Dear China Highlights Customer;
This month we are taking you to Qiandongnan (Southeast Guizhou) – home to minorities of Miao, Dong and other 38 ethnic people to discover their pristine lifestyle, unique folk custom and extraordinary architecture, as well as some practical tips for traveling to those minority areas.
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Best Regards,
Victor Shu
General Manager
China Highlights Travel
Qiandongnan / Southeast Guizhou - Top -
Qiandongnan Miao & Dong Autonomous Prefecture is located in the Southeast part of Guizhou Province, Bordering Hunan in the East and Guangxi in the South. [See the map]. It is home to 38 minority groups with Miao, Dong, and Yao People being the largest groups It has been named by the United Nations as “a famous resort to return to nature” and is known as “the last ballad of the human kind and the homeland for the exhausted souls”. Despite the problems in getting there, Southeast Guizhou is definitely an ideal area to experience the spectacularly distinctive folk-customs in every aspect of life and the picturesque limestone mountains.
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Pristine Lifestyle - Top -
Because the area is very isolated communications and transport with outside world haqs been poor and therefore the people retain a very traditional lifestyle: Planting crops for daily food, raising animals or even fishing and hunting for meat, hand making clothes, brewing for drinks are still a part of daily life. Industrialization seems to have past bye this part of China. The lifestyle here can be summarized as a combination of the hairstyle of Tang Dynasty (618-907), the costumes of Song Dynasty (960-1279), and the customs of Wei (220-265) and Jin (265-420) periods. Each ethnic group has its own lifestyle and beliefs. Sometimes, even villages within the same ethnic group are quite different from their neighboring villages a few miles away. Click here to see pictures taken by our staff durint last trip to Qiandongnan.
Unique Folk Custom - Top -
If you think that life in these villages is will be boring, you are definitely wrong, people here make their own fun. The Dong People are famous for singing, while the Miao people are especially good at dancing. Actually, singing and dancing is routinely part of their daily life. If you are lucky you may see a really high-class performance by the local people without any modern equipment – you won’t believe your eyes or ears. Other interesting activities include Cock-fighting, bull-fighting, drinking rice wines, Tai Guanren (Carrying the Government Official in a Sedan Chair). The many ethnic festivals held here each year are a highlight.
Extraordinary Architecture - Top -
Different ethnic groups have their own unique building style and architecture. Among many superb examples, the most two notable are wooden Drum Tower and Wind & Rain Bridge in the Dong villages. - Drum Tower: It is a unique example of ethnic architecture of the Dong ethnic group and can be seen at almost every Dong village in Southeast Guizhou.
The Drum Tower usually sits at the center of a village with many other wooden houses surrounding it and is the highest part of that village. It is a wooden structure which is either 7,9, or 11 (it must be odd numbers) stories. At the top of the tower there is a big drum which is used to gather people when a big event happens in the village. The Drum Tower is also a sign of good-luck for both the whole village as well as for each family in the village. Zengchong Drum Tower in Congjiang County is the largest and oldest drum tower in Guizhou province and a major cultural relic under state protection.
Wind & Rain Bridge: These structures are called Wind & Rain bridges because besides providing a method to cross the rivers, they also give protection from the elements. These structures are another example of the influence of the Dong in an area. The oldest Wind & Rain Bridge in Guizhou Province is Diping Wind & Rain Bridge in Liping County. Diping Wind & Rain Bridge is 56 meters long and was first constructed in 1883. It is painted with beautiful pictures of history and scenery. The entire bridge is made of wood with mortise and tenant joints & without any iron nails.
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