"Four Seals Miao" in Xin Yao, China
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
Back to Anshun for another tasty lunch. Anshun was once an important tea and opium-trading center but still remains the commercial hub of western Guizhou. Other than lunch stops, there wasn't much that interested us in Anshun. But for those that are interested, Huangguoshu Falls and Longgong Caves are nearby. Many Chinese tours visit both places on a day trip.
taking the pig to market
An afternoon transfer to Kaili, staying at the Grand Dragon Hotel. The important Kaili International Lusheng Festival was going to be held the next day. The Lusheng is a musical wind instrument widely used by the Miao people. It has multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, fitted into a long blowing tube. It usually has five or six pipes of different pitches, comes in different sizes and are made by craftsmen in this area. We visited one home later on in our trip where the Lusheng was being made.
A shopping note: I have a son who collects minature bottles so my eyes are always peeled for something unusual and in Kaili we spotted Moutai (spelling used by the producing company) wine. It is arguably the most famous Chinese wine produced in Guizhou, distilled and fermented from Sorghum with an alcohol content ranging from 53% down to 35%. Since then, we've happened to come across Moutai in the U.S. It also happens to be expensive, (both in China and other parts of the world), and took a lot of work to find a bottle in miniature form. Michael now has a unique souvenir!
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