Ganbao(Ganpo) Tibetan Village is an ancient Jiarong Tibetan settlement with a history of over 2,000 years in Li County, Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province. Its name means "village on the hillside" in Tibetan. Situated along the Tibet-Qiang Cultural Corridor, the entire village clings to the mountainside. Renowned for its distinctive stone architecture and profound cultural heritage, it is hailed as The First Village of the Jiarong Tibetan Region. As a convergence point of Han, Tibetan and Qiang cultures, it boasts abundant historical tales and folk customs.
Ganbao Tibetan Village
Ganbao Tibetan Village
It sits beside National Highway 317, around 192 kilometres from Chengdu and 8 kilometres from downtown Li County.
Ganbao Tibetan Village is a "Stone Settlement". Located on sloped terrain with limited bedrock, local villagers made use of readily available materials: cobblestones and granite boulders from the Zagunao River, bound together with local clay to build sturdy stone dwellings. Nearly all local men are skilled stonemasons. They build walls relying on experience and eye measurement, without plumb lines, yet erect remarkably even and straight stone walls that never fail to impress. The stone houses normally have three stories: the ground floor for livestock, the second for living quarters, and the top floor serving as a drying terrace and scripture hall. This layout keeps homes warm in winter and cool in summer, while offering good resistance to earthquakes and fire. Built tiered along the mountain gradient, the stone houses stand adjacent and interconnected. Viewed from a vantage point, the whole village resembles a magnificent ensemble of sculptural artworks.
In the Qing Dynasty, Ganbao was one of the Five Military Tun Settlements, governed under a militia system: residents served as soldiers in wartime and farmers in peacetime. Militiamen from here once travelled far to Zhejiang Province to fight British troops.
In memory of their fallen comrades, they created the grand narrative Guozhuang dance Boba Sengen, now inscribed on the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. Ruins including the Qing-era Sang Clan Garrison Magistrate’s Yamen and the militia drill hall still remain within the village, bearing witness to its glorious past.
Recommended time of visit: 1-2h
Ticket Information: Free of Charge
Business Hour: all day
