Chengdu Surroundings | One-Day Tour Guide to Taoping Qiang Village

At the beginning of the year, a friend recommended visiting Taoping Qiang Village, known as the "Mysterious Eastern Ancient Castle." At that time, my schedule was full, so I postponed the trip, but the seed of exploration was planted and sure to take root and grow.

A few days ago, I finally fulfilled my wish. Taoping Qiang Village is a well-preserved ancient Qiang ethnic village, praised as the "Living Fossil of Qiang Architecture" and the "Mysterious Eastern Ancient Castle." It is located in Taoping Township, Li County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, about 130 kilometers from Chengdu. It is a unique tourist destination that combines natural scenery with cultural history.

No matter how perfect your plan is, hiring a local guide during the visit can help you avoid detours. The four of us paid 40 RMB for a local guide, Sister Yang. Don’t worry about not understanding the Qiang dialect; they have professional training and speak standard Mandarin clearly.

Following Sister Yang through the maze-like alleys of the Qiang Village, we visited the bullet-riddled site featured in the film "Killing," saw the ingenious homemade wooden locks, the Qiang king’s castle, living quarters, smoked meat workshop, underground water network, watchtowers, and more. Listening to Sister Yang introduce the village’s development history and learning that the village suffered little damage during the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, we were deeply impressed by the Qiang people's extraordinary wisdom.

As one of the rarest and best-preserved ancient Qiang architectural complexes in the world, the yellow-brown stone houses are built along the steep mountain slopes, with watchtowers standing densely among them. The entire village has eight exits, each connected by different alleys, including narrow alleys, dark alleys, and small alleys. Walking through the maze-like alleys, you can hear the sound of flowing water. At every doorstep, stone slabs can be lifted to access water directly. The houses are built on stone foundations, known for their natural insulation, keeping warm in winter and cool in summer, earning the nickname "natural air conditioning." The well-developed underground water system separates domestic water use from sewage channels. The main architectural feature of Taoping Qiang Village is the interconnected underground water network, the alleys in the middle, and the rooftops. The entire village forms a network underground, on the ground, and in the air, allowing residents to move freely. It is said this was a carefully planned defense system by the ancient Qiang people to resist enemy invasions.

Climbing the nearly vertical, narrow wooden ladders of the watchtowers was manageable going up, but coming down was tough on the legs. After the tour, my legs ached for three days straight.

Location: Navigate directly to Taoping Qiang Village

Parking fee: 10 RMB

Tickets: Old Village 60 RMB, including four small attractions (Chen Family Watchtower, Yang Family Courtyard, Yu Family Watchtower, Xiao Qiong Qiang Family).

New Village is free.

Transportation:

Scheduled buses: From Chengdu, take a bus to Wenchuan at the Chadianzi Bus Station, then transfer to a minivan or midibus to Taoping.

Self-driving: Take the Chengdu-Guanxian Expressway, pass Yingxiu, and follow the Chengdu-Aba Road along the Min River to reach Taoping Qiang Village.

Main attractions:

Ancient residences,
Ancient watchtowers,
Maze-like alleys,
Underground water network,
Viewing platform

Accommodation: Homestays