Zhuokeji Chieftain's Official Residence
卓克基土司官寨
The best-preserved chieftain residence among the Eighteen Jiarong Tusi, a national key cultural heritage site, with a stone-and-timber courtyard blending Tibetan and Han styles.
The Zhuokeji Chieftain's Official Residence sits on a terrace about 7 km east of Barkam's town centre, where the Suomo and Xisuo rivers meet. The surviving buildings were rebuilt between 1938 and 1940 as a five-storey stone-and-timber courtyard complex that combines Tibetan-style stone watchtowers with Han-style timber post-and-beam construction. It was listed as a national key cultural heritage site in 1988. Inside, the chieftain's living quarters, prayer hall and prison have been restored, and exhibits cover Jiarong culture and the Long March. In 1935 Mao Zedong and others stayed here briefly. The residence is also one of the prototypes for A Lai's novel Red Poppies. Admission is about CNY 60, and the site is open roughly 08:30–17:30 from May to October. It sits right beside National Highway 317 and can be visited together with the Xisuo Village opposite.
Opening hours
08:30–17:30 (09:00–17:00 in winter)
Nearby sights
- Xisuo Village
- Suomo River Gorge
- Changlie Monastery
- Mengbi Mountain
- Zhibo Watchtowers
- Songgang Sky Street (Kepan)
- Dazang Monastery (Dhe-Tsang)
- Jinchuan Pear Blossoms