Alexandra Bruce – This 2003 documentary takes us along with explorer Frédérique Darragon to the region straddling the Tibet Autonomous Region and Sichuan Province in China to explore the mysterious towers built there. The builders had no written language and no machines.

https://youtu.be/QqEuYKpKrHU

Carbon dating tests that she had done have confirmed that these were built 500 to 1,800 years ago. It is amazing that these towers have survived so many centuries in this earthquake-prone land. It’s believed that the towers’ hardiness is due to their star-shaped design and to an anti-seismic construction method specific to this part of China, which intersperses masonry with wood planks or beams. This method is still employed in the construction of traditional homes in the region today. Continue reading →