Come to Maoxian and see the ethnic groups in the clouds, you will definitely gain something!

After visiting the ancient city, we will return to Maoxian. We passed through Zhenping Township, Songpan County, and rested at the Township Supply and Marketing Cooperative Comprehensive Service Center (Zhenping Village). The scenery in this area is very beautiful, with the clear water of the Minjiang River, many ancient trees on both sides, dark green mountains in the distance, and nicely connected buildings. There are many agricultural products on display next to the two big trees. There are king flowers, jade emperor mushrooms, tea tree mushrooms, hericium erinaceus, green bar wood ear, velvet antler mushrooms, boletus, matsutake, as well as king kong fruit, hand-peeled pine nuts, red pine seeds and so on. Except for Matsutake which is priced at 180 yuan per catty, the prices of the rest are between 70 and 88 yuan per catty. We arrived in Maoxian at 7:40 that evening. Stay at the Ruiyi Lido Hotel. Get on the bus at 7 am the next day. The team must first visit the Qiang culture in the nearby Ancient Qiang City of China (40 yuan/person) before going to Dujiangyan. The Sichuan U A1598 bus stopped in a large parking lot. The tour guide Xiao Guo said that the original appointment needed to be rescheduled. He went to the Qiang village to queue up for communication, while everyone was enjoying the scenery in the parking lot. We all got off the car. In the distance, the mountains dozens of kilometers away were shrouded in clouds and mist, occasionally revealing their true appearance. After a while, I learned that the high mountain in the distance (the highest peak is Lion King Peak) is called Jiuding Mountain (Jiuding Mountain), with an altitude of 4,989 meters. Its unique scenery integrates grasslands, snow-capped mountains, virgin forests with natural landscapes such as Buddha's light, phantoms, sea of ​​clouds, geological landscapes, and celestial landscapes. It can be said to be a natural museum of geological wonders. Maoxian is the largest Qiang ethnic group settlement area in the country. The Qiang people originated from the ancient Qiang and are one of the oldest ethnic groups in my country. As early as 3,000 years ago, there were records of the Qiang people in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin Dynasty. They called themselves Erma people, lived in high places, and were accompanied by clouds and fog all year round. I discovered that the Qiang people’s motto is: All things have spirits, and we should respect virtue and be kind. When Qiang people say "Naji Nale" to you, it means good luck and fortune. After waiting for an hour, we were finally able to enter the village. We lined up at the designated location, and then suddenly, a young Qiang woman from Ermalaye came. She was wearing Qiang costumes and a headdress that looked like a tile on her head. Coming to a corner of the Qiang Culture Square, she pointed to the Ancient Qiang City of China, a man-made cultural landscape. After the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, the government spent 1.2 billion yuan and used 3,000 acres of land to build an ancient Qiang city and an intangible cultural heritage site. When traveling among the Qiang people, 30% depends on seeing and 70% depends on listening (Teams No. 70 and 28 together). This square is where events are held during major festivals and events. There is a large statue in the center of the square, called "Song in the Clouds". The sculpture depicts an old shepherd standing in the clouds and playing the Qiang flute, with sheep nestling beside him. It vividly reproduces the core elements of Qiang culture, from sheep to people, and embodies the harmonious coexistence of man and nature. There are four large pillars on both sides of the square, representing that when one side is in trouble, all sides will come to its aid. There is a sheep head carved on the top of each pillar. The sheep head is the mascot of the Qiang nationality. The word Qiang means a person who herds shepherds. The Qiang people are the earliest sheep-herding people from ancient times to the present. We worship the sheep's heads as a symbol and totem of the Qiang people. Our nation has a very nice nickname, which is "the nation on the clouds". Everyone stood here and looked in the direction of A-mei's finger. The white houses under the clouds on the hillside of Jiuding Mountain were where our Qiang people lived. They did not move after the earthquake, but rebuilt on the original site. To this day, the Qiang people still live in the mountains... We are blessed by the earthquake. Before the earthquake, the Qiang people were very poor and backward. They lived in the mountains and had no contact with the Han people. After the earthquake, the country built the