From Maoxian to Heishui along National Highway 347, it will pass through Sergu. On the mountain on the other side of the river, there are layers of blue stone houses that spread out along the mountain like an ancient castle. Therefore, it is also called "Little Potala Palace in Northwest Sichuan". Between the desolate mountains and rivers, such an ancient Tibetan village is not as glamorous as those newly built Tibetan villages, but simple and beautiful.
Cross the bridge with flags flying, cross the river, and enter the Selgu Tibetan Village. On the side of the main road into the village, there is a 108 white pagoda. Every White Pagoda has scriptures. Walking along the White Pagoda means chanting 108 times, which can eliminate distractions, purify the soul and get rid of the 108 troubles of ordinary people in one year. From time to time, villagers walked along the tower, and the old people were tired of walking, so they sat down to have a rest and chat. This should be their daily homework.
Sergu's stockade is simple and elegant. The stockade was built layer by layer along the mountain. These houses are all built of stone, just like watchtowers. Most of them are two or three floors. The bottom layer is slightly larger, and it inclines upward layer by layer, like a pillar, which is very strong. The whole Tibetan village has a rigorous structure and houses are connected with each other. You can go in here, go through the tunnel and come out of another house, just like entering the Eight Diagrams. Alleys between households are also paved with stone slabs, with dense steps and criss-crossing. A clear stream flows between buildings, which is not only the water source in the village, but also a safe passage when the enemy invades.
The architecture in Selgu is very distinctive and full of science and technology. Some tall houses have a raised ridge outside, which is a hand-built "partial pressure column" to decompose the wall pressure. There are "striking pillars" between some houses, which make the two houses closely connected. The stone house in Selgu is also very beautiful. Simple wooden windows are in harmony with the stones and tall trees on the wall, and some are decorated with cow heads. Inside and outside the stone house, there are granaries made of cross bars. Some are all hidden in the house, and some are half exposed outside the wall, which is also a very distinctive building in the local area. From downstairs to upstairs, you usually climb up with a wooden ladder made of whole wood.
Selgu's house has a long history. There is a custom here. Every generation of male masters in the family will hold a grand ceremony when they grow up, and then hang a boar's mandible on the lintel, and one mandible represents one generation. Look at the number of mandibles in this old house, and you can know the approximate age of this house.
There are many huge white rocks embedded in the four corners of the gate, window, door and roof of every household in the stockade. This is Selgu's worship of "White God". According to legend, "Great White Stone" saved the ancestors of ancient Selma in a cruel war. Later generations regarded Baishi as the patron saint of the family, and every household had offerings to ward off evil spirits.
Most of the houses in Selgu are well preserved, and many houses are inhabited by villagers. The Tibetans in Sergu belong to Jiarong Tibetans, with tall men and beautiful women. Although all the villagers we meet are old people, we can still see their elegant demeanor. An old man warmly invited us to visit his upstairs, and he played a Tibetan flute for us. The beautiful old lady, facing my camera, not only didn't dodge, but also laughed and joked with me. We bought walnuts and white kidney beans from them.
During the Long March of the Red Army, Xu, commander-in-chief of the Red Fourth Front Army, lived in Sergu Village for more than three months, where the first Tibetan revolutionary regime "Sergu Soviet" was established. Xu Shuai's bed and used lanterns are still there. Shuttle through several stone houses from the labyrinthine underground passage of Selgu, and enter the house where Xu lived along the wooden ladder. We don't think it is easy for the enemy to come here to find the Red Army.
Probably because it rained that day, there were almost no other tourists, and it was very quiet. We wandered around the stockade all morning, visited every corner, climbed many roofs and looked around. There is a stone road next to the hut, which used to be the ancient tea-horse road. Salt and tea are transported from here to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It can be seen that the importance of the ancient Tibetan village in Selgu in those days. Now the traffic is convenient, it's very quiet here, and only small snails stretch and crawl lazily.