Guizhou has the largest Dong village in the country - Zhaoxing Millennium Dong Village, which was the branch venue of the 2018 Spring Festival Gala. Zhaoxing Dong Village Scenic Area is located in the southeast of Liping County, Guizhou, in the three provinces of Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi Junction area. When I first came to Guizhou in 2017, Lin was also traveling in Guizhou and recommended me the Bazhai Yishan hiking tour here. However, I had already traveled from Xingyi to Yunnan at that time, which was a pity. Check it out this summer.

Transportation

Zhaoxing Dong Village is very close to Congjiang High-speed Railway Station. Congjiang High-speed Railway Station is located on the Guizhou-Guangzhou Line. Many places can directly take high-speed rail to Congjiang. I took the high-speed rail from Guiyang to Congjiang Station, which took just over an hour and 40 minutes. After passing through Longli North and Sandu County (you can go to Libo from here), you will arrive at Congjiang Station. There is a bus station on the right side of the exit. The minibus to Zhaoxing Dong Village only takes ten minutes.

In front of the first gate of Dong Village is a vast square, where the 2018 Spring Festival Gala will be held. On one side of the square stands a silver moon-shaped Dong headdress, and a drum tower is being built in the center of the square. . There is a parking lot opposite the village gate. If you are driving by yourself, you can park your car here and buy a ticket to enter the village on foot or by sightseeing car. If you take a minibus, the driver will ask you to get off the bus and buy a ticket, then get on the bus and enter the village.

Stay

There are many inns in Dong Village. I stayed at Lancaoxin Inn on the bank of Zhaoxing River. I think the name of the inn "Lancao Xin" has a meaning. Orchid refers to the elegance of orchids. Most of the flowers decorated in the inn are orchids. Grass, take the strong vitality of grass. Xin is the rising sun. I like this feeling.

The inn is a wooden three-story building with a teahouse on the first floor. Various small ornaments are placed on the decorative cabinets beside the wall, and the spider plants cut in small vases are full of life.

Xia Lan next to the service desk exudes a delicate fragrance.

All kinds of flowers are blooming outside the window... It feels wonderful to sit by the small window, read a book, or chat, listen to the sound of the river rushing outside the window, and look at the wooden buildings with stilts on the other side of the river. .

I live on the second floor and go upstairs along the steps. The spider plants hanging on the wall welcome the guests. There are also orchids placed in front of the guest room, and the garment steamer standing quietly in the corridor makes me feel like I'm home.

Although the room is not big, it is exquisite and warm. The wooden windows are very original, and through the white gauze curtains, you can see the Dong wooden house opposite. The grass-green floor-to-ceiling curtains are in perfect harmony with the wooden windows. Chlorophytums are planted in small vases and placed on wooden shelves. When I opened the window, a moist wind blew in, the water from the river flowed, and the windows of the small building opposite were half-opened and half-covered.

The toiletries placed in the bathroom are also brands commonly used by families, which shows that the inn owner pays attention to details.

Xiao Liu, the manager of Lancaoxin Inn, is a recent university graduate from southeastern Guizhou. He is kind and capable, steady and humorous. Sometimes we chat at the door, and he talks about his work and life. On the Dong wooden floor across the street, there are his new neighbor friends he made here. He would look after his friends' children when they were busy. From his gentle description, I can feel the warmth between him and his neighbors. This warmth is also given to us tourists.

The Dong Song of the Three Treasures of the Dong Village

I was very lucky. When I arrived at the Dong Village, I happened to catch up with the festival of the Dong people - June 6, which is their Zongzi Festival ( They do not celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival (Dragon Boat Festival) of the Han people. During the festival, they eat rice dumplings and sing Dong songs to celebrate the festival. When Xiao Liu picked me up, he told me that in the afternoon there was a performance competition of Dong nationality songs at the performance venue.

The Dong song originated from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. It has a history of more than 2,500 years. It is a multi-part, non-conductor, unaccompanied, natural harmony folk chorus form in the Dong area of ??China. In 1986, at the Golden Autumn Art Festival in Paris, France, the Dong nationality song was unveiled, and its skills shocked everyone. It was considered to be "music that sparkles like a clear spring, a melody that skims the edge of ancient dreams." In 2009, the Dong song was listed on the World Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

There were many spectators sitting on the long wooden benches in the performance venue. I looked for an empty seat and sat down. Because the seats are not tiered, the view of the audience in front is still somewhat blocked. But it couldn't stop the clear spring-like melody from flowing into my ears. It felt so original and pure.

