Guangxi Travelogue: Sanjiang Dongtian Palace
At 12:40 p.m. on October 20, 2024, we took a bus back to Sanjiang county town, then walked to the Sanjiang Museum. The Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County Museum (Sanjiang Dong Museum) is located at No. 17 Jiangfeng Street, Guyi Town, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Liuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It covers a land area of 900 square meters and a building area of 1,550 square meters. It is a specialized ethnocultural museum in the social sciences category. However, the museum closes for the lunch break and only reopens at 3 p.m. We couldn’t wait. Right across from the museum is the Dongtian Palace scenic area. Though it’s not very famous, it was worth a visit since we were already there. We decided to go in and take a look – no point missing it after making the trip. The scenic area charges an entrance fee, but senior citizens can enter for free.
The Dongtian Palace Cultural Scenic Area was exclusively developed by Guilin Fuda Cultural Tourism Co., Ltd. (hereafter referred to as Fuda Cultural Tourism). Covering about 25,000 square meters, it represents a total investment of 300 million yuan and was built to the standard of a national 4A scenic area to create an immersive destination for Dong culture. By recreating the cultural landscape of a traditional Dong village, it uses natural and traditional methods to showcase the Dong people’s original political, economic, and cultural life. The site is organized into 14 core zones, including Heavenly Palace Welcome, Intangible Heritage Legends, Dong Entertainment Joy Zone, Maple Tree Blessings, Heavenly Palace Brewing, Heavenly Palace Story Zone, and Heavenly Palace Shopping Experience Zone, presenting to visitors from far and wide the regional cultural spirit of Sanjiang and the beauty of Dong-style ecological civilization.
The name “Dongtian Palace” comes from the precious and rare epic of the Dong people’s remote ancestors, “Ga Mang Mang Dao Shi Jia.” This is one of the most precious ethnic cultural heritages of Sanjiang, this “millennium-old Dong village.” It represents the ancient depth of Dong culture, embodies the Dong cosmology, worldview, and outlook on life, and highlights the breadth and height of Dong culture, standing shoulder to shoulder with the histories and cultures of peoples around the world. The Dongtian Palace Cultural Scenic Area breaks away from traditional song-and-dance performances and takes the lead in integrating Dong culture with tourism, hands-on experiences, study tours, performing arts, and intangible heritage. It allows visitors from all over to gain a full understanding of the Dong people’s nature, history, and humanity through a blend of exhibitions, performances, and shopping, leaving them with aesthetic pleasure, artistic impact, and deep impressions. Dongtian Palace offers a panoramic display of the Dong people’s spiritual and material culture, painting a beautiful picture of Sanjiang’s Dong history, culture, and folk customs.
The Dongtian Palace scenic area is not just about landscapes; it is rich in cultural meaning. Inside, there are China’s “one tallest” and “two largest.”
The “one tallest” refers to the main building, Dongtian Palace, which is China’s tallest Dong pavilion at 43.99 meters, constructed by Yang Siyu, the first national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor in Guangxi.
The “two largest” are: the largest Sama umbrella in China, symbolizing the protection of the Dong creator grandmother Sama, and the largest oil-tea pot in China, handcrafted from pure copper.
However, the scenic area now suffers from a severe lack of visitors. There were hardly any tourists inside, and the halls were closed and shuttered. A project built with such massive investment stands so desolate – it’s almost laughable.
We finished our visit around 2 p.m., then walked from the west bank across the bridge to the east bank. We took bus No. 4 to Sanjiang High-Speed Railway Station and caught the 4:50 p.m. D3567 bullet train back to Guilin North. We disembarked, got to our hotel, and checked in.
