Jiaju Tibetan Village，the Most Beautiful Village in China
Jiaju Tibetan Village is located in Danba County in theHengduan Mountains of western Sichuan.It is situatedon a mountain slope 500 to 600 meters higherthan the town of Danba，which is already quite high.Awhitewater river，the Dajin River，flows through the valleybelow the villages and then into the Dadu River.
The term jiaju in Tibetan means a group of 100 or morehouseholds.Jiaju Tibetan Village covers an area of fivesquare kilometers and is occupied by 149 households ofJiarong Tibetan people，whose houses are scattered upand down the mountain slope nearly a thousand meters.
The landscape around the village is beautiful in all fourseasons.In spring the peach，pear，and pomegranate blossomsturn the slopes into a sea of red and white flowersfollowed by a bursting forth of lush greenery.In summer，the houses hide behind a veil of vegetation like a shy girlbehind a veil，and when the wind gently blows the treesthe houses can be glimpsed through them from time totime.In autumn，the slope turns into a multi-coloredtableau as the trees’leaves turn red and golden.Brightgolden corn and brilliant red peppers are hung from theeaves to dry.Pears，apples，and pomegranates ripen onthe trees.It is only in the winter when the houses canbe seen clearly，and their graceful design and exquisitecraftsmanship can be fully appreciated.
The homes in the village boast unique Tibetan crafts-manship.Each family has its own home.Most of themface south.Some are in clusters of three to five，and othersstand alone，apart from the others.The houses are allbuilt in a similar style that is adapted to the terrain andreflects the Tibetan culture.They all have gardens in frontand are surrounded by fruit trees，and all this combinesto make Jiaju Tibetan Village a beautiful mountain locale.
The mountain slope rising from the river in the valley tothe mountain ridge is studded with outcroppings and recesses.
And it is in the recesses where most of the housesare situated.So they are partially hidden by the orchardsand fields and blend in harmoniously with the mountainlandscape of flowing streams and snow-capped peaks，stretching out with all the aesthetic appeal of a classicallandscape painting.
The houses are built in the style of ancient blockhouses and are called blockhouse homes.Originally blockhousesand houses were built according to different styles，butover time，the two styles merged seamlessly.From theoutside，the houses can be seen to have characteristics ofboth styles.Around the upper part of the building theyall have painted bands of yellow，black，and white.Thisis a unique characteristic of Jiarong homes.What’s mostunique about the houses is that at the four corners of theroof there are miniature white stone towers representingdeities of the four cardinal directions.The towers havesutra streamers attached to them，which give the roofs theappearance of half moons.Every year during the springand fall worship rituals and during sacrifices to their ancestors，the Jiarong people offer sacrifices at these miniaturetowers.
All the walls in the village buildings are made from stone blocks.Most of the buildings are three stories high，but some are four.The bottom floor is used for raisinglivestock;the second floor has the livingroom and kitchen;the bedrooms are on the third floor，and the fourthfloor houses a small chapel.Traditionally，roofs weremade of adobe，but now cement is commonly used.Theroof is built like a patio，and families use their roof for avariety of activities and dry grain on it at harvest time.
On the edge of the roof closest to the mountain，homeownerserect a tripod-shaped assembly on top of whichan earthenware jug is placed.They use it when they prayfor blessings whenever they need to handle importantbusiness or someone is setting off on a long trip.
The present state of the village buildings completelypreserves the basic characteristics of the Jiarong people.
For example，they are still made from the same materialsusing the same technology，and they maintain the traditionalsimple appearance.However，as times have progressed，small changes have occurred，but these changeshave in no way affected their traditional character or thecharm of modern generation of Jiarong people.In 2006，Jiaju Tibetan village was selected by the Chinese massmedia as China’s most beautiful village.
Jiaju Tibetan Village is not only blessed with magnificentnatural scenery，but also has a rich atmosphere ofpure and simple village life.All the village people，maleand female，young and old，are good singers and dancers.
They’re hardworking and hospitable，and not only actcourteously but are courteous by nature.Here you cannot only sample Tibetan rice cakes and tea，but also enjoythe Guozhuang Dance，which is steeped in the traditionsof the Jiarong people.