It sings about labor, nature, love and human friendship, and is a kind of harmony between man and nature, and between man and man. Dong songs originate from nature and life. For example, cicada songs are formed by imitating cicada calls.

They listen to the sounds of nature after work and imitate the sounds of nature to form their own music. A middle-aged man in the Dong village told me that because the Dong people have no written language, their songs are all passed down orally. Since June 6th, the Dong family has many festivals. The Dong people are particularly happy because various crops, vegetables and fruits are being harvested one after another. They celebrate the harvest with festivals. Listening to the introduction by the eldest brother of the Dong family, I admire them very much. They can integrate happiness into work and life. Although living conditions are difficult, one can find ways to enjoy the body and nourish the mind in the midst of hardship.

There are more than 40 performance teams from Zhaoxing Dong Village and various surrounding Dong villages. Each performance team wears Dong costumes of different colors, but both headwear and styles reflect the characteristics of Dong costumes.

The clothing of the Dong people advocates black and blue, which highlights the dignified, deep, simple and simple national characteristics of the Dong people. The placket and cuffs are decorated with bright embroidery and brocade patterns, which contrast with the large black basket color body. The dark tone will not appear too dull and monotonous, reflecting the low-key and reserved aesthetic principle of the Dong people. .

But as a performance costume, the colors are much brighter and richer. I took a closer look at the woman's clothing. They put their hair into a bun on the top of their head. To make the bun larger, they used thin black cotton threads to join their own hair and then put them up. Then put various silver ornaments on the bun.

They wear tops and skirts. Some of their tops are open-fronted or double-fronted. The collars, cuffs and other parts are decorated with various laces, and they wear aprons with silver ornaments around their waists to show off their figure. So graceful. After tightening the waist, gradually shrink it from bottom to top, so that the entire chest is in an open state, and then it is properly lined with a beautiful breast pocket. Wearing a knee-length pleated skirt, below the knees, there are leggings that coordinate with the skirt to facilitate walking and working.

Their silver jewelry is luxurious and exotic. A pair of exquisite earrings are the finishing touch on their faces. The large silver necklaces on their chests show their grace and elegance. A medium-sized silver pendant hangs down on the back, filling the gap on the back appropriately and complementing the silver necklace on the chest.

I watched them curiously as they put on makeup and combed their hair. The actors, young and old, were very dedicated to doing all this. I asked them,

"Are the headdresses and necklaces made of silver?" "

"If it were silver, it would have disappeared long ago." An actor chuckled.

Each performance team came on stage one after another, singing their songs emotionally, and finally the first, second and third prizes were awarded.

The winning team was in high spirits and set off firecrackers to celebrate.

Those who did not win were not as excited as those who won, but they still felt a touch of satisfaction after participating. They held the luggage prepared for the performance and walked like a scene on the main street of Zhaoxing Dong Village.

The Drum Tower of the Three Treasures of the Dong Village

The Drum Tower is the symbol of the Dong Village and one of the Three Treasures of the Dong Village. There is a saying that "no village can be built without a drum tower". The drum tower is both their home and their palace. The Tongzhai Drum Tower in Zhaoxing is a multi-story pagoda-like wooden building with dense eaves. It is made of fir columns and boards penetrated with mortise and tenon without the need for nails or rivets. As the political and cultural activity center of the Dong Village, the Drum Tower has functions such as gatherings, discussions, sacrifices, entertainment and leisure. Almost all the drum towers occupy the best positions in the village or "group" for feng shui and sightlines.

The five drum towers in Zhaoxing belong to five "groups" respectively. Observed from Nongkuang Slope, the five drum towers are laid out in the shape of a large ship, with a bow, a stern, a boat awning and two A mast. The Zhaoxing people hope to use this boat to return to the place where their ancestors, the Luoyue people, once lived. The Drum Tower is a unique cultural symbol of the Dong people. The Dong people not only inhabit their bodies here, but also their souls.

The Drum Tower and the surrounding cyan landscape, green trees and Dong wooden buildings form a harmonious and beautiful picture.

