Taoping Qiang Stocked Village in Li County, Sichuan Province is the oldest one of its
kind, and the only one still in perfect condition.
Millions of tourists have visited it since 2000, generating a
profit of 60 million yuan for it.
The construction of Taoping Stocked Village started in the West
Han Dynasty, 2,000 years ago. The whole village was constructed in
the layout of the Eight Trigrams with eight walls and eight
gates.
Thirty-one secret underpasses and nine 30-meter-tall fortresses
(only two left today) made it an invulnerable stronghold in
war.
The village was not only inpregnable in war, it was so
scientifically designed and carefully built that no earthquake
would ever shake it, which is a miracle even to modern
architects.
Sichuan provincial government has decided to build a new village
500 hundred meters away from it, where it is planning to relocate
at least 60% of the villagers to preserve this cultural heritage.
All the shops will be moved to the new village, too.
Local government is also pulling down all the modern buildings
in the village to restore it to its original appearance. The new
village will be completed before October, and the relocation
project will be finished then.
(Chinanews.cn August 15, 2006)
