Maerkang - 马尔康

Pictures of Maerkang in Kham Region

Maerkang

Ma’erkang is the capital of the Aba district, it is at the crossroads between the more remote northern Aba counties, Danba, Chengdu and the western end of Sichuan. The surrounding ancient villages are its main attraction.Tibetans of the Gongga ethnic group live in the plains such as Tagong, but its the “Jiarong” who live in the Tibetan valleys,.These people shaped the mountain and adopted their way of life by building terraced fields and scary roads.The centuries-old watchtowers still punctuate the landscape with their intriguing silhouettes.Zhuokeji, east of Ma’erkang is famous for its imposing traditional houses made of stone, wood and earth. One of them saw Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai make a stop during the long walk.Songang, west of Ma’erkang, also features beautiful late 18th century buildings and watchtowers.