3-Day Ethnic Discovery

If you're interested in Chinese ethnic culture, this will be a great choice for you to explore the Qiang and Zang ethnic minorities. However, the public transportation is less developed in ethnic areas, therefore taxi will be the main transportation during this 3 days tour.

In the morning, you can take the long-distance bus which is from Chengdu to Lixian County and get off halfway to Taoping Qiang Village. There are 5 buses every day from 07:20 to 14:50 and it takes about 2 hours and the bus fare is CNY60 - 72 per person. The bus departs from Chadianzi Bus Terminal, which is reachable by subway line 2 and bus 844, 846, 113, 136, 137, 17, 209, 25, 29, 46, 656,763,82 and etc.

Taoping Qiang Village used to be known as "the Mystic Oriental Ancient Castle". This village, which completely preserves the characteristics of the ancient Qiang People’s residences, sits on the North and faces the South, against the mountain and near the river. In this village, the tallest and biggest buildings are the blockhouses, which have been used for defending against the enemies. Once they spotted an enemy, they would release smoke from the top of a blockhouse to alert other villagers. The entrance fee is CNY60 per person and the suggested visit time is from May to October.

After the tour, take a taxi to Lixian which takes around 45 minutes and stay overnight in the county. Lixian Hotel, which is located at No.31 West Street, is recommended.

Visit Bipeng Valley in the morning. From Lixian Coach Station, you can chart a minivan at the fee of CNY15 - 20 per person, to the valley. Alternatively, you can also take a taxi which takes around 30 minutes at the fee of around CNY60. The entrance fee is CNY130 per person including the round-trip transportation cost. Bipeng Valley, renowned as the small Jiuzhai Valley, boasts a picturesque view of Siguniang Snow Mountain, lakes, and primitive forests.

Afterwards, take a taxi to Miyaluo, which takes around 1 hour and pay a short visit to this small peaceful town. Then continue your itinerary to Ma'erkang. Check in at a local hotel upon arrival. After a short rest, visit the Ma'erkang Monastery by taxi. Located on the Zangkou Hill in Ma'erkang County, the monastery has a history of more than 1,800 years. You can also visit the Chabailakang Monastery next to the Ma'erkang Monastery if time permits. Then get back to your hotel.

In the morning, you can take a taxi for around 20 minutes to visit the Songgang Blockhouses. Songgang Blockhouses are typical buildings of Ma'erkang, located in Zhibo Village, Songgang Town, about 17km (10.6 miles) from Ma'erkang. They were first built in the middle of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).

After the visiting, go back to Ma'erkang County for lunch. After that, visit Zhuokeji Tusi's Official Building, which is the most famous of its kind in Sichuan Province. Tusi is the local chieftain of the Zang and Qiang people. Made from earth, stone and wood, the building was first built during 1736 - 1795 and has been rebuilt six times. It consists of four buildings: the front one and the two on either side are four stories and the back one is six stories. The first floor of the back building is the kitchen, the second floor is a soldier's room and a store room, the third floor contains the rooms for the chieftain and his wives, which is the highlight of the whole palace. Above the fourth floor, there are contravallations, such as shot holes, watchtowers and blockhouses. The building is actually the chieftain's yamun and also a government center for the whole village. Zhuogeji Tusi's Official Building is located in the Sisuo Village of Zhuogeji Town, about 8 km (5.0 miles) from Ma'erkang County. You can take a taxi from Maerkang, which takes around 20 minutes. The entrance fee is CNY60 per person.

Then get back to Ma'erkang by taxi and afterwards, take a direct tourist bus back to Chengdu from the Ma'erkang coach station. It takes CNY118 and the last one departs at 15:00.