Sho

Sho, also known as Shobando, was a stopping place on the road across eastern Tibet. Its position at a difficult junction of routes made it a significant station for travellers moving between Sichuan and the Tibetan interior. An old defensive wall follows the mountain above the settlement, recalling the power of local chiefs and the need to protect the approaches through the valleys. According to local accounts, the wall was built in the early seventeenth century under the chief Langga Zhaxi, during a period of unrest. Constructed of earth and stone and equipped with watchtowers, it guarded the chief's lands against attack from beyond the mountains.