Travel Notes 05 | There are more than a thousand watchtowers on the small ring road in western Sichuan. Do you know its past and present lives? | Sichuan

The beauty of autumn in western Sichuan does not need to be edited. Just take a picture and it will be a blockbuster. Many self-driving routes will also include Tibetan and Qiang villages on the route to highlight the cultural journey, but this may not be the focus. Even for places like Zhonglu Zangzhai, it is more recommended to visit during the pear blossom season, because it is easier to take pictures.

As I walked along, I became interested in the watchtowers in these Tibetan and Qiang villages. If you mention Diaolou, the first thing that comes to your mind may be the Kaiping Diaolou in Guangdong, which was listed on the World Heritage List in 2007. But it is a product of modern times, and it is still early in Western Sichuan. How early should I arrive?

"Book of the Later Han·Biographies of the Southern Barbarians and Southwest Yi" records that during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ran Geyun said in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River:

"The Ranguyi people were founded by Emperor Wu. In the sixth year of Yuanding, they were named Wenshan County. ... They all lived close to the mountains, with houses made of piles of rocks. The tallest ones were more than ten feet high and were built into cages."

After I left from Bipenggou , I passed through Li County, Wenchuan, Xiaojin in Aba Prefecture, and then to Danba in Garze Prefecture. I passed the following watchtowers or villages.

10/28, visited Taoping Qiang Village, Muka Qiang Village, and Chiobian Tower
10/30, visited Qiang Valley
11/05, visited Wori Tusi Guanzhai Jinglou and Blockhouse
11/07～08, visited Zangzhai Village on Zhonglu and Suopo Ancient Blockhouse Group

▼Muka Qiang Village

▼Wori Chieftain's official village scriptures and blockhouses

▼The abandoned house in Muka Qiang Village

▼Chiebianlou

1/5 The tower is so tall, it’s a bit of a disadvantage not to use it for fighting.

On the land of the motherland, apart from towers, this is probably the tallest thing. Although the blockhouse is not as obviously layered as the tower, it still has layers. The tall one has thirteen or four stories. It stands out in the village and on the top of the mountain.

Therefore, when passing by Muka Qiang Village, I first saw the watchtower on the mountainside, and then saw the signpost. So we parked the car and visited this attraction that was not on the route. Muka Qiang Village may have once been a tourist attraction, but the houses on the mountainside are all empty inside and the doors are closed. It seems that in peaceful times, the significance of watchtowers becomes less important.

What about during the war years? The watchtowers in western Sichuan are widely recognized by the outside world. It is actually because of a war. The "Battle of Jinchuan" during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty made him famous far and wide. Local hereditary chieftain A invaded the land of hereditary chieftain B and refused to obey the court and refuse to retreat. So the Qing government sent Zhang Guangsi, a "good general of Ping Miao", there.

Can't figure it out either. Previous memorials said that the local chieftains had built a large number of strong and towering towers, making the defense almost impregnable. The emperor didn't take it seriously at first. After realizing it later, he hired Jiarong people to build three watchtowers similar to those in Jinchuan and Jinchuan at the foot of the West Mountain in Beijing. The Xiangshan Jianrui Ladder Camp was established to conduct daily drills for attacking watchtowers. Of course this is a story for later. Jinchuan has been using troops for nearly three years, with more than 40,000 troops and nearly 10 million taels of silver spent. However, the opponent is just a small chieftain. The watchtowers are indispensable. As a defense, the watchtowers are "one watchtower serves as a barrier, and no one can open it" .

▼Conquer the Nippon area

why not? Because there are no doors on the lower floors! There is no door, how do you get in? They also occupy a favorable position and can help defend each other. It has everything inside, and you are not afraid of fire. A weapon for defending the city.

There are three watchtowers in Taoping Qiang Village, and I climbed two of them. It's easy to get lost in the village and couldn't find another entrance. The enemy would probably be equally confused when they entered the village. His watchtower is connected to the residential building next to it, so you have to go up from the top of the residential building. There is an octagonal tower in the Suopo ancient watchtower group . I saw an independent ladder (that is, a climbing ladder with a step surface carved out of a piece of wood) leaning against the outer wall. But to board the single-plank ladder, you still need to climb to the small roof attached to the watchtower. I felt it was a bit dangerous, so I didn't try it.

▼Three watchtowers in Taoping Qiang Village

▼There is also an underground maze. The design of the village also reflects defensive aspects

▼At the bottom of the octagonal blockhouse, there is a wooden ladder

Of course, there are also war-oriented ones such as Fenghuo and Zhan fortresses, and jing fortresses like Wori Chieftain's Official Village. However, this place is under maintenance and you cannot go inside to see how it is different from other watchtowers.

Perhaps the trouble with traveling is: not being able to get any closer.

