Overview of Taoping village [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn]

Located in a picturesque valley east of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Taoping village in Lixian county, Sichuan province, is a land of idyllic beauty that boasts the marvelous heritage of one of China's oldest ethnic groups — the Qiang.

The village has one of the best-preserved ancient Qiang architectural complexes with a history of 2,000 years. As part of the village, the Qiang stockaded village is a whole entity formed by 98 interconnected stone houses and two nine-story watchtowers.

Within the complex, 13 crisscrossing alleys form a network of roads. Hidden among them are eight entrances and exits, creating a maze-like stone fortress.

The complex belongs to 1,258 local Qiang people. "Some of them still live in the ancient buildings and are responsible for taking care of them, making the complex a living museum showcasing Qiang culture," says Hu Ling, deputy director of Lixian's culture and tourism bureau.

Taoping Qiang castle [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Hu, locals once lived off farming and animal husbandry. But since the area's tourism began thriving in the 1990s, the people have become engaged in the sector as it has become the major trade.

Hu says village tourist development now mainly focuses on three aspects — the first is to create Qiang culture-based tourism, tell stories of the Qiang people by showing the architectural legacy and offering intangible cultural heritage items.

Taoping traditional agricultural activities with Qiang embroidery making [Photo / chinadaily.com.cn]

The second is to combine agriculture with tourism, growing fruits like cherries, apples and plums as tourist products and enabling tourists to experience agricultural tourism.

Finally, they allow many students majoring in art and architecture to portray the historical buildings as many art institutes have their base in the village.

Villagers are encouraged to get involved in tourism. Many open homestays or restaurants, sell local products and perform for visitors. In the past 10 months, the village received more than 120,000 visits, says Hu.