'A kingdom of one thousand castles' - Danba (10/13)

Danba lies along the eastern border of the Ganzi Tibet Autonomous Region in the western Sichuan. The county of Danba has been dubbed 'a kingdom of one thousand castles.' Groups of castles were scattered around strategic positions in the valley. Towers and citadels were built hundreds of years ago for defensive purposes and delivering messages between villages. Looking from afar, the groups of towers and castles standing in the gorgeous Danba Valley is breathtaking.[Photo by Liu Guoxing]