2. If you don’t have money, why build a fortress? If you have money, build more.

Generally speaking, in the center of the village, there will be a blockhouse, called the village blockhouse. This is a symbol of the prosperity of the village and the center of the village. There may be other blockhouses around him to provide synergistic protection. If your family has money, you can build a fortress .

There is a saying: In ancient times, if a family had a boy, they had to build a watchtower. Every time the boy grew one year old, he would build an additional floor. The watchtower was not capped until the boy was sixteen years old. If a family did not have a watchtower, the son would have to build a watchtower. He can't even get a wife. Just like when we make daughter's red wine, we start making wine from the full moon.

We saw several blockhouses next to each other in Molo Village of Suopo Township, which may be village blockhouses and family blockhouses.

In fact, there are three relatively famous Tibetan villages in the three directions of Danba County, southeast and north.

1. Jiaju Zangzhai in the north is famous and has a strong commercial scope.

2. Suopo Tibetan Village in the south is known as the old capital of the Eastern Lady Kingdom. There is a rare five-pointed blockhouse, and the road up the mountain is narrow. I parked the car at the last U-shaped bend and couldn't miss the car. There was just one car. There is a parking lot at the foot of the mountain. Park your car and then climb up.

3. In Zangzhai Village on Zhonglu in the east, when the pear blossoms are in full bloom, long guns and short cannons will appear in every corner of the village. The road up the mountain is in decent condition, and tourist roads are also being built. An RV and a car can drive together.

▼Zhonglu Zangzhai

▼Mid-Autumn Tibetan Village, the season when pear blossoms bloom, it will be very beautiful here

▼Dadu River, you can reach Kangding in the distance. Suopo Township is on the left bank

Let’s go back to the watchtowers in Moro Village. I took a walk in the evening, and it was getting dark. The Dadu River is right at the foot of the hillside, and the sun can only reach the valley after 9 a.m. So, early the next morning, I took my wife for another stroll.

Walking past the thousand-year-old pagoda "Gongze Qudeng" in front of the village committee, you will see a towering four-corner blockhouse. It's probably 20 meters tall, which is the highest I've seen in the past few days. The blockhouse is not connected to the residential house. I walked around but couldn't find the ladder. The entrance to the blockhouse is on the second floor.

Walking along the village road, you can see an irregular-shaped watchtower, like flower petals, when you look up. When we walked to the bottom of the watchtower, there was an introductory monument saying that it was an octagonal watchtower.

What we commonly see is the four-corner blockhouse. It can be said that it can be seen everywhere. Star anise is relatively rare. There are many theories about the origin of star anise. Some people say that as many investors as there are investors, only a few roles will be made. The largest number is thirteen, and the villagers told me that it is on the other side of the Dadu River. I don't think I dare to drive up there. That side seems to be higher than this side. If you bring a motorcycle, you can still visit. (Digression: RV+motorcycle is the standard configuration)

▼On the other side of the Dadu River, which also belongs to Suopo Township, there are also many watchtowers

But this statement is a bit far-fetched, right? If the whole village contributes money, will it be necessary to build a circular one? However, I have never seen a watchtower of this shape. Of course, there is another saying that we are in the old capital of the Eastern Women's Kingdom. Some people say that if the number is more than 4 jiao, it is a female trap. In the Eastern Women’s Kingdom, women are respected as kings and daughters. I asked a local this question and he just laughed, neither denying nor confirming. Could it be that it was just a joke?

There are also male and female blockhouses. It is said that it depends on whether the frame wood is on the outside or on the inside. I haven't actually investigated this yet.

3/5 What is the existence of Eastern Women’s Kingdom?

However, there is a five-pointed blockhouse in the village, which is more interesting. The octagon I saw before was perfect. And this pentagon was beyond imagination .

There are really few tourists in the village, maybe it’s just us! The villagers were very enthusiastic and took me to see the pentagonal watchtower. He pushed open the slightly ajar door, shouted a few words, and a little girl came out. When she saw me holding a camera, her first words were, "We are no longer accepting visitors due to the epidemic." Before I could ask back, she said, "200 bucks to visit," and laughed with the villager who brought me there. Then, she said, "20, 20 is fine."

I asked: "Can I climb into the watchtower?"

"No! It's not safe." "Then you won't go in?"

"We can do that. Otherwise, let's take you to see our B&B."

I heard that their B&B is as expensive as 1080¥, which is the price tonight, and it’s not even a public holiday. However, the platform outside the top floor of their house is the best place to view the several watchtowers in front. I asked her, why does the pentagonal tower look like it has four corners? It's obviously four sides. She said, you will know when you go downstairs and take a look. In that corner, there is a protruding wall.

