Impressive Danba

Danba is supposedly the richest Tibetan town in Sichuan. It has a mild weather and the Tibetan houses here are relatively new and huge. It is well-known for both its watchtowers 古碉楼 and pretty Tibetan ladies. If you have a plan to visit there and want to know the detailed information, you can contact with China tour operators. The following paragraphs will give you general introductions of Danba county.

Tibetan Villages: claimed as the “most beautiful ethnic villages in China” by Chinese National Geography, and popular with tourists, principally Zhonglu 中路, Jiaju 甲居 and Sopo 梭坡 for their watchtowers and beautiful traditional tibetan fortress-like houses. There are entrance fees to each of these places: 20 RMB, 30 RMB and 10 RMB respectively. Of the three, Sopo 梭坡 has the most watchtowers, both singly and in groups.

Watchtowers: They are built with stones. These watchtowers are designed with different number of sides and at different heights. They are either built in clusters or alone along the hills. Apparently there are different types of watchtowers, each built for different purposes and at different locations:
Yao’ai 要隘(Strategic Pass) was built at places of strategic importance such as mountain passes as a choking point during wars.
Fenghuo 烽火(Beacon-Fire) are normally located at hilltops for the purposes of transmitting messages via flames/fires Zhai 寨 (Village) are built at entrance to villages to protect the villages. Jia 家 (Dwelling) are built within villages. These tend to be connected to dwellings and are used for storage as well as defence.

If you decide to cruise on Yangtze River, you can, by the way, visit Danba.