A preliminary investigation into the relationship between Qiong Long (邛籠) and the languages of the Qiang branch of Tibeto-Burman

Abstract

In the summer of 1956. I went to the Aba ( M•7 3h) Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province to investigate the Qiang language. Our car drove north along the bank of the Min River. When we reached the border of Wenchuan (53c ))1 ) County. I looked through the window and saw clearly the mountain villages of the Qiang nationality on both sides of the river. Some villages were in the river valleys, others on mountain ridges. What puzzled me was that inside or at the edge of many villages were stone structures over 100 feet high which resembled the chimneys of big factories at a distance. In some places three or four such structures were clustered together. while in other places a single structure stood alone. Some of those structures were badly damaged. and only broken walls remained. Out of curiosity I asked the local cadres accompanying me what these buildings were. They told me they were the "watchtowers" of Qiang villages.