west.

It is very commercialized. You can tell the age of the old Qiang village, but it seems that people are slowly moving out? A modern new Qiang village has been built next to the old Qiang village. Maybe the old Qiang village is preparing to develop tourism. Tour guides are usually not allowed to enter here. The tour group must be handed over to the local tour guide. The tour guide will then take you to the Tusi Building. First, he will tell you that the village is a maze of the Nine Palaces and Eight Diagrams, and you must follow the tour guide, otherwise you will definitely get lost. Then he will start to brag about how awesome the Tusi Building is. In short, he wants you to pay to go upstairs. Well, there is no charge to enter the village, but there is a charge to go upstairs. We were originally planning to go to Bipenggou, but we just came to see the Qiang village by the way. We were not interested in the Tusi Building, but the tour guide left on his own... Hey, we agreed to get lost without a tour guide...

In fact, it is not as amazing as it is said to be. The village is very small and you can walk to the end in just over ten minutes. Forty minutes is enough to walk through the whole village. I think I have almost memorized all the roads in the village. But I did see a custom in the Qiang village, which is to put white stones on the roof. It is said to be called white stone worship. The Qiang people believe that white stones can bring good luck and avoid bad luck. The buildings in the Qiang village are piled up with pieces of stones, so it is still worth a look.

If you go here in autumn, you can buy crisp persimmons, which are very sweet and delicious. They are the most satisfying product here.

There is a viewing platform where you can have a panoramic view of the village. The tour guide said that the village is divided into two parts, the old and the new. One of them requires an entrance fee, I forgot whether it is the new or the old one, I said it is boring, anyway, the free one is more worth going.

There is no fixed shuttle bus, but on the road in Wenchuan City, you can stop the bus going to Li County. Usually you can wait at the bridgehead of National Highway 317. The carpooling fee is 10 yuan per person.

Because it involves counterpart support, the corresponding tickets are free.

The houses in the village are all similar, with a few specialty shops like newly developed tourist attractions. It is particularly quiet and leisurely at 9-10 in the morning. What attracted me was the song "The Most Beautiful Expectation" coming from afar. I followed it and found that it was indeed played by young people. A group of young volunteers in green vests were busy doing something for this newly developed tourist area.

The visit lasted about half an hour, and there was no strong commercial atmosphere at the moment.

During the Wenchuan earthquake, the watchtowers that had stood in the Qiang village for a thousand years remained standing, and a new village was built based on the Qiang culture.

The Qiang ethnic group has a saying that "a village cannot be established without watchtowers". Currently, there are only three watchtowers left in Taoping Qiang Village.

Taoping Qiang Village is located between Li County and Wenchuan, about 8 kilometers away from Wenchuan County. There are many short-distance commuter buses from Li County to Wenchuan in Ganbao Tibetan Village, so you don't have to spend money to charter a car or take a taxi.



According to historical records, the village was first built in 111 BC. Guangrou County was established here during the Western Han Dynasty. Taoping Qiang Village already existed as a county pass and a key defense area. During the Wenchuan earthquake, it did not collapse or be damaged. Compared with the comprehensive reconstruction of Ganbao Tibetan Village, it seems that the buildings of the Qiang Village are more solid.



Taoping Qiang Village is a typical representative of the Qiang architectural community. The village is built with yellow-brown stone houses along the steep mountain slopes, with many forts in between. It is known as the most mysterious oriental ancient castle. The village has 8 radial exits with the ancient fort as the center. The exits are connected to the corridors to form a road network. The villagers can move freely, while outsiders feel like they are in a maze.



Although Taoping Qiang Village is an old village, the surrounding area is full of newly built Qiang houses. The original old village is inside. I personally prefer Ganbao Tibetan Village. The Qiang houses are indeed reliable for living and defense, but they lack highlights from the perspective of aesthetics and appreciation. Each building is relatively high, the color is relatively single, and the buildings are relatively dense, so it is difficult to find a suitable shooting angle.



There are several relatively high watchtowers in the village, which are worth visiting. The mountaintop viewing platform behind the village is the best place to overlook the entire Minjiang River tributary valley and Taoping Qiang Village, so it is worth climbing up to take a look.



The houses in Taoping Qiang Village are generally two or three stories high, with the upper floors used as living quarters and the lower floors used as cattle and sheep pens or storage for farm tools. The underground water supply system in the fort is also unique, with spring water drawn from the mountains flowing to every household through underground ditches, which can not only regulate indoor temperature and serve as fire-fighting facilities, but also prevent the enemy from cutting off water supply and serve as a secret escape route in the event of a war.



Huang Bo once filmed a movie called "Killing" here, which is about a troublemaker in Changshou Town who is hated by everyone, and how the villagers conspire to kill him. The movie is really average, and you don't need to watch it if you haven't seen it. Just know the general idea.

