The Fubao Ancient Town, Hejiang, Chongqing, sitting on the hillside with rows of stilted buildings, looks like a heavenly market.

From August 1939 to February 1940, led by Liang Sicheng (1901–1972) and Liu Dunzhen (1897–1968), the Society for the Study of Chinese Architecture carried out an extended investigation of ancient buildings in Bashu, a region associated with modern-day Chongqing and Sichuan, named after the ancient Chinese states of Ba and Shu. The experts, who had previously focused on studying northern-style official architecture, were impressed by the ingenious and unorthodox structures in the region. Despite the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931–1945), their investigation introduced the ancient Bashu buildings to the academic world. As the Society for the Study of Chinese Architecture relocated to Lizhuang in Sichuan's Yibin, a large contingent of architectural scholars turned their attention to the southwest inland, speaking highly of the flexible and unique ancient buildings of Bashu. To quote architect Liu Zhiping (1909–1995), the buildings are "full of local features and built with ingenious techniques. Such simple, neat designs, in such beautiful, natural shapes, are beyond imagination of ordinary architects." What kind of buildings have these extraordinary architects built to have impressed architectural masters that had already seen all the grand architectural styles of the Tang (618–907) and Song (960–1279) Dynasties? Tang and Song have each been hailed as one of the few pinnacles in China's history of dynasties.

Magnificent, time-honored landscape

Bashu region boasts unique geographical advantages. It was closed off yet richly endowed, a rare historical phenomenon. That allowed it to retain its special cultural features throughout the years. During the Baodun Culture period (2700–1700 BCE), about 4500 years ago, early cities took shape in Chengdu Plain. Animal-patterned tenon and mortise structures were unearthed from the Jinsha site, dating to about 3200–2600 years ago. These suggest that the ancestors of the Bashu people already had the aesthetic awareness to use architectural decorations and demonstrate that beauty has always been in the blood and genes of Bashu architecture.

"Ancient Shu State was often the first to suffer chaos and the last to restore peace." Due to years of war and the humid climate, few early wooden buildings in Bashu have survived. Meanwhile, as rocks in the region are softer and easy to carve, a large number of stone structures are found here, mainly que (stone archway) from the Han Dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) and grottoes from the Tang and Song Dynasties. They provide a glimpse into early Bashu architecture.