Ancient Tea Horse Road - Keku Plank Walkway

Ancient Tea Horse Road - Keku Plank Walkway

The Keku Plank Walkway is located on the north bank of the Zagunao River, about 800 meters south of Kucun in Keku Township, Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province. Legend has it that it was originally built by Jiang Wei, a general of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. It was repaired and expanded multiple times during the Qing Dynasty. The surviving section of the walkway is 158 meters long, with a width varying from 0.4 to 2 meters, and situated 10 to 20 meters above the river surface.

The ancient Keku Road served as an important thoroughfare connecting the Min River basin to various destinations in the west during ancient times. It was referred to as the “Southwest Mountain Road” in the Tang Dynasty and the “Weibao Highway” during the Qing Dynasty. According to the *Records of Lipan Subprefecture*, “The Weibao Highway winds along towering cliffs above and turbulent waves below, with no flat or easy stretches. Though the terrain is perilous, in some places slight slopes offer minimal support, and wooden beams were laid across stacked timber, then filled with earth and stones to form passable paths. The most treacherous sections are where narrow bridges were built—steep stone walls with holes drilled into the rock to support wooden planks, famously known as extremely dangerous. These narrow bridges are another name for the plank walkways. At the front end of the Keku Plank Walkway, within cliffside caves, there are two Qing Dynasty steles from the 24th year of the Qianlong reign and the 9th year of the Jiaqing reign, which vividly describe the ruggedness of the stone path and the arduous efforts involved in its construction.

Protected area: extends east to the cliff, west to the Zagunao River, and 30 meters outward to the south and north.

Construction control zone: extends 50 meters beyond the protected area.