| Summary: | The Qiang ethnic group in southern Songpan county lives in vernacular
plank houses (VPHs) with an architectural tradition that dates to the period
of the ancient Di people. VPHs are now mainly constructed in settlements
of ethnic groups such as Baima Tibetans, Amdo Tibetans, and the Qiang
people living in Wenxian county, Longnan city of Gansu province,
and Maoxian, Lixian, Wenchuan, and Beichuan of Sichuan province
respectively. Although VPHs of the Qiang people living in southern
Songpan share many similarities with those of adjacent Tibetans in
structure, construction, and spatial layout, they feature the Qiang people’s
unique architectural culture, and reflect a style transition from VPHs in
the north to blockhouses in the south. The VPHs, as represented by those
in Xiaoxinggou, play a significant role in the diversified architectural
culture of this ethnic group. Their unique cultural value is worthy of further
exploration and protection.
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