A Trip to Guangnan | Ancient Villages, Grass Dragon, Fire Pit, Dong Songs, Pipa, Unforgettable Dong New Year

Everyone knows that 'Guilin's scenery is the best under heaven.' The city is filled with countless famous scenic spots, and Guilin is also a famous historical and cultural city, a city of ethnic folk culture. Guilin was called Bagui in ancient times. Since the Qin Dynasty established prefectures, this ancient city has accumulated thousands of years of profound history and culture. Guilin is also one of the important birthplaces of Chinese civilization. Many ethnic minorities such as Zhuang, Yao, Miao, and Dong have thrived here for thousands of years. The diverse ethnic cultures bloom across the land of Bagui, giving the mountains and waters of Guilin a spirit and vitality. The people of Zhuang, Yao, and Dong living in Longsheng, Guilin, Guangxi, have cultivated fields for generations, demanding food from the high mountains. My impression of Guilin has always been on my mind. This is my third visit to Guilin, and I have more expectations. I remember the first time I came to Guilin, I went to Yangshuo, saw the scenery, and tasted the specialty beer fish. The second time, I went to Longji in Longsheng, and the spectacular and distinctive Longji Rice Terraces opened my eyes. This time, I entered Guangnan Village, integrated into the life of the Dong people, and celebrated a lively and festive Dong New Year with them. I am looking forward to it, looking forward to it.

In China, there is a magical village where every woman in the village only cuts her hair once in her lifetime. That is the Huangluo Yao Village in the Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guangxi. Huangluo Yao Village is located within the Longji Scenic Area in Longsheng and is the only Yao village among the thirteen villages of Longji. When coming down from the Longji Jinkeng Rice Terraces, you will pass by here on the way back. Be sure to visit the village. The village is inhabited exclusively by the Hongyao people. Since ancient times, Hongyao women have had the traditional custom of storing long hair. There are over 60 women in the village with hair over one meter long, the longest reaching about two meters. It is known as the world's first long hair village.

Hongyao women are skilled in singing and dancing. Performances at the Huangluo Stage in the village are their main source of income. The performance lasts 30-40 minutes and costs 80 yuan. I felt it was a bit expensive. After wandering around the village, I hesitated for a while but finally bought a ticket. After all, such performances are becoming rare. The young people in the village are gradually leaving the deep mountains, and under outside influence, they no longer keep long hair. Perhaps in a few decades, the long hair of the Hongyao will no longer exist.

The highlight of the performance is showing off their long hair and the washing process. Hongyao women not only have long hair but also black, shiny hair with few white hairs. It is said that every household in Hongyao Village has a pottery jar by the fire pit, filled with stored rice washing water. After being heated and fermented by the fire pit, the rice washing water becomes a unique hair care secret of Hongyao women. They wash their hair every few days. Each time, they first let the long hair fully absorb the nutrients in the special rice washing water, then rinse it with mountain spring water, comb it, and let it dry. This is the secret of long hair maintenance in the Hongyao Long Hair Village.

Women in Huangluo Yao Village have three sets of hair in their lifetime: one is the hair that falls out during daily grooming, one is the hair cut at age 18, and one is the hair that remains on the head. They are very particular about their hair. After cutting their hair at 18, women never cut it again. Minors can have their hair exposed. After adulthood, unmarried women wrap their hair in cloth and cannot show it to outsiders. Married women coil their hair on their heads. After marriage, they can remove the cloth and coil their hair on top without a bun. After giving birth, they add a small bun representing the child. So from a woman's hairstyle, you can tell whether she is married and whether she has children.

Hongyao women like to wear bright red clothes. Their clothes are beautiful and very particular. Each set is hand-embroidered and takes three years to make. The clothes are embroidered with various patterns and designs, very ethnic. Hongyao clothing was inscribed on the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2014.

After visiting Huangluo Yao Village, I stayed overnight in a guesthouse in Jinzhu Zhuang Village. This is home to another ethnic group in Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County—the Zhuang people. Jinzhu Zhuang Village is located in Longji Town and is the first of the thirteen Longji villages. It gets its name from a patch of golden bamboo in front of the village. With 98 households and over 430 people, it is a typical Zhuang village in China, known as the first Zhuang village in northern Guangxi.

The stilted buildings in Jinzhu Zhuang Village have a unique architectural style and are well preserved. Here you can find the Zhuang MoYi king totem, Zhuang connected houses, ancient village gates, stone dragon body, ethnic culture museum, ethnic song and dance square, hundred-year-old maple trees, hundred-year-old well, hundred-year-old cedar groves, etc., telling the century-old history of the Zhuang people.

Here you can hear beautiful folk songs. The Zhuang people are very hospitable. During meals, you can taste the Qing Dynasty imperial tribute 'Longji Tea' and Longji water wine, which Westerners call 'Oriental Magic Water', as well as Zhuang five-color glutinous rice.

