Exploring the Thousand-Year Qiang Ethnic Secret Land, Stay at Mingyu Yashe in the Clouds

Visit watchtowers, wear Qiang clothing, dance Salang, and stay in a hotel like a Qiang culture museum 🌟 Pingtou Qiang Village TOP 5 Must-Experience Activities 1. Climb the watchtower for a bird's-eye view of the cloud-shrouded Qiang village • Thousand-year watchtower cluster: 12 stone watchtowers remain in the village. Recommended: climb to the top of "Erma God Tower" (about 5 stories high) to overlook the terraced fields and Minjiang River canyon. At sunrise, the mist creates a fairyland atmosphere. • Photo spot: Use the stone door frame of the watchtower as foreground. Red or white long dresses make for better photos. 2⃣ Wear Qiang clothing and be an Erma girl for a day • Clothing rental tips: "Cloud Qiang Embroidery Workshop" at the village entrance rents complete outfits (headscarf + embroidered waistband + cloud shoes, 30 yuan/2 hours). The shop owner teaches waistband-tying techniques for free. • Ceremonial experience: Participate in the village welcome ceremony, drink smashed wine, hang Qiang red ribbons, and unlock NPC-style interactive experiences. 3⃣ Learn intangible cultural heritage crafts: Qiang embroidery/Qiang flute • Embroidery experience: "Erma Family" studio in the village, 50 yuan to make a coaster (grandmothers teach embroidery techniques hands-on). • Qiang flute lessons: Taught by intangible cultural heritage inheritor Teacher Chen Haiyuan, try playing "Ancient Qiang Mountain Melody" (reservation required 1 day in advance). 4⃣ Enjoy a stone plate barbecue family feast • Recommended dishes: 🔥 Qiang-style aged bacon (smoked with pine wood for 3 months, rich but not greasy) 🍲 Potato cakes (eat with honey or chili powder) 🥘 Sour cabbage buckwheat noodles (sour soup flavored with "Litsea cubeba," uniquely fragrant) • Hidden menu: Contact the guesthouse in advance to order "Qiang Nine Bowls," 80 yuan per person for stone plate roasted whole lamb. 5⃣ Stay at Mingyu Yashe Maoxian Hotel and enjoy starry Qiang songs • Hotel→Qiang village transportation: Only 3 minutes by car 🏨 Accommodation recommendation: Maoxian Mingyu Yashe Hotel—Stay in a Qiang cultural museum ✅ Prime location: • 3 minutes by car from Pingtou Qiang Village, only 5 kilometers from Ancient Qiang City, conveniently connecting two core attractions. ________________________________________ 📅 Itinerary planning: 2 days 1 night in-depth tour Day 1: Qiang Village Cultural Exploration 09:00 Depart after hotel breakfast, head straight to Pingtou Qiang Village 10:00 Participate in village welcome ceremony, climb Erma God Tower 12:00 Eat stone plate barbecue at Erma Family (reservation recommended) 14:00 Learn Qiang embroidery/flute, explore watchtower alleys for old embroidery pieces 17:00 Return to hotel 19:00 Stargazing photography Day 2: Nature and Faith Journey 08:30 Qiang-style breakfast at hotel (try sour vegetable and corn porridge) 09:30 Hike to "Sacred Tree Forest" behind the village, hang prayer flags for blessings 11:00 Visit Ancient Qiang City, watch the opening ceremony 13:00 Check out from hotel, stop by "Diexi Lake" on the way back ________________________________________ 🚗 Transportation Guide • Self-driving: Chengdu → Rongchang Expressway → Wenma Expressway → National Highway 213 → Maoxian County (about 3 hours total) • Public transportation: Chadianzi Bus Station → Maoxian County bus (3.5 hours) • Local transportation: Many stone paths in the Qiang village, non-slip shoes recommended; observation deck between hotel and village good for photos. ________________________________________ 🍜 Food Radar: Food Guide: Special Dishes • Maoxian Lamb: Tender meat, cooked using traditional methods with unique seasonings, delicious flavor. • Maoxian Sour Soup Fish: Made with fresh fish and special sour soup seasonings, tangy and appetizing. • Maoxian Cold Chicken: Uses local free-range chicken with Sichuan seasonings, spicy and refreshing, a popular cold dish. • Stir-fried Garlic Shoots with Cured Pork: Uses locally cured pork from native pigs, rich in flavor, aromatic with garlic shoots. Traditional Snacks • Qiang Jelly Noodles: Smooth and bouncy texture, crystal clear appearance, served with chili oil, garlic paste, vinegar and other condiments. • Buckwheat Cakes: Made from buckwheat flour, baked over charcoal, crispy outside and soft inside. • Hand-shredded Rabbit Meat: Boiled rabbit meat shredded and seasoned with various spices, tender and spicy. • Fern Root Noodles: Served cold with various seasonings, refreshing and perfect for summer. Staple Foods • Qiang Zanba: Made from high-quality glutinous rice through steaming, mashing and mixing, soft texture, can be paired with honey or butter. • Maoxian Potato Cakes: Made from potatoes, soft and chewy, can be pan-fried until golden and stir-fried with brown or white sugar, or dipped in chili powder or sugar. • Panjia Beef Noodles: Signature dish from a century-old restaurant, select beef for broth, tender meat, rich soup, chewy noodles. Special Hot Pot • Yak Meat Copper Hot Pot: Uses yak raised above 3,000 meters altitude, layered with radish and lotus root slices, cooked with yak bones, rich and flavorful broth. ________________________________________ 📌 Local Travel Tips 1⃣ Best seasons: • May-June: Mountain azaleas in bloom, lush green terraced fields • September-October: Colorful forests surround watchtowers, persimmons hanging on branches • December-February: Snow-covered village like an ink painting, enjoy hotel hot springs while watching snow 2⃣ Pitfall guide: • Be cautious about buying "antique silver jewelry": Most items sold in the village are modern crafts. Authentic old embroidery pieces cost 300 yuan and up. • Respect customs: Don't point at watchtowers, don't step over seats around the fire pit. 3⃣ Photography secrets: • Capture watchtower morning mist at 7 AM • When taking photos in Qiang clothing, hand on door frame with a side glance looks most natural • Drone height limit 120 meters (note no-fly zones in some areas) The watchtowers of Pingtou Qiang Village tell the thousand-year migration history of the Qiang people, while Maoxian Mingyu Yashe Hotel carries ancient civilization with modern aesthetics. Touch the soul of this ethnic group in the clouds - this journey offers healing for both eyes and heart. Maoxian Mingyu Yashe Hotel