The Drum Tower shines under the night, like five golden crowns, which represents the mystery and solemnity from ancient times.

The setting sun shines on the top of the Drum Tower, giving the Dong village the last light of the day.

The Flower Bridge of the Three Treasures of the Dong Village

The Flower Bridge (ie Fengyu Bridge, called Huaqiao by the Dong people) is one of the Three Treasures of the Dong people. There is a bridge gallery on the flower bridge, and there are benches on both sides of the aisle inside the bridge gallery for people to sit on. Comb-shaped railings are both beautiful and airy.

On the clear and calm Zhaoxing River, there are five flower bridges of similar sizes and different styles. Corresponding to the five drum towers.

These flower bridges are all made of fir, with staggered eaves and teeth. All beams, columns, beams and boards are all connected and joined together with tenons and buckles, without the need for nails or rivets. After years of wind, rain, and movement of people and animals, it has not become loose or deformed at all. The exquisite craftsmanship is breathtaking.

People in the Dong Village sit on the benches inside the bridge, some playing cards, some chatting, and some lying on the benches and taking a nap, so relaxed and leisurely.

The Flower Bridge connects the homes on both sides of the Zhaoxing River and is also a place for people to relax and enjoy the cool air. The river flows under the bridge, and the flow of water brings wind. This is a very cool place in summer.

There are colorful murals painted on the upper part of the Flower Bridge Corridor. The content of the murals is rich and colorful, including Dong mythological stories, ancestral legends, customs and festival scenes, as well as Dong totem symbols, and you can even see things originating from the Dong people. A story map of folklore.

Lamps hang from the beams, and when night falls, the lights turn on. The flower bridge looks even more beautiful, like a flower boat walking on the water.

Every day when I pass by here and go back to the inn, I sit on the bench like the Dong family, listen to the sound of the water, soak in the summer breeze, and look at the green trees and wooden buildings on both sides of the strait. It’s a wonderful feeling. And the pictures flow into my heart.

A glimpse of the Dong Village - Entrance

The official entrance of the village is right after getting off the bus. The Zhaoxing River slowly flows out of the village.

The stilt-style wooden building is located between the green hills and rice fields, and the smoke slowly rises.

The waterwheel rotates slowly, watering the rice fields. What greeted me was such a picture of a rural family. I am here quietly waiting for Xiao Liu from Lancaoxin Inn to pick me up.

A snapshot of Dong Village - Dong Culture Exhibition Center

When visiting Dong Village, you must visit the Dong Culture Exhibition Center. Here is an introduction to the cultural life of the Dong people.

The building in the courtyard is a two-story wooden building with stilts.

The wooden building in the front yard mainly displays the Dong's reeds, Dong opera, Dong songs, costumes, life scenes, etc.

There is an embroidery, batik, and tie-dye experience center in the backyard.

Glimpses of the Dong Village - music, painting, singing and dancing

Zhaoxing Dong Village has theatrical performances with Dong culture as the main body. During the day, there is a welcome at the village gate and a display of Dong folk songs and folk customs. Night performances include singing, dancing and plays.

Glimpse of Dong Village - the road to Zhaoxing Dong Village

The main street of Dong Village starts from the gate of the scenic spot and passes through five drum towers, leading to the road to Tang'an Dong Village Ride point. There are sightseeing buses in the village passing by. All tourists who buy tickets can ride here for free.

The houses on both sides of the street are wooden buildings with stilts, including inns, restaurants and various shops.

Quite a few of the bustling streets are filled with tourists. Not only are locals doing business here, but many are from other places. They are optimistic about the business opportunities here.

I like the paths on both sides of the Zhaoxing River the most.

Walking here can see the life of the Dong people.

Look at the clothes they dried and the Dong cloth they dyed.

Sometimes you can see people fishing.

Watch them eating together. Look at the Dong family lights lighting up one after another.

This beautiful and peaceful village relies on the nourishment of the Zhaoxing River, where the Dong people recuperate. I like the tranquility and originality.

With the convenience of transportation and the influx of tourists, the life and economic model of Dong Village have been quietly changing, and many foreign businessmen have entered Dong Village.

Their material life is richer than before, but I hope their spiritual life will remain as simple, optimistic and progressive as before.

When I left Dong Village, I was still filled with gratitude. Maybe I will come back again.