Ya'an Qiaoqi

Ya'an Qiaoqi

Qiaoqi Travel Guide

Someone once described it this way: not having been to Baoxing is like not having been to Ya'an; and not having been to Qiaoqi is like not having been to Baoxing. One early winter day last year, driven by curiosity, I made my way to this Tibetan township, whose Chinese name translates to “the Ridge of High Cold.”

That noon, after lunch in Baoxing, I hurried on by car. Leaving the county town, passing the Fengtongzhai Nature Reserve, and climbing over Guobay Rock, the mountain road suddenly turned, and there lay the Tibetan mountain village of Qiaoqi. By evening, I arrived at Sanman’s home in the Fengshou Group of Gari Village for a visit. While sipping butter tea, I listened to the witty Township Head Zhang recount Qiaoqi’s simple folkways and mysterious legends...

Festivals

Tibetans have a tradition of celebrating the first lunar month in a big way. The period from the first to the seventeenth of the first month is the main celebration phase, while the eighteenth onward is for scattered New Year visits. Throughout the month, the liveliest and most poetic events are the “Shangjiu Festival” on the ninth and the “Bodhisattva Festival” on the seventeenth.

On the ninth day of the first lunar month, every village in Qiaoqi is decked out in lanterns and decorations. Men, women, and children, all dressed in festive attire, parade through the streets with drums and gongs. Dragon lanterns, ox lanterns, and lion lanterns lead the procession, while the colorful Tibetan costumes turn the crowd into a vibrant ribbon. Wherever the ribbon flows, villagers open their Guozhuang houses, offering fine tobacco, tea, and candies to welcome guests. By noon, the streets of Qiaoqi are alive with the sounds of drums and gongs. Tibetans, skilled in song and dance, join hands in circles, three or four layers deep, dancing joyfully to the Guozhuang.

The Bodhisattva Festival is also known as the Mountain-Circling Festival. On this day, people gather from all directions in front of the scripture hall at Jiashan Mountain Park to chant scriptures and receive blessings. As the festivities peak, several selected sturdy young men carry the Bodhisattva statue down Shenlong Ridge. Leading the way is a yangge troupe dressed in various painted masks, followed by Tibetans who throw candies into the air for passersby to scramble for. It is said that those who catch and eat the candies will enjoy good fortune, peace, and happiness all year.

Dance

Tibetans in Qiaoqi love the Guozhuang dance. On festive occasions, people gather to drink and dance through the night. Among the dances, those performed together by men and women are called Rongba Qieye, while those performed solely by men are called Yarong Qieye. Rongba Qieye features melodious and graceful music, whereas Yarong Qieye has strong, vigorous rhythms full of masculine energy.

In Qiaoqi, during the wheat harvest season, the scene of threshing wheat, singing, and drinking on the threshing ground is called “Kareya.” In this event, men stand in two rows, and as they sing together, in duets, or solo, they whirl their threshing tools, competing to see who moves the fastest. The winner laughs, while the loser is punished with a drink. The atmosphere is joyful. There is also a unique form of wrestling called “Ga’alu” in Tibetan, where one or several unmarried girls wrestle with a young man. Amid the shouts of “Ga’adebai” (Let’s wrestle!) from young men and women, the male and female competitors face off. Often, the man loses—either being tossed around like chaff (with several people throwing one person), or having his sleeves and pant legs filled with sand, which he shakes around to amuse the onlookers.

Snacks

Butter Tea Butter tea is a delicacy that Tibetans serve to honored guests. Made from butter, brick tea, peanuts, walnuts, and mineral water, the ingredients are first ground into powder and then boiled in a special copper pot. Once the mixture reaches the right heat, it is transferred to an oil barrel made from large bamboo, where it is blended, fermented, and mixed—a process requiring strict technique. An experienced elder must oversee it, and only a certified expert can handle the “beating,” known as “da cha” (tea beating). Once prepared, it is served in copper pots, ladles, and bowls, often paired with highland barley wine.

Yam Stewed with Preserved Pork Qiaoqi’s preserved pork is smoked over firewood, with lean meat tinged red and fat translucent, offering flavors that are fragrant, crispy, and flaky. Especially tempting is the Tibetans’ specially made cured pig leg, considered a fine delicacy. “When one household stews preserved pork, the aroma wafts through the whole street.” Every winter, when fresh yams are dug up, they are stewed with small chunks of pork in a clay pot, filling the air with intoxicating fragrance.

Qiaoqi Township: A Tibetan township under the jurisdiction of Baoxing County. Established as Qiaoqi Township in 1928. In 1952, it became the Qiaoqi Tibetan Autonomous Township, then the Qiaoqi Tibetan Commune in 1958, and reverted to Qiaoqi Tibetan Township in 1984. Located in the northern part of the county, 36 kilometers from the county seat, it covers an area of 955.9 square kilometers with a population of 5,000. It is the terminus of the Bao (Xing)–Qiao (Qi) Highway. The township administers four village committees: Jiaoluo, Jiala, and Zegen. The area boasts abundant resources of precious medicinal herbs, including nearly a thousand varieties such as cordyceps, gastrodia, fritillaria, deer antler, musk, leopard bone, monkey bone, and bear gall. It is also home to rare animals such as giant pandas, red pandas, and takins... Detailed information about Qiaoqi Township++