▼The watchtowers in Suopo Township

▼The lower right is the octagonal blockhouse, which can be seen clearly from the sky. like two squares stacked together

Going downstairs and walking through several twists and turns, I came to the side she pointed to. Sure enough, there was a sharp cone-like protrusion all the way to the top. And the direction of this protrusion is particular.

Heading towards a place called the ruins of the capital city of "Eastern Women's Kingdom".

Volume 197 of "Old Book of Tang Dynasty" "Biography of Southern Barbarians and Southwest Barbarians" records: "Dongnu Kingdom, a different species of Western Qiang, has a female kingdom in the west sea, so it is called Dongnuyan. It is customary to regard women as kings. To the east is Maozhou, It is connected to Dangxiang, connected to Yazhou in the southeast, and separated from Luonvman and Bailangyi."

A "matriarchal society" in which women are kings existed from the Northern and Southern Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty in China. Is there a Western Girl Country? There are also some. It is recorded in "Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty": "There is the Xinu Kingdom on the southwest island, where there are only women but no men, and there are many rare goods...".

A running friend told me about the old capital of Dongnu Kingdom in Suopo Township. I also checked the information and found that it is in Jiadu Village, which is still an hour and a half walk away. However, archaeologists believe that Duzugou Village in Malbang Township, Jinchuan County, is the site of the royal city. But no matter where it is, the scope of activities of the Dongnu Kingdom is indeed in Jinchuan County, Aba Prefecture, Danba County, Garze Prefecture and other areas along the Dadu River.

▼The single protruding corner points to the capital of "Eastern Women's Kingdom"

4 Why does the blockhouse tilt but not fall?

Standing on the roof of the B&B, I asked the girl: Why is that watchtower in the middle so slanted? Is it going to fall?

She said, "Of course not. The blockhouses will lean towards this side of the mountain, but they look straight from the inside."

Some of the watchtowers here have been standing for nearly a thousand years. The Hengduan Mountains are one of the main earthquake zones in China. Landslides, landslides, mudslides and earthquakes are frequent here. Therefore, driving here is risky. National highways often run on one side, and their roadbeds are often damaged by water. Some mountains look like they could collapse at any time. Of course, the infrastructure maniacs are not just bragging. The old roads are simply abandoned, and building new bridges and digging tunnels are routine operations. But for the Tibetan and Qiang ancestors thousands of years ago, it was not easy to build watchtowers that were not easily collapsed by earthquakes.

As tourists, what we can easily see is that the blockhouse is wide at the bottom and narrow at the top. The stone wall gradually becomes thinner from bottom to top, and the outer wall tilts slightly inward. This is where the appearance is intuitively distorted.

However, the interior wall remains perpendicular to the ground .

During the construction, there was no drawing, no hanging wires, and no column support. It was all built based on experience . Inside the stone wall, every ten feet or so, there are log beams with a diameter of about 15 to 20 centimeters, and they are made of hardwood. And the four beams are connected to each other.

▼The inner wall is still perpendicular to the ground, maybe it’s just the initial state

▼It looks small outside the window, but the combat space inside is huge

5 Which came first, the Qiang or the Tibetan fortresses?

From Aba to Ganzi, we first saw the Qiang Fortress and then the Tibetan Fortress. From the appearance, it seems that the towering white stones can be regarded as the characteristics of Qiang Village. The Taoping Qiang Village we visited was well restored and even had attics. In Zhonglu Township and Suopo Township, the watchtowers we saw were basically bare. Some are still in ruins.

Most scholars believe that the watchtowers originated from the Jiarong Tibetans. That is to say,the Jinchuan and Danba areas are the birthplace of the watchtowers. After that, the watchtowers expanded eastward, northward, and westward from here. Of course, some people think it originated from the "Qiang people". But geographically they are very close. We also traveled all the way down.

But what is not divergent is that both sides believe that watchtowers were mainly derived from military defense and were built in response to war. Could it be that the war increased productivity? It's a bit scary to think about it. But at least the Qing Dynasty applied watchtowers to other wars after the Battle of Jinchuan and Jinchuan.

▼Qiang people’s white stone worship

Attached: National-protected watchtowers on the tourist route

• Danba ancient fortress group, the 6th batch of national key cultural relics protection units, era: Tang to Qing Dynasty. Among them, there are 9 watchtowers in Banmen Township, 46 watchtowers in Donggu Township, 175 watchtowers in Suopo Township (including 9 in Moruo Village), and 88 in Zhonglu Township.

• Zhibo Watchtowers, including the Aba Qiang Village Watchtower Group, including the Buwa Loess Watchtower Group, Taoping Qiang Village Watchtower Group, and Yingzui Hezhai Watchtowers, are among the fifth batch of national key cultural relics protection units, Qing Dynasty. (While the Yingzui River road is under construction, the road in Buwa Village does not seem to be suitable for RVs, so I did not visit)