The Grand Dong Opera "Zuomei": I Just Wanted to See a Show, but Ended Up Showered with PDA

When traveling to a place, besides admiring the beautiful natural scenery and tasting the authentic local cuisine, you also need to understand the local ethnic culture. The two most effective ways to learn about a place's culture are: one is to visit the local museum, where you can efficiently and systematically learn about the culture through pictures, texts, videos, and artifacts; the other is to watch a wonderful local performance.

Visiting a museum works because local historians and cultural experts have systematically organized the local culture, making it simple and efficient to learn; watching a performance, on the other hand, offers an audience-friendly approach to gaining a general understanding of the local culture through an enjoyable visual feast, all while being entertained in a way that is easy to like.

The difference between the two is that museums can be relatively dry and require active engagement, but they have the advantage of low cost—many museums even offer free admission. In contrast, brilliant cultural performances are carefully designed by artists, incorporating local history, culture, customs, and important figures into the show. The audience only needs to sit back and enjoy the visual feast presented by the performers, making it more entertaining and visually appealing than a museum. You can also take stunning photos, which is why it is so popular.

For this reason, whenever I visit a city, if I have the time and opportunity, I make it a point to explore the local museum and watch a live performance. This greatly helps me understand the city and makes the articles I share more engaging.

During my recent self-driving trip to Sanjiang in Liuzhou, besides visiting various Dong villages, I also toured the Sanjiang Dong Museum and the Sanjiang Dong Painting Museum. I also watched a spectacular large-scale live performance of Dong customs at the famous Dong Township Bird's Nest—"Zuomei."

Before I arrived in Sanjiang, a friend had already recommended "Zuomei" to me. He said it was China's first large-scale live performance themed on Dong customs. I had seen some Dong dance performances before when celebrating the Dong New Year in Liping, Guizhou, but I never felt fully satisfied at the time. So, upon my friend's recommendation, I added "Zuomei" to our itinerary.

We watched "Zuomei" on the first night we arrived in Sanjiang. The show ingeniously combines the rich traditional Dong cultural elements of the Sanjiang region (such as architectural culture, farming culture, costume culture, yege song culture, reed-pipe dance culture, and marriage customs) with top-tier stage design and modern sound and light technology, resulting in a magnificent live epic.

On stage, the majestic 360-degree circular stage, the solemn Dong drum towers, the mysterious and colorful stilted houses, the misty waterfalls, the shimmering Crescent Moon River, the primitive waterwheels, the picturesque wedding boats, and the talented, handsome young men along with the dexterous, sweet-voiced, beautifully dressed girls—like fairies—create a dazzling, passionate dream world under colorful lights and giant LED tiered screens, accompanied by melodious ethnic music and tender ethnic dances. The audience is left in awe and praise.

The most striking part of "Zuomei" is how it time-travels without losing charm, condensing the diverse traditional Dong courtship and marriage customs on stage: First Watch "Walking the Girls" (zou guniang), Second Watch "Playing with the Girls" (nao guniang), Third Watch "Sitting with the Girls" (zuomei), and Fourth Watch "Joy at Dawn" (poxiao zhi xi).

On the elaborately decorated stage, lights constantly shift to create various scenes: charming Dong villages, tall drum towers, joyful dance melodies, and different color schemes—blue brings the tranquility of night, warm red sparks imagination—plus the buildup of emotions, making the performance full of rising action and captivating moments.

Many readers might be curious about the concept of "zuomei." Why is it called "zuomei"? At first, I didn't understand either, so I specifically asked local friends. They explained that "zuomei" means "sitting with sister"—a unique way for Dong young men and women to court. It is also called "xingge zuoye" (singing songs and sitting at night), and in different Dong villages, it goes by names like "play on the mountain," "walk the village," "walk the girls," etc. In short, you can understand it as dating.

The entire performance, from "Walking the Girls" to "Playing with the Girls," "Sitting with the Girls," and finally "Joy at Dawn," progresses layer by layer, interlocking, and wonderfully diverse. "Walking the Girls" is the beginning of marriage, while "Playing with the Girls" is both entertainment and a way to express love. Here, young Dong men go to a girl's house where she and her friends are embroidering and weaving, waiting for them. They sing, chat, or play around—a very joyful scene.

After "Playing with the Girls" comes "Sitting with the Girls," which is one of the core parts of the show. "Sitting with the Girls" elevates the intimacy beyond playing. Through singing, chatting, games, and other activities, couples develop feelings. When a mutual affection arises, they quietly leave the group to express their love in a village corner or outdoors. If there is a bench, they sit on it; if not, the young man sits on the girl's lap (as shown in the photo above).

"Joy at Dawn" is the Dong wedding ceremony after a period of passionate love. The beautiful bride, adorned with noble silver ornaments and wearing splendid attire, bids a reluctant farewell to her parents at dawn. Holding the groom's hand, accompanied by bridesmaids and groomsmen, she goes to the groom's home. The next day, a lively and grand procession sees her off.

"Zuomei" is truly a traditional, folkloric large-scale live performance of Dong customs. On the night we watched, it was drizzling, and the central stage of the Dong Township Bird's Nest was open-air. Despite performing in the rain, the actors still presented a spectacular visual feast. I was truly moved. If you travel to Sanjiang, I highly recommend watching it.