ancient Qiang city. When you go to Huanglong and Jiuzhaigou, you almost have to go back to Maoxian. This is a must-pass place and also a tourist attraction. The government wants to help the Qiang people get rid of poverty and become rich through tourism. What makes us, the Qiang people, different from other ethnic groups? People like the Uyghurs, Miao and Tibetans can be found in many places in China. Only the Qiang people live in Maoxian, Wenchuan, Beichuan and Lixian. There are only about 300,000 people in total. In the great earthquake, the Qiang people suffered the most casualties. But our nation can hold on. The Qiang people are the oldest. Many ethnic groups have Qiang blood flowing in their veins. The Qiang people are a nation that transfuses blood to the outside world. That is why the Chinese are called the descendants of Yan and Huang. Who are the descendants of the Han people? They are the descendants of Huangdi, while the Qiang people are the descendants of Yan Emperor, who existed even earlier than Huangdi. Therefore, the Qiang people have a long history. When you come to Maoxian, you will find three treasures here and the Qiang people have four unique things. Three treasures: fruit, Dahongpao peppercorns, and a yak horn comb. Yaks grow on plateaus and have a cool nature. The head should be cool and the feet should be warm, so combing your hair is beneficial. Four unique wonders: Qiang Diao (Diaolou), Qiang flute, Qiang embroidery, and Qiang silver (silver worn by Qiang people). These four intangible cultural heritages represent the essence of Qiang culture. A Qiang woman holds up a tile, which means she holds up the sky! The Qiang people are not as passionate and heroic as the Tibetans, but rather an introverted, rational and hardworking people. Among the Qiang ethnic group, women are superior to men, and men marry into the woman's family. The woman has to prepare a dowry for the man, which is what the Han people call "marrying into the family". Generally, when a girl marries a boy, she has to prepare five sets of clothes, which shows that the girl is capable. You also need to prepare silver, from head to toe, and also need silver bowls, silver spoons, and silver chopsticks. The ancient Qiang people were the ancestors of the Chinese nation and one of the creators of civilization. From Emperor Yan, the founder of agricultural civilization, to King Yu who passed by his home three times without returning in order to control floods, from the ancient tribe that was only recorded in oracle bone inscriptions with the Qiang character to the Western Xia Dynasty that has disappeared in the long river of history, the ancient Qiang people, like many ancient ethnic groups such as the Xiongnu and Xianbei, have experienced glory and shame, killing and melee. Their galloping horse teams have traveled across most of the country, yet they have held on to their homes, migrated tragically, and multiplied all the way to this day. From the sad sound of the Qiang flute, one can vaguely hear the Qiang people's former excitement and heroism, and still feel their homesickness and deep sadness while fighting in distant lands. Today, the Qiang people living in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River and on both sides of the Zagunao River are an important branch of the ancient Qiang people who have preserved their traditional culture. In myths and legends, traces of the Qiang people can be found everywhere. Yan Emperor is not only revered as the ancestor of the nation's bloodline, but also as the god of fire, the god of agriculture and the god of grain. Dayu, who governed the world in its wildness, established the first slave dynasty - Qi of the Xia Dynasty; Qin Shihuang of the feudal dynasty and Jiang Wei in the Three Kingdoms were also Qiang people. Among ancient civilizations, the Qiang people stood out. After evolution and integration, they were able to survive independently. They are mainly distributed in the Minjiang River Valley and the Qingyi River Basin. Today, China's ancient Qiang city has its feet on the Minjiang River, its head resting on the blue sky, its back against Shuixi, and facing the sacred mountain. The ancient city attractions are mainly composed of the China Qiang Museum, the Intangible Cultural Heritage Training Center, the Qiang Culture Square, the Qiang Culture Square, the Qiang King’s Official Village and other landscapes and characteristic buildings. It is a tourist destination with the most ancient, profound and systematic inheritance of Qiang culture. We receive thousands of tourists every day, and Qiang people participate in various activities every day, making full use of their resources and getting something in return for their hard work. In 2023, Maoxian, with a population of 100,000, achieved a GDP of 5.5 billion yuan.