Opening hours: all day
Ticket price: 60 yuan / person
Contact: Pingba County is located in western Guizhou Province, the depths of karst mountains.
The tunpu (village fortress) in Anshun, Guizhou, was built in the Ming Dynasty (600 years ago) for military use. During the early period of Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhuyuanzhang sent Han national troops from the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River to Anshun. The garrison forces is ancestors of the inhabitants of the "Tunpu" who built stone-structured villages and turned the neighbourhood into farmland, grew crops. In those days, soldiers spent most of their days working as farmers. It was only in times of war that they were called to unify and repel an enemy. Today, it still retains its original style and pace of life.
The Tun Bu Village population is over 5000, or 1250 families. They have largely kept to themselves. They developed sophisticated stone masonry skills. You will find this all over the place: a unique stone culture. There is a 100-meter long business street -- the only market square where the trades congregate, and the practice continues to this day.
The people are hospitable and friendly to visitors. You may examine the women's clothing up close. The garments are usually long robes with loose sleeves. The cuffs are embroidered with laces.Some wear handkerchiefs over their heads, and some adorn themselves with silver hairpins. The villagers, at peace with nature, are devout worshippers of the supernatural. There are temples of various faiths: Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism. Tiantai Mountain features a temple complex at its summit. Spectacular Buddhist artifacts are everywhere to be seen among the marvels of nature.
Villagers sing folk songs in the evening to entertain their guests. Tourists are invited to visit village homes, where they may sample tea and local food.
For those who want to really experience Ming-era life, there's probably no better place than Tun Bu Village. Ancient history is alive and well here, villagers have been wearing the same clothes and living in the same stone-built houses for generations.