Taoping Qiang Village is the world's best-preserved complex of watchtowers and residential buildings that are still inhabited, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages, and maze-like architectural art of watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a divine oriental castle".

This place is actually very commercialized, with convenient dining and accommodation, and beautiful Qiang embroidery.

Along the way, the mountain people were raising prices and making money, setting up roadblocks everywhere to collect money, 10 yuan here, 20 yuan there. I don't know how the scenic area is managed, it feels very bad.

It was OK, we went to Taoping Qiang Village and Bipenggou. There was no entrance fee that day, so I was lucky enough to find a local beauty as a tour guide, and I stayed in the hotel run by her family at night.

It still has its own characteristics, especially the old village, where every household is connected to another. If you go in by yourself, it is probably difficult to find the place. Movies have also been filmed there.

Taoping Qiang Village is the world's best-preserved complex of watchtowers and residential buildings that are still inhabited, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages and the maze-like architectural art of the watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a fascinating oriental castle".

If you are going to Bipenggou, it is a scenic spot after all, suitable for a short stop and rest on the way

It is worth a visit to experience the architectural styles of different ethnic groups and local cultural characteristics, which can broaden your horizons.

Located in Taoping Township on the banks of Zagunao River in Li County, it is the world's most complete inhabited watchtower and residential complex, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages and the maze-like architectural art of the watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a fascinating oriental castle". However, the ancient village is no longer habitable, but as a tourist attraction, there are some replica buildings for people to visit.

The ancient village can be visited, and the ticket price is 60 yuan.

Taoping Qiang Village (ancient village)! This is the most impressive ancient Qiang village I have ever visited. It reflects the wisdom of the ancient Qiang people to the fullest! The ticket is a bit expensive (60), but I think it is worth it! You must ask for a guide, and a professional and enthusiastic guide. You also have to bring your own questions to visit the ancient village! (But the guide costs money.) For tourists who think this place is not worth visiting, I want to say something! Do you really understand? How can Taoping Qiang Village, which is in an area with many landslides, remain unaffected for more than 1,000 years and survive many major earthquakes? Why are the doors, windows, and stairs in this unique shape! How many floors does the watchtower have? How are each floor arranged? Why is it arranged like this? What is the meaning of the white stone on the watchtower? That magical thousand-year-old lock, can you open it by yourself without anyone's help? Where does drinking water come from? ... If you don't understand these basic questions, I personally think that your visit to Taoping Qiang Village is basically in vain! I personally think that when we go out to travel, we should not only have fun, but also understand how to have fun and what is the significance of this attraction? Our travel has real value and meaning! (The purpose of our travel is not to sleep on the bus, pee when we get off the bus, take photos when we arrive, and rush to buy medicine on the way. Domestic low-cost tours are really a vicious cycle. Different prices, different services. This is the simplest truth. Low-cost tours don’t have so much time to tell you so much.) If you have time, I strongly recommend you to see the pinnacle of our ancient Qiang people - Taoping Qiang Village (ancient village)

Every place has some scenery similar to that of Lijiang Ancient Town. The whole village is relatively small and has a stronger commercial atmosphere.

It feels okay. The scenic spots along the way are good for feeling the Qiang culture. The architectural style is very distinctive and the fruits are delicious.

Exotic architecture, magical houses, and a wonderful movie-like experience

It is a very unique place located on the road from Wenchuan to Li County.

It was built to fool tourists, which is really dishonest. It has no characteristics, and the supporting facilities are also very poor. When we went there, the water was cut off for several days and we couldn't even eat.

Have you seen the movie Killing?

That strange and bizarre little village, the winding, dark and creepy filming location, is here.

When it is not the peak tourist season, the deserted village will make you shudder even more.

Ancient castles and watchtowers are the symbols of Qiang villages.

The maze-like structure, the sudden lighting of lights, the cold wind blowing through the house.

The old village is quite nice, but it costs 60 yuan to go up the mountain, which is indeed a bit expensive. There was no sun on the day we went there, so we didn't go up. We just walked around the whole village in 20 minutes.

Taoping Qiang Village has built 8 radial exits with the ancient castle as the center, and the exits are connected to 13 corridors to form a road network. The villagers can move freely, but outsiders feel like they are in a maze.

The old village requires tickets, while the new village is free to visit. Because we were starving on the way, my companions and I went straight to a restaurant to eat. After eating, we just walked around outside. There were many cherries and black dates for sale. My companions who bought them said they tasted good. I didn't buy tickets to enter the village. I wasn't very interested, but the ethnic characteristics and style should be quite distinct.

