桃枰羌寨Tao Ping Qiang Zhai, SiChuan
	This is an old castle built by one of the 22 ethnic groups in Sichuan, the Qiang tribe, more than 2000 years ago. It is a well-preserved ancient castle and still inhabited by 98 families in the Aba area located in northwest, 158km away from Chengdu. It is believed that this place is first discovered by a person named 陶殊 or Tao Shu., The castle is once used by the tribes to defend their homes during wartime, and hence, the architectural layout was designed with a defense strategy in mind. Each home is built closely to each other and connected with one another with narrow, dim, zigzagged lanes, resulting in it’s other nickname “ Mysterious Village”, where enemies would bound to get lost once they entered the village. The tourists were also warned to follow the guide closely in order not to get lost in the village.
				Some inner walls connecting the families are specifically built thinner, allowing it to be easily knocked down and gained access to the next family either for quick escape or gathered for swift counter-attack. The houses are piled with stone slates, an abundance source from the nearby rocky valleys. They are usually 3- to 5-storey high. The lowest floor is meant for livestock, the middle for the people, while the top reserved for storing grains. 2 viewing towers, about 30 meter high can be found overlooking the villages. Small openings found on the walls are meant for firing during wartime. Besides the beauty of this ancient stone houses and its mysterious architectural design, what is also remarkable to note is the underground water supply system. This underground water network provides daily water supply to the families, and draws its supply from nearby snow-capped mountains. Mind you, this place is built in 100 BC.
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