Lan'an Ancient Town

Lan'an Ancient Town

A place where traditional folk culture coexists with historical relics from the Long March of the Red Army. Lan'an is a typical mountainous ancient town, located 27 kilometers north of Luding County, at an altitude of 2,400 meters, covering an area of 57.96 square kilometers. The terrain of Lan'an is very unique, surrounded by mountains on all sides, with undulating peaks cradling a flat valley within. It is home to over 3,000 villagers, 97% of whom are of Tibetan ethnicity. The town features uniform earthen and wooden houses with tiled roofs and watchtowers, all exuding a quaint charm.

Lan'an has a long history and splendid culture. Known in ancient times as Luoyan, Yanzhou, or Angzhou, it was first developed during the Neolithic Age, flourished in the Han Dynasty, and matured in the Tang Dynasty. In the ancient Luoyan period, the indigenous people were the Qiang. Since then, the cultures of the Western Xia and the customs of the Qiang people have thrived in this land. By the Ming Dynasty, the Ya Prefecture established a tea-horse trade here, leading to a period of prosperity. Han and Tibetan cultures surged in, merging with the existing Qiang and Western Xia cultures, forming a uniquely charming local folklore and ethnic culture that has been passed down to this day. As a result, the long river of history has left Lan'an with numerous cultural relics and historic sites of great archaeological, scientific, and exploratory value. These include the Sijia Dam ruins from the Han and Tang Dynasties, the Jiabei Han Dynasty ruins, the ancient tea house site along the Tea Horse Road, unopened Song Dynasty stone coffin burial sites, untraceable rock carvings (including the Five Buddha Stone Statues), the General’s Ancient Temple, the Jiaqing Bronze Bell, four-cornered watchtowers, the Ming Dynasty clay tile irrigation system, the Tang-Tibet Tea Route, the Qionglong Watchtower, and Buddhist scripture printing blocks...