Zengtou Village

Zengtou Village

Zengtou Village, also known as Zengtou Cun, is located in Zengtou Cun, Taoping Township, along the Zagunao River in Li County. It preserves the world’s most intact Qiang architectural and cultural art, maintaining the primitive charm of an original Qiang village to this day. Its ancestors migrated from the northwest to escape war, settling in the rugged mountains.

Zengtou Village features a pure natural ecological environment and simple human landscapes. The ground floor of Qiang houses is used for housing livestock, the second floor serves as bedrooms and kitchens for living, while the third floor is used for storing grains, food, and miscellaneous items. The door locks of Qiang courtyards are quite unique—each is designed and made by the owner, with a wooden piece serving as the key. But their shapes vary, ensuring they can only open the family’s own gate.

The women of Zengtou Village are skilled artisans, preserving the ancient back-strap loom weaving craft to this day. During the agricultural off-season, weaving can be seen both indoors and outdoors, in yards and by fields. Unlike traditional weaving, the monotonous earthy hemp and blue colors have been replaced by vibrant hues. Zengtou Village is a home that needs to be cherished—a pure sanctuary untouched by reckless human destruction. Its unspoiled natural environment provides spiritual purification to anyone who visits. With its unique geographical setting, suitable ecological climate, pristine natural scenery, and rich medicinal resources, it has nurtured a hidden Qiang paradise in the mountains and fostered a simple and sincere Qiang culture.

The houses in Zengtou Village generally face north to south, built on open slopes in the high mountains. According to elders and villagers, in ancient times, watchtowers once stood densely for defense against enemies, and the site selection was particularly strategic. The village faces a deep canyon, a natural stronghold where one soldier could hold off thousands. Backed by mountains, it connects to Mao County when crossed, providing a retreat route. The area is surrounded by pristine forests and cultivated with thousands of acres of fertile land, meeting the daily needs of tribal life. This enabled the village to thrive for centuries even in isolation, once reaching a prosperous period with hundreds of households. Known locally as a “feng shui treasure land,” Zengtou Village is also regarded as a place of refined talent. In villagers’ proud accounts, several individuals have held important positions at the county, prefecture, and provincial levels in modern times.

The upper village is the oldest. According to historical records verified by Mr. Wang Jiajun, a Taoping Qiang folklorist, during the Song Dynasty, General Qin once led troops to attack Zengtou, Taoping, and Shuitian villages. The oldest watchtowers and watchtower clusters in Zengtou Village were first damaged in that conflict. They were rebuilt over generations, forming dense clusters and towering watchtowers, standing majestically. The 1933 Diexi earthquake severely damaged the watchtowers, but the complete destruction of the watchtower clusters was due to human actions. During the “Great Canteen” period in 1958, in response to the government’s call to build drying areas, villagers competed to demonstrate their awareness by demolishing all eleven intact and partially damaged watchtowers.

Most of the watchtowers on the mountain today are later constructions, still made from local stones and mud, retaining the simple and profound style and the Qiang tradition of stone-built dwellings. The only regret is the absence of the towering watchtower clusters. Now, in the historically oldest upper and middle villages, the once sky-piercing watchtower clusters have left only scattered ruins standing lonely in the chilly mountain winds. These remnants, untouched by tourism, silently tell the ancient stories of the village, serving as rare living fossils of ancient Qiang dwellings.

Abandoned watchtowers can be seen everywhere. Wandering among the broken walls, one can’t help but recall the timeless lines from *The Peach Blossom Fan*: “I saw him raise high towers, I saw him feast guests, I saw his towers collapse.” Through the long years and fleeting clouds, the bold and straightforward Qiang men once defended against invaders from the watchtowers and celebrated harvests and hosted guests in the fortresses. Now, visitors can only imagine the once tightly clustered watchtowers and the bygone past lost in the long river of history through these remaining historical relics.

Strolling through the village built from shale and pebbles, one sees clumps of bright cosmos blooming in front of and behind the houses, along with an unidentified yellow flower stubbornly sprouting from cracks in the stone walls or growing sporadically from abandoned drying platforms or livestock shed roofs—seemingly a testament to the resilience of life.

The taste of time slowly diffuses through the mottled stone walls, making one want to gently touch those simple yet majestic rocks, feeling their rough and solid texture. At that moment, time seems to stand still, leaving only the majestic, desolate, and solitary sound of the Qiang flute echoing through the ages, resonating repeatedly in the heart, lingering long after...

Transportation:

By car: From Chongqing to Wenchuan, follow National Highway 317. About 100 meters past Taoping Qiang Village, there will be directional signs. Spring, when peach and pear blossoms are in full bloom, is the most beautiful season in Zengtou Village. Sedans are not recommended.