Live Your Best Lives
Grain Rain, the sixth of the 24 solar terms, is also the last in spring. Because of this important date, a corresponding festival has emerged. Every year during the Grain Rain Festival, a carnival is held deep in the mountains of Guizhou.
The Guyu Festival, a traditional festival of the Dong ethnic group, holds the same status as the Lunar New Year. In the past, it was a tradition for young men and women to express their affection for each other by throwing yǒu (yǒu) wine vessels and smearing pot ash on each other, conveying love and happiness to each other.
Today, the festival has become a celebration that everyone can participate in. You can go out on the street and apply the black rice paste on any clean face.
There is no other distance between people except happiness.
Picture @2021 Zhaoxing Grain Rain Festival event reference
In Guizhou, diverse ethnic minorities live a colorful life. Let us go and meet the splendid Southeast Guizhou in the spring breeze.
The most lively place during the Grain Rain Festival is Zhaoxing Dong Village in Guizhou, which is known as the "No. 1 Dong Village".
There are five extremely spectacular drum towers here, namely, propriety, wisdom, benevolence, righteousness and trustworthiness. They are the crystallization of the generations-long beliefs of the Dong people. The eaves are upturned, like white cranes piercing the sky and flying.
When night falls, the drum towers scattered throughout the area are connected into a brilliant light, which is reflected in the terraced fields and illuminates the surrounding green mountains and waters.
Among these winding green terraces, there is an "Intangible Cultural Heritage Poverty Alleviation Workshop".
The manager Lan Caisheng is an illustrator born in the 1990s. He uses the "craftsman spirit brush" to show the Dong culture.
It not only inherits the beauty of the nation, but also depicts the happy life of the people in the small Dong village.
You can put on various traditional Dong costumes and wander around the villages and countryside.
Or, explore the Tang'an Rice Terraces, one of China's seven most beautiful hiking trails. Here, you can experience the pristine beauty of the countryside at the Dong Ethnic Minority Ecological Museum, a joint venture between China and Norway.
Speaking of craftsmen, we will also visit an "ordinary yet legendary" post-85 college student who returned to his hometown.
She is called a legend because she left the city and returned to her hometown to devote herself to the production of traditional Dong cloth. She led her fellow villagers to become rich together and was commended and reported by CCTV and other programs.
I say ordinary because she works in the Dong wooden house day after day, and her ordinary hands can create gorgeous patterns.
Here, we can follow Lanlan and pick plants by hand to dye, which is undoubtedly a fun experience.
In addition to the craftsmen, there are also the Dong ethnic group's big songs floating in the drum tower. Writing is the cornerstone of human civilization, and the Dong elders use singing to record the past and interpret life.
The Dong people regard songs as spiritual food. They will present an audio-visual feast that transcends language, allowing you to savor the sounds of nature.
Deep in the southeast of Guizhou, there is a paradise, surrounded by green mountains and ancient forests.
There is an ancient nanmu forest outside the village, a gurgling stream in front of the gate, and greenery all over the mountains surrounds the entire village.
In order to inherit this simplicity, ATLAS Studio came here and combined the traditional wooden structure with the cement frame to create this natural Dongtianjing B&B.
It has found a delicate balance between traditional Dong village aesthetics and modern lifestyle, and has also brought a sustainable tourism model to local villagers.
Therefore, Dongtianjingshang B&B was also nominated for the 2021 "ArchDaily Building of the Year" and "Dezeen Design Award".
“Without silver and flowers, a girl is not a girl; without silver, clothes are not a formal dress.” The Miao embroidery silver ornaments everywhere have become a symbol of the Miao girls’ love of beauty.
Whenever distinguished guests come, the girls of Xijiang Miao Village gather together, singing beautiful folk songs amid the sound of reed pipes, raising the sea of wine in their hands and slowly pouring the rice wine from high to low into the wine bowls of the distinguished guests who have come from afar. This "high mountains and flowing water" is also the highest way for the Miao girls to welcome distinguished guests.
Being amused by such a beautiful Miao girl is really unforgettable.
The glittering silver adorned by Miao girls is truly stunning, but the Miao people's inherited craftsmanship extends beyond this. Known as the "Hometown of Ancient Chinese Papermaking," Shiqiao Miao Village boasts a unique understanding of papermaking among its craftspeople.
After going through more than 10 working procedures including water retting, slurrying, and boiling, the traditional techniques recorded in "The Exploitation of the Works of Nature" are used to continue this warm spirit of handmade papermaking.
Numerous intangible cultural heritages are presented and inherited in this magical land of Qiandongnan. As early as the Qin and Han Dynasties, the Miao ancestors had mastered the batik technique.
They used indigo fermented from isatis root as dye, without using a ruler or primer, and completed the process in one go.
Today, batik, which is full of the "wild charm of Miao mountains", is moving out of the closed villages in remote mountains and into the art hall of art research.
Batik clothing designed by Cheng Hao and Ning Manli, inheritors of the intangible cultural heritage of batik, appeared at the London International Fashion Week in the UK, bringing Chinese art to the world.
Although the land of Qiandongnan has inherited a splendid folk culture, it is also difficult to resist the weak industry and hollow population, and those once prosperous villages are gradually declining.
In 2013, the idea of “targeted poverty alleviation” was first proposed. In order to protect the unique culture, the National Poverty Alleviation Foundation joined hands with the design team to come to Longtang Miao Village, which is only a 30-minute drive from Xijiang Miao Village.
Combining the ideals of pastoral idyll with the needs of real life helps the Miao village regain its inner vitality.
The Longtang Mountain House Hotel, which consists of 8 single-room guest rooms, a restaurant, an infinity pool and other supporting facilities, relies on Longtang's unique Miao cultural resources and enjoys the panoramic view of the layered terraces and the misty Miao village.
Although it is close to the bustling Xijiang Miao Village, you can still enjoy the feeling of a secluded and luxurious vacation.
At the same time, you can also experience the simple village culture, catch rice field fish, make glutinous rice cakes, and do Miao embroidery to feel the simple Miao customs and immerse yourself in the mountains and countryside.
We are ready, just waiting for you to start the immersive experience with one click!
Limited to 6-12 people, we support room sharing, all-inclusive accommodation, tickets, and full meals. It’s a worry-free all-inclusive package and will be launched on May 1st. We look forward to meeting you!
We also offer private tours, with groups of two people, one person per group, no carpooling, and exclusive one-on-one travel consultants for your private vacation. The itinerary can be customized.
