Watchtower Building Craftsmanship
01 · Historical Records
The watchtowers around Banma are not isolated instances that appeared out of nowhere; they carry on the tower-building tradition long accumulated by the two highland peoples, the Tibetans and the Qiang. This tradition has sizable remains in Danba, Maoxian, and Wenchuan, and Banma sits at its western end, forming its own branch due to differences in materials and climate. By function, the watchtowers called 'kuari' in Tibetan are divided into three types: pass-watchtowers that guard passes, beacon-watchtowers that relay alarms, and family-watchtowers for clan habitation and storage—three types of common origin but different uses. In terms of construction style they can further be divided into four kinds—timber, stone, stone-timber mixed, and new-style—and the actual choice depends on the local abundance of stone and timber, so that several methods coexist within the same county. The craftsmen of Banma improved the tower-building methods of both the Tibetan and Qiang areas and adapted them to the local highland conditions, turning this ancient stone structure into a form well suited to local dwelling; the result of this transformation is that the watchtower changed from a purely defensive and storage structure into a three-story dwelling that combines residential, productive, and religious functions.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Most are built on sun-facing slopes, generally against hillsides, with a stepped exterior, being 'ganlan' (stilt-style) structures. The ground floor, used as a livestock pen, has four beams and eight columns. The floors are connected by single-log ladders, whose features are: a single run with a slope of 45 to 60 degrees; the ladder is made from a whole log, one side hewn flat for stability and the other carved with ladder grooves, and it can be moved at will. The second floor mainly consists of living quarters, a central hall, a kitchen, and a corridor; rooms are separated by horizontal timber walls, and the outer walls have windows and smoke flues, with the flue openings all triangular and placed on the rear wall. The windows are built into the side walls, small outside and large inside, rectangular in shape. The corridor is about one meter wide, its outer edge woven from willow twigs, warm in winter and cool in summer. The third floor holds the scripture hall and storage rooms, and the outer wall has lookout openings. The walls, doors and windows, ceiling, and single-log ladders are all left in their natural color, with no paint applied; the building is constructed by specialized Tibetan stonemasons, and during construction no plumb lines are used and no drawings are made—everything is done purely by experience, formed as the hand moves. The wall surfaces are smooth and even, leaving no gaps.
A four-beam, eight-post byre at ground level
The ground floor byre is framed on four beams and eight posts, separating livestock from the living quarters above.
Single-log ladders, steep and grooved
Ladders are single unfixed logs, one face flattened for footing and one grooved for the climb.
Rooms, hall, kitchen and corridor upstairs
The upper floor holds living rooms, a hall, a kitchen and a one-metre corridor whose outer rail is woven from willow.
Triangular flue mouths and small windows
Flue mouths are triangular and set in the rear wall; windows are rectangular, wider inside than out.
The prayer room and store at the top
The top floor serves as a prayer room and granary, with a lookout opening in the outer wall.
Pass, beacon and household towers
Called kuari in Tibetan, the towers of Banma fall into pass towers, beacon towers and household towers.
Numeracy as the entry requirement
The craft demands years of study and real numeracy; Guoluo Zheqiu, a fourth-batch inheritor, has practised for over fifty years.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The Tibetan-family watchtowers of Banma County are dwellings with distinctive ethnic character, built by local Tibetans from rammed earth, stone, and timber. The Tibetan-family watchtowers here are called 'kuari' in Tibetan and can be roughly divided into three types: pass-watchtowers, beacon-watchtowers, and family-watchtowers. The architectural styles of the Tibetan-family watchtowers in Banma County fall into four kinds: timber, stone, stone-timber mixed, and new-style. With flat roofs and a heavy, stable appearance, they are generally two or three stories: the upper story stores grain, the middle is for living, and the lower pens livestock; the whole building stands about ten meters high, the roof is mostly flat, and the walls interlace stone and timber, with loess packed into the gaps. While inheriting and carrying forward its own ethnic tower-building craft, the Banma Tibetan watchtower construction technique improved and elevated the Tibetan and Qiang tower-building arts, forming a tower-building craft unique to Banma and making this ancient stone structure the best form for the harmonious dwelling of local people.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Tibetan Watchtower Building Craftsmanship · Watchtower Building Craftsmanship · Watchtower Building Craftsmanship.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Goluo Zheqiu (per the associated inheritor's official archive record): Male, Tibetan, born in March 1941, a native of Banma County, Qinghai Province. Representative inheritor of the fourth national-level batch of the intangible cultural heritage item 'Watchtower Construction Technique (Tibetan Watchtower Construction Technique).' A watchtower construction technician. This craft requires a long time to learn, involves many skills, and is difficult to master; only those who have grasped arithmetic and possess a certain innate aptitude can succeed at it. Having practiced the Tibetan watchtower construction technique for over fifty years, with profound grounding and exquisite skill, he became a locally renowned master builder of watchtowers.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Guoluozheqiu 04-1916
- Qimibadan
- Wang Guoyue
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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