The ticket price is 85 yuan for two people, which is quite affordable. The layered, staggered, and maze-like design layout of the Qiang Village is really worth seeing. The more pitfall is that the tourist attractions do not provide services that match the ticket price. First of all, there is no public toilet in the Qiang Village. Going to the toilet in the merchant's shop costs one yuan per person. Secondly, there are several large houses in the Qiang Village that seem to be owned by individuals, so these people have done very worthless self-funded projects in their own homes. For example, they take you to worship the four-cornered sheep god, and then ask you to write your name and wishes on a ribbon, and then go to "add firewood" to the altar. A piece of firewood the size of a middle finger costs 30 yuan, and it is recommended to buy three pieces to burn together. For this kind of routine that has been played out, I decisively left. Yang's Courtyard is also a pitfall. It says that it takes 10 yuan per person to take you to visit the underground water network, with 72 secret passages. We thought it was a huge underground water system network and it would take a long time to walk. As a result, it was introduced in front of a canal, and then we took a circle in their basement and didn't see anything. It is really unworthy of the name and suspected of false propaganda. In general, the Qiang Village is still worth a visit. If you go there for the first time, you can ask a tour guide to explain it. As for other self-funded projects, it is really not recommended. In addition, we must also condemn the management of the Qiang Village. We bought tickets for the entire park, but in the end we could not enjoy the services of the entire park. We hope that it will be improved.

Taoping Qiang Village is located in Taoping Township on the banks of Zagunao River in Li County. The Qiang Village is 40 kilometers away from Li County, 16 kilometers away from Wenchuan City, and 139 kilometers away from Chengdu. It is a national key document protection unit and an important scenic spot in the Jiuhuang Line tourist circle.



Taoping Qiang Village is the world's best-preserved complex of watchtowers and residential buildings that are still inhabited, and is known as "natural air conditioning". Its perfect underground water network, well-connected passages, and maze-like architectural art of watchtowers have been praised by Chinese and foreign scholars as "a living fossil of Qiang architectural art" and "a divine oriental castle".

I went there with my friends in June 2014. We arrived at Taoping Qiang Village at around 10 am. As soon as the car stopped, someone came up to collect the parking fee of 10 yuan. At this time, a Qiang peasant woman came up to chat with us and said that she would be our tour guide and would take us in for only 20 yuan per person. If we bought tickets, it would cost 60 yuan per person, so we followed her in. Taoping Qiang Village is divided into two parts: the new village and the old village. The new village is free, but tickets are required to enter the old village. If you want to enter some famous watchtowers, you have to pay an additional 20 yuan per person. It gives people a feeling of a fee trap. Although the architecture of the entire Qiang village is very distinctive, the artificial traces are too obvious. There is too much commercial flavor inside. And there is a serious situation of random charging. I don’t recommend you to visit.

The Qiang village is deep and mysterious, and climbing up the tower is another scene

Taoping Qiang Village is located on the road between Li County and Wenchuan County in Aba Prefecture, just like Ganbao Qiang Village. However, Taoping Qiang Village is closer to Wenchuan. In fact, the two Qiang villages are similar, and there is not much difference in which one you go to. Because it is sandwiched between the mountains, it feels very scary to see the mountains at night. Again, if you have time, you can go and see it, but if you don’t have enough time, you can just pass it.

Personally, I really don't like the so-called Miao villages and ancient cities in China. They have basically the same lighting design, the same "local snacks", the same "local" specialties, the same commercialization, the same colorful flags, red ropes and red lanterns everywhere, and there is absolutely no local characteristics.

The old village is indeed worth a visit, but I don't particularly recommend the new village. However, Taoping Qiang Village plays a very important role as a departure point for group tourists, a shopping spot and a rest point. The recommended visiting time is 2-3 hours.

I didn't go to the old buildings, but I heard that the old houses were safe and sound during the earthquake in 2008. There is generally nothing to see in the landscape below the scenic area.

We have seen many such villages along the way, so it is not surprising. Photography enthusiasts and those who have rarely seen Qiang villages can go and have a look. It doesn't take much time.

The scenic area belongs to the old village, and the main activities are climbing the watchtower and walking through the maze. The tour guide will tell you about the strange art of house construction and their most magical door locks... It is said that the watchtowers here were not damaged at all during the Wenchuan earthquake, which shows the superb skills of the craftsmen.

Taoping Qiang Village is very beautiful and has a long history. It is worth visiting. Here I would like to recommend the accommodation Qiangjia Inn. The owner and his family are very welcoming. The accommodation conditions are very clean and the environment is very good. It is the best one in the old village. In the morning, the boss took us to visit the village and explained it to us for free. If you go to Qiang Village, you must go to Qiangjia Inn. Telephone: 13551075651

I visited the Qiang ethnic group's watchtowers and local culture, and was deeply impressed by the design of the houses made of stone slabs.

There is too much business atmosphere and the architecture is nothing to say.