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Zhaoxing was one of the most interesting villages in Guizhou. They only get about 700 visiters per year but that will be changing quickly with the addition of an airport nearby. It is a killer ride on the roads to get there but definitely worth it.
Zhaoxing still has its traditional wooden structures including a number of "Wind and Rain Bridges" along with a total of five drum towers. What is a "Wind and Rain" Bridge? It is a wooden, covered corridor bridge, with pavilions and benches for people to rest on. Since the bridge shields people from wind, rain and sunshine, it is called a "Wind and Rain" Bridge...simple...when it was explained to us.
We arrived in the early evening and most people were seated in and around the Drum Tower, drinking and celebrating the Lusheng Festival. Others were spreading their rice and corn alongside the roads to dry, and hanging rice on the drying racks in the fields. No one leaves the cut rice in the fields at night. They are worried about someone stealing their crop. The Dong in this village continue to wear traditional clothing and speak only their native Dong language.
Expats we met, compared it to Lijiang about 10 years ago. Unlike us, they were staying for a few days and day-hiking to different villages around Zhaoxing. That's the way to do it and another day there would have been perfect.
Zhaoxing
Continue reading "Zhaoxing (Zhao Xing), Guizhou" »
Yin Tan Dong Village was entirely different because of its Drum Towers. The Dong trace their origins back to about the 3rd century BC and speak a Thai language as part of the Sino-Tibetan Thai ethnic-linguistic group. This village was encircled by 100-year old trees and typical Dong houses on stilts.
Dong Drum Towers are an important part and symbol of each village with at least one drum tower in every Dong village and some with many towers. Meetings and celebrations are held in front of these towers and the people gather there to dance and make "merry" (drink). Some are extremely elaborate, many stories high, decorated with dragons, phoenixes, flowers and birds. In the past, cowhide-covered drums were hung in the tower and a villager would climb to the top and beat the drum to alert the villagers. It acted as a SOS (or distress signal) and the drumbeats would travel from one village to another.
Drum Tower
Continue reading "More Dong Villages and Bia Sha Black Miao" »
Rong Jiang had a very old Banyan Tree (been there...seen that) and a Dong village in Che Jiang. This was one of the most interesting villages because of all the different activities taking place. Groups of people were playing maj jong in the central courtyard (I was invited to join in but didn't remember how to play), two older women were taking turns giving each other a back massage, .... View image...
Continue reading "Rong Jiang and Che Jiang Dong Village" »
There were several houses in Pai Ka Miao Village where we watched the local master craftsmen making the Lusheng. This took more work than one would expect - choosing the proper bamboo, cutting, tempering, tuning. The end result - a Lusheng with different tonal qualities.
Everywhere we drove or visited, the local people were harvesting the corn and rice crops. Unfortunately for them, the crops hadn't been good that year. This would mean food shortages over the coming winter. Two varieties of rice are grown: big grains and small grains (that's how it was described to us), and almost the entire work of picking, threshing and grinding is done by hard, manual labor.
The rice was drying on photogenic drying racks, dotting the landscape, ...View image...along the roads...with villagers carrying their crops up and down the mountains on their heads and backs. When I posed a question to Andy about their very slight and short stature, he replied: "If you put a large rock on a blade of grass, the grass will not grow upright when you take it off."
rice drying on racks
Continue reading "Pai Ka Miao and Datang Villages" »
Some of the villages we visited greeted us with potent, homemade rice wine. Looked to me like an excuse for a PARTY! I wouldn't have minded trying a slug or two but they kept passing these huge jugs from person to person to drink out of. I have a real problem sharing with many strangers, and had Andy tell them that we were strict "teetotalers" then he drank our share. A perfect solution.
A visit to Flag Stone Village to see "Xi Family Miao's Customs, and a short trek to Gee Family Village to see their batiks. ...passing people carrying the daily, heavy loads...View image... ...View image... The Ge Family is a special ethnic group that is not included in the 55 minorities of China as they number only around 10,000 people. They have their own customs and language with unique garments and adornments.
Back to Kaili for a fast lunch, and then a transfer up to the Lei Gong Mountain, center of Miao culture in southeast Guizhou. Kaili is a 2,500 year old city with a population of 450,000. More than 65% of that amount consists of the Miao.
Continue reading "Flag Stone and Wu Dong Villages" »
We spent the entire day watching and participating in the annual Lusheng Festival. ...View image...All the local villages came to march in the parade, socialize, meet friends and be entertained. The Miao groups wore local dress for the parade and the Lusheng contest inside Kaili Stadium was held at noon. Group after group of Miao people representing their tribe and village, each and everyone in a different ethnic outfit, ...View image...marched down the street. ...View image... loaded with real "silver" and artificial "silver" headdresses and jewelry.
"Vibrant" or "colorful" doesn't accurately describe what was passing before our eyes. In the meantime, the local Chinese people were almost more interested in us than the festival and we were constantly being photographed, and asked to pose with families and children for more photographs. Our more than 15-seconds of fame!
Kaili group
playing the Lusheng
Continue reading "Lusheng Festival in Kaili" »
Andy, our guide, took us to visit the "Four Seals Miao" in Xin Yao. There was a lot of activity among the people who were busy harvesting rice and heading their pigs and other livestock towards the Lusheng Festival to sell.