The ethnic cuisine in Jinzhu includes bamboo tube steamed chicken, bamboo tube glutinous rice, and all bamboo cups and bowls. The villagers often sing toast songs to urge you to drink. When you are tipsy, a group of elegantly dressed Zhuang girls will come with cups of Longji water wine and sing the Zhuang toast song that has been passed down for generations.

From Jinzhu Zhuang Village to Guangnan Village, the weather was not good. I had to close my eyes and rest for a few hours on the winding mountain roads, as using my phone would make me dizzy. I could only sleep in the car. It was my first time going to Guangnan Village, and I was full of anticipation. We stopped at the Red Army Square in Jiangkou Village, Lejiang Town, where a grand and joyful music competition was taking place.

Pipa teams from the Dong ethnic areas of Guangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou provinces gathered to celebrate the annual Dong New Year Festival. At the same time, a visual and auditory feast—the 'Guizhou-Hunan-Guangxi Three Provinces (Regions) Dong Pipa Song Competition'—was held here. 'Cun jin lai, cun jin lai, cun jin guan guan bian ga yang, ye luo ye luo ya...' (Chinese interpretation: The Dong village is good, the Dong village is good, the Dong village is full of new looks, ye luo ye luo ya...)

The Red Army Square was bustling with people. The sudden drop in temperature could not stop the enthusiasm of the crowd. People dressed in festive attire came to the square under the drum tower. The aroma of Dong oil tea wafted, silver ornaments on Dong sisters jingled, colorful clothes reflected the smiling faces of Dong compatriots, and the sound of camera shutters could not drown out the melodious Dong songs and pipa music. Twenty teams were ready backstage. With the sound of firecrackers, the feast began. Each pipa team took the stage, playing touching songs with their pipas, showcasing Dong traditional culture and preserving red memories. At the same time, a series of poverty alleviation songs also sounded the strongest voice of the nation: 'Eliminate poverty, be grateful to the Party, forge ahead from a new starting point.'

In Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guilin, the mountains are beautiful and the waters are picturesque. Multiple ethnic groups live together on this beautiful land. In the past, when I came to Guilin, I either went to Yangshuo or to Longji Rice Terraces. Little did I know that Guangnan Village in Longsheng County is also a very distinctive and worthwhile travel destination to explore.

The Southern Dong Village is located in Pingdeng Town, Longsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County, Guangxi, China, with a beautiful natural environment. 'Beautiful mountains and clear waters' is not enough to describe it. Guangnan Village, with an area of only 24 square kilometers, has two rivers meeting into one. The small river has seven bends, the big river eight curves, forming six large fields by the river. Five natural villages are scattered among the two rivers, six fields, and fifteen bends. Besides the widespread stilted wooden houses with tiled roofs, there is also the 26-meter-high Guangnan Drum Tower and the 200-year-old Xingpo Wind and Rain Bridge. In addition, there are many drum towers, pavilions, and well pavilions, dotted in the large basin-shaped mountain hollow surrounded by high mountains, well-proportioned and beautiful.

The Dong brocade weaving technique in the village is very distinctive. Different shapes and colors are all created by skillful hands, turning colorful threads into rainbow-like brocade. The art of Dong brocade is gradually being lost. Only five elderly people in the village still have this skill. The young people are unwilling to learn these cultural treasures, which is truly regrettable.

There are many cultural architectural relics in Guangnan Village: the fifteen-story wooden Guangnan Drum Tower, the stone pier wooden corridor tiled Xingpo Wind and Rain Bridge, unique stone stepping stones, Confucian Temple, Martial Temple, Three Kings Temple, Medicine King Temple, Rice Water Temple, Gospel Hall, Sa Altar, etc.

The villagers are very warm and kind. The village nestles by the Jiajiang River, with new and old buildings alternating, and many Dong-style buildings under construction. I prefer to wander around the old buildings in Jiajiang Village. Here there are traces of time passing, imprints of cultural heritage, and natural and simple ethnic customs.

The first day of the eleventh lunar month is the Dong New Year. Dong people from all over the country celebrate this day with various customs passed down for thousands of years. To be honest, when I was a child, I especially looked forward to the New Year. It was lively and happy, with family reunions, gifts, delicious food, and beautiful fireworks. Now that I'm grown up, I feel that the New Year has lost its original excitement. Entering Guangnan Village in Longsheng County, Guilin, Guangxi, I heard they were celebrating the Dong New Year, and I was particularly looking forward to it.

During the Dong New Year, ancestor worship ceremonies are held, pigs and cattle are slaughtered. Led by the village elders, people from various surnames gather in front of the drum tower to worship and remember their ancestors.

Making glutinous rice cakes is an essential performance. Villagers dressed in Dong costumes pound glutinous rice with poles, quickly turning it into soft, sticky, fragrant rice cakes. Everyone in the village comes forward to grab a piece of the hot rice cake. Perhaps the rice cake represents the harvest and good luck of the coming year, and everyone wants to take this luck home.

