四千年古寨消逝

The state of 萝卜寨 now : This 4,000-year old village has been reduced to rubble in the earthquake.

萝卜寨 before the quake

After surviving more than 4,000 years of trials and tribulations, the village is now a pile of yellow mud, of which the houses were built of aeons ago. There have been at least 41 deaths according to one report, but there are probably not too many as the buildings are mostly low-rise.

This is what the character-filled village looks like now. The rescue team just finished erecting the tents for homes and schools on 22 May.

Also see:

四千年古寨消逝

云朵深处有人家

萝卜寨的悲怆与自救

Hmm ... there are things that I didn't know about the origins of this village and the Qiang culture that I'm slowly discovering now; now that it's no more and even after the rebuilding, will never be the same again. I am glad we were there last year. Truly, that was the highlight of the trip.

I have plans to return, and perhaps like the writer, will have the chance to stay there a night or two, waking up to the fresh mountain air, listening to the wind carrying the singing voices of young men and women trading love songs over peaks above the clouds.