This was another very poor village where we met with one family to see their traditional clothing. The mother, had a family of at least four or five little girls (I lost count) and had handmade each and every dress herself. She carefully dressed them up in their outfits for some photos (one protesting vigorously). ... View image... The dress of this Miao subgroup is quite special. There are four colorful square patterns just like four exquisite square seals on their gloves and shirts, hence the name.
Most Chinese minorities are exempt from the "one child" rule (very obvious as we visited these villages). It seemed as if the little girls were quite close in age and extremely destitute (not to mention the usual runny noses and need for a bath). It's difficult to tell the ages of the children in this area because they are much smaller in height by our American overfed standards. By the way, Andy - on our behalf - always dispensed money to the people for their trouble. Perhaps, visits by us and other tourists will help raise their living standards somewhat.
Xin Yao little girls
Xin Yao Village
Continue reading ""Four Seals Miao" in Xin Yao" »
Lunch in Anshun and then a 2-1/2 hour ride toward Liuzhi to visit a subgroup of the Miao Minority, Soga Village of Chang Jiao Miao (Long Horn Miao people).
This was an heartbreakingly basic village. Most of the province still lives below the national poverty level even though the government is trying to change this. Soga was dirty with lots of chickens running around (visions of "bird flu" ran through my mind) ...View image...but the "Hair" was what made Soga so interesting and worth visiting along with the exquisite batik and embroidery that they make. We watched three women show us how they made their amazing big hairdos (and I thought my hair was expandable!). They started with pieces of wood dowels, stuck them through their own hair ...View image....then start wrapping lots of artificial looking "hair" (really long black pieces of yarn) around the wood to make the hair stand out, finishing with long strips of fabric which decorated this intricate, ornate wig. This must eliminate ever having a "bad hair day." Interestingly enough, I just read an article about Marie Antoinette's "big hair" in Vogue. Perhaps, her stylist got his ideas from the Miao women.
Soga Village
Continue reading "Long Horn Miao People - The "Hair" Village" »
The trip started (and almost ended) in Shanghai where we overnighted before flying into Guiyang. Our driver blew his exit driving from the aiport and screeched across four lanes of traffic to make it. A truck and another taxi missed us by inches! You should have heard the Chinese swearing and shouting going on including a few choice words from us! Did we tip him? NOT!
The next morning, we flew into Guiyang. It's a cardinal rule of travel that you are always going to misconnect...and we always do. It usually takes several days to arrive at our destination after leaving Chicago, and that's with non-stop flights.
Guiyang has a population of over 3 million people and a mild climate. "Andy" was our guide. (Most Chinese guides adopt an English name since we usually butcher their Chinese name.) An extremely knowledgable person who couldn't do enough for us. Guiyang itself was just a starting point and there wasn't very much to do. The Trade Point Hotel was the top-end hotel to stay at and that is where we parked outselves. Surprisingly, even the staff at the Trade Point didn't speak English! You can find more information at: ...Hotel in ASIA
First on our agenda was to visit Tunbao Village and Tian Long Old Town. The ancestors of these villagers migrated from Jiangxi Province to Guizhou Province in the Ming dynasty. The women there wore blue aprons, were dressed in wide-sleeved loose robes with silk belts in traditional Ming Dynasty costumes, and the houses remained faithful to Ming architectural styles. The Tunbao people are the descendants of armed men and dress accordingly.
Tunbao Village
Continue reading "Tunbao Village and Tian Long Old Town" »
The final itinerary consisted of nine actual days in Guizhou Province, with several extra days in Shanghai to celebrate our anniversary. And then, you always have to add the 2-3 days spent actually getting to China and at least two days returning home! The tour itself would focus on two areas: Southeast and West of Guiyang; visiting the various minority tribes and learning a little about their culture; using a local guide and driver; and staying at "best available" hotels.
Air? Flew United non-stop to Shanghai and then China Air to Guiyang the following day. Inside China, you can (or could) also fly via Chengdu, Beijing, Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Health? Just the usual precautions. No malaria pills, and all other innoculations are always kept up-to-date. I always check the Centers for Disease Control updates to see what they suggest.
Visa? You need a Chinese Visa which is easy to get at your local Chinese Embassy/Consulate. In Chicago, you can pay extra and arrange for one in the same day.
Western Guizhou
Continue reading "Planning A Trip to Guizhou" »
It isn't until you actually start exploring China that its immensity hits you. Most travellers visit Beijing, Shanghai, Guilin, Xian and Hong Kong on their first trip into China. We (ex-Marine, husband Steve and I) did right after the Tiananmen Square uprising in 1989 when tour operators were offering "moment-of-madness sales" (another article altogether) and fell in love with the incredible sights and diversity China offers. Lonely Planet Shop
Many trips later, there are still so many areas to explore that rarely see a Western visitor. With all this in mind, and knowing my love for off-the-beaten-track destinations, Shi Ming (Cindy) at Shanghai Far East Expeditions recommended Guizhou Province.
Guizhou is a mountainous province of China with karst (limestone terrain), steep gorges, warm summers and mild winters. It is located in the Southeast of China, not terribly far from Vietnam. The reason to visit? About 35% of Guizhou's population is made up of over 80 different ethnic minorities in remote villages: Miao, Bouyi, Dong, Yi and Hui to name a few. The majority of China's population is Han.
The minority villages of interest were both West and Southeast of Guiyang, the capital of Guizhou Province.
Guizhou Map
Continue reading "Where is Guizhou?" »
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