Major festivals are never without Dong pipa songs. Dressed in gorgeous ethnic costumes, both men and women in Dong must learn pipa songs. Accompanied by simple dances, the sound of the pipa lingers, and Dong songs are as beautiful as the morning songs of birds. The joy of the New Year is written on their faces, and the chorus of voices is loud and clear, as if surpassing the height of the drum tower, echoing in my mind for a long time.

Then the intangible cultural heritage of Guangnan Village, the grass dragon dance, began. More than ten Dong people, wearing yellow straw hats, yellow suits, and straw belts, danced to the rhythmic sound of gongs and drums, waving the golden grass dragon in their hands. They performed wonderful moves such as 'swimming dragon playing with a pearl,' 'snow covering the top,' 'coiling dragon hitting the pillar,' and 'giant dragon soaring,' which were majestic and spirited, dazzling the audience. They vividly portrayed the spirit and dignity of the dragon, drawing cheers from the audience.

In the evening, the hundred-family feast filled the drum tower square. Although the weather was cooler, it could not stop people's enthusiasm for celebrating the Dong New Year. The hundred-family feast: hundreds of families, hundreds of meals. Friends from all over the world sat together, raising glasses of fine wine in front of the timeworn drum tower, toasting each other and hoping for a bright tomorrow.

The New Year naturally cannot be without fireworks. Only when colorful fireworks fill the sky with thunderous sounds does it give a perfect sense of the New Year. The story of the Nian beast has been heard since childhood. The New Year always involves setting off firecrackers and fireworks, scaring away all unpleasant emotions with the thunderous sounds.

The lively Dong New Year attracted guests from all directions. Various special programs were splendid and colorful. Every minute and second of the New Year day was not to be wasted. Happiness, happiness, and more happiness.

The final bonfire party came as the grand finale. Torches were lit, instantly pushing the atmosphere to a new climax. People held hands, shoulder to shoulder, singing loudly, dancing joyfully, and fully enjoying the strong festive atmosphere.

Do you know about the Dong fire pit culture? The original function of the fire pit was for heating and cooking. However, in traditional Dong life, the function of the fire pit has greatly expanded. The Dong people have a deep reverence for the fire pit, making it the center of the entire wooden house. Because of this reverence, stepping over the fire pit is forbidden. They regard fire as the god of fire, a symbol of family warmth. Thus, the fire pit has evolved from a cooking function to a place for discussions, entertaining guests, and worshiping ancestors.

In December, Guangnan is not as warm as imagined in the south. The sky is gloomy, as if about to squeeze out dew. You need to wear a thick coat when going outside, but returning to the house and sitting around the fire pit is the happiest moment.

Since fire was discovered, it has been closely linked to food. Entering the antique wooden house, the fire in the fire pit had already been lit. Above the fire pit hung rows of homemade air-dried bacon, very enticing. Lunch was an authentic Dong meal, with special oil tea stir-fried directly at the fire pit. Several iron stands were set up around the fire, with wooden boards placed on them to form an impromptu table. The soup pot was set on the fire in the middle, providing both warmth and cooking. This was the first time I had seen such a dining style, full of ethnic wisdom.

Dong cuisine ingredients are self-sufficient. Chicken, duck, fish, and pork are all wild delicacies from mountain streams and fields. To store food conveniently, besides making bacon, they also pickle fish and other meats to give a sour taste, with a very unique flavor. They also eat raw fish. Fresh fish is slaughtered, sliced into transparent pieces, and naturally pollution-free. It can be eaten after soaking in pre-made sour soup for a few minutes. There is no fishy smell at all. The freshness of the fish fills the taste buds, lingering for a long time.

After eating and drinking to our hearts' content, we sat around the fire. The pleasant sound of the small pipa, unique to Dong, played. We listened to the village elders tell stories of the Guangnan Dong people. The warm and joyful atmosphere was very infectious. The stories in their mouths turned into pictures in my mind, triggering my imagination.

1. How to get to Guangnan Village? To Guilin: by plane (Guilin Liangjiang Airport) / high-speed rail (Guilin High-Speed Rail Station). To Guangnan: rent a car and drive yourself / join a local tour group. 2. About the weather: For winter travel, be sure to keep warm. Recently, temperatures have dropped across the country. Many southern cities have put on thick cotton clothes, and the north is no exception. 3. About accommodation: There are relatively good guesthouses in various ethnic villages in Longsheng. In Guangnan Village, most guesthouses are run by locals in their own homes. The environment is okay, and the price is not high. 4. What to do in Guangnan? DAY1: Huangluo Yao Village (world's first long hair village) — Jinzhu Zhuang Village. DAY2: Guangnan Village — Fire pit culture — Special cuisine — Dong pipa songs and dances. DAY3: Dong New Year — Long table feast — Grass dragon dance — Bonfire party.