Jiaju, the county of Danba, is located on the Tibetan Plateau in western Sichuan, China. Danba means “Rock City”, but it sounds better to call it the “kingdom of a thousand stone castles". This area of Tibetan-speaking hamlets, perched stunningly on 8,000-foot-high mountainsides that loom over the town of Danba, has long been a way station on a circuit through the country's southwest, which is home to some of China's most exotic travel destinations.
Danba the Tibetan land of fortresses
The groups of castles are scattered around strategic positions in the valley or near villages. Towers and citadels were built hundreds of years ago for defensive purposes and for passing messages between different villages. The height of these stone-built military structures is often above 30 metres, while the tallest tower measures 60 metres in height. Looking from afar, the scene of groups of towers and castles standing in the gorgeous Danba valley is breathtaking.
Danba, or Rongzhag, is famous for the "Thousand stone castle kingdom", with many kinds of old stone castles like watchtowers, "Qionglong", in ancient times, scattered over the county, built as early as 1700 BC.
The watchtower in Shuopo village is very varied. There used to be 5,000 watchtowers in Danba, but only 343 that mostly date back 200 to 1,000 years remain. Local inhabitants have a custom of adding one storey to a watchtower to mark each year of a boy's growth until he reaches 18 years old. Usually 30 metres high, Dongba's highest watchtower stands at 60 metres, with four, five, eight or thirteen corners.
First Image credit: Gillpenney
Image credit: Gillpenney
Jiaju Tibetan folk house
During the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) wars in the area that lasted for 30 years, these watchtowers were a vital aspect of military defence, as they could provide human sanctuary for 15 days. The height of the watchtower is 16-35 metres; they stand on hillsides or on the top of hills. The materials for the watchtower are stone slabs for the walls and stone blocks for the foundations. The best watchtower, a 13-sided structure, is usually designed in polygonal shapes like squares, pentagons, hexagons, and octagons, and it stands as a pearl in the Damba area (with only about 3 13-sided watchtowers in the Gyarong Tibetan area). In Rongzhag, people protect four kinds of watchtowers very well: Strategic Paas, Bezcon-Fire, Village, and dwelling, as they have different uses.
Image credit: Gill Penney
Tibetan village Danba, China
The county varies greatly in altitude, from peaks that are as high as 5,820 metres to river valleys as low as 1,700 metres. The Big Jinchuan and small Jinchuan Rivers meet here, marking the beginning of the Dadu River. The green mountains and waters, the birds and flowers, are the most brilliant pearls of Kantse. Fields and orchards surround the Tibetan-Gyarong-style buildings and watchtowers.
Image credit: Gill Penney
The green mountains and waters, the birds and flowers, are the most brilliant pearls of Kantse. Fields and orchards surround the Tibetan-Gyarong-style buildings and watchtowers. Danba men are strong, and the women are pretty, especially in Badi, the Beauty Valley. Stone castles and thousands of Watchtowers of the kingdom, along with its various Gyarong folk residences, such as Jiaju, for its fame. The Molto Holy Mountains, with their unique Gyarong culture, play important roles in Danba county.
Shuopo Watchtower in Rongzhag, Danba.
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Out of Danba. Our first of many stops to take pictures along the way. The scenery over the next 6 hours is simply stunning, as will be the bumpiness of the road.
Image credit: rduta
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
Image credit: Gill Penney
thousand stone. Image credit: Gill Penney
Source — Chinadiscover
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