The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster

The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster

The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster is a national key cultural relic protection unit.

The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster is situated on Buwa Mountain in Keku Township, Weizhou Town, Wenchuan County. It represents the primary form of traditional military defensive watchtowers of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples on the western Sichuan Plateau, and is hailed as "China’s last earthen watchtower cluster." Built in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, it is a key cultural relic protection unit of Aba Prefecture. Historical records indicate that the watchtower clusters of the Tibetan and Qiang peoples on the western Sichuan Plateau mainly consist of two types: one made of stone blocks, mostly found in agricultural counties of Aba and Ganzi prefectures; the other constructed from compacted clay, primarily located in Wenchuan County of Aba Prefecture, Xiangcheng and Xinlong counties of Ganzi Prefecture, and Muli County of Liangshan Prefecture. Among these, the four-cornered earthen watchtowers of Xiangcheng County are particularly majestic, standing over 30 meters tall. Most of the earthen watchtowers scattered across the two prefectures throughout history have either been lost to time or replaced by stone towers. However, the Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster has miraculously survived intact despite various hardships. Due to their construction from yellow clay, which gives them a light purplish-red hue, they are also referred to as the "Bronze Watchtower Cluster."

The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster stands tall atop Buwa Mountain. It consists of five earthen watchtowers spread across an area of 200 meters in length and 150 meters in width within the Qiang village of Buwa. These are four-sided earthen watchtowers with rectangular bases, measuring 4.5 meters in length and 1.64 meters in width at the bottom, with walls 0.74 meters thick. The overall structure tapers slightly toward the top, featuring internal wooden floors divided into levels. Each level has “T”-shaped small windows in the middle of the four walls, serving as lookouts or firing ports. The top is fitted with wooden bracket-style roofing to shield against wind and rain. At the base, there is a single entrance, 2.1 meters high and 1.64 meters wide. The exteriors of the watchtowers are unadorned, with each façade straight and sheer. The heights of the five earthen watchtowers vary between 18 and 20 meters. Arranged to form a mutually supportive defensive system, the towers were historically used primarily for defense against raids and looting—during emergencies, elderly people, children, women, and others from nearby households could take shelter inside. In peacetime, the watchtowers were often used to store grain and fodder.

The Buwa Earthen Watchtower Cluster vividly reflects the profound, passionate, simple, and vigorous aesthetic preferences of the Qiang people (known as the "Erma" Qiang). As the ancient saying goes, "A mountain needs no great height to be famous if it is home to immortals." The "immortals" of Buwa Mountain are these soaring earthen watchtowers, through which one can discern the indomitable spirit and the mountain-dancing character of the Erma Qiang people.

Weizhou Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Wenchuan County and the county seat. Established in 1953, it is located in the northeastern part of the county, covering an area of 129.2 square kilometers with a population of 28,000. National Highways 213 and 317 intersect here. The town administers 12 village committees (Shuanghe, Buwa, Tieyi, Yubeiling, Maoling, Xinqiao, Qipangu, Wancun, Cili, Rouri, Niunaozhai, and Zengpo) and two neighborhood committees (First and Second). Local township enterprises are mainly engaged in manufacturing, commerce, services, and processing. The main agricultural products are corn and wheat, with specialties including apples, prickly ash, and walnuts. State-owned enterprises and institutions in the area include the Xiazhuang Hydropower Plant under the prefecture. 1…… More detailed information about Weizhou Town++