After the heavy snow festival, the ground is cold and frozen, and the rain turns into snow. When people in most parts of China are hibernating for the winter, the Dong people in southeastern Guizhou usher in the most lively festival of the year. The arrival of the festival and the Dong Year has made the entire Zhaoxing Dong Village immersed in joy.
I have always found Qiandongnan very mysterious. In this vast land, there are 33 ethnic minorities living, accounting for 80.2% of the total population of Guizhou, and the Dong people are one of the more important ethnic groups. Zhaoxing Dong Village, located in Liping County, Qiandongnan Prefecture, Guizhou Province, is the largest Dong village in the Dong area of ??southeastern Guizhou. It is also the folk culture center of the Dong people and is known as the "No. 1 Village in Dong Township".
I have always been full of yearning for Zhaoxing Dong Village. When I learned that the first day of winter is the long-established Dong people’s New Year’s Day festival, I traveled all the way from my small northern town to come here. Zhaoxing Dong Village is most famous for its Drum Tower Group, which has been recorded in the Guinness World Records. In the cold winter, the Dong people like to sit together in the Drum Tower, chatting by the fire, and the feeling of warmth and intimacy is full of human fireworks.
The first day of winter every year is the most anticipated day for the Zhaoxing Dong people in southeastern Guizhou. The annual Dong New Year kicks off on this day. Eating New Year's rice, drinking oil tea, playing New Year cakes, and singing to each other, I celebrated the Dong New Year with the locals in Zhaoxing Dong Village.
Early in the morning, the whole village was buzzing with excitement and excitement everywhere. Zhaoxing Dong Village is the core attraction of Liping Dong Township Scenic Area. It still maintains its simple folk customs and was designated by the " It was selected as one of the "Six Most Beautiful Ancient Rural Towns in China" by China National Geographic. In 2007, it was selected as "the 33 most attractive tourist destinations in the world" by both "Fashion Travel" and the United States' National Geographic. one.
Walking along the bluestone road in the Zhaoxing Dong Village, you can see the very special Drum Tower in the village, which is also a landmark building of the Dong people. Wherever there are drum towers, there must be Dong people. The Drum Tower is unique among the Dong villages in the country. It has been included in the Guinness Book of World Records and is known as the "Hometown of Drum Tower Culture and Art".
The flowing water is long, and the tie-dye crafts can be seen everywhere on the antique stilted buildings. They are very eye-catching. I really like the blue and white objects like this. The simplicity and long aftertaste are pleasing to the eye.
The entire Zhaoxing Dong Village has five drum towers, five flower bridges and five stages. The five drum towers have different appearances, heights, sizes and styles, making them a magnificent sight. The Dong village in Zhaoxing is surrounded by mountains. The village is built in a basin in the mountains. Two streams merge into a small river that runs through the village. The Dong village is surrounded by mountains and rivers. It forms a beautiful landscape painting in both shades, which is worth taking a closer look at. taste.
Sometimes the reason for liking a place is very simple, just because it has the bluestone alleys that I love, the quaint wood-carved doors and windows, pure cotton dresses, unnamed flowers and simple... The blue and white fabrics, as well as the lazy smell that emanates from the streets, the wooden stilts have always been silent in the vicissitudes of the years, maintaining a tall and straight posture, lasting for a long time, exuding a warm luster, these are Zhao Zhao and me. The fate of Xing Dong Village is that I fell in love with the landscape here at first sight.
On the first day of the New Year, people from Dong Village gathered in the square of Rentuan Drum Tower. People begin preparations for the New Year's long banquet. The Drum Tower is a public place for the Dong people, where people chat and relax in their free time. The Drum Tower of Zhaoxing Dong Village has a long history, beautiful appearance, unique structure, and diverse uses. It has very important historical, scientific, artistic value and national folk cultural relic value.
The smoke from the kitchen rises above the stilted building. The steamed glutinous rice is dyed in colorful colors. The colorful flower branches are really beautiful. Looking at the smiles on the faces of the Dong girls, You know how festive and joyful this time is for them.
The village was very lively all morning. Next to the Drum Tower, people gathered together to prepare for the long table banquet in the afternoon. The smoke from the cooking pots curled up above the stilted building. It has been so lively for a long time. The Chinese New Year celebrations took place, and I vaguely returned to my childhood. I also joined the locals in the joy of the New Year.
The Dong people are a versatile nation. On New Year's Day, people gather happily at Drum Tower and Geping to hold ethnic cultural and entertainment activities such as "Going to the Song Hall" and "Exalting Officials". This is the first time I have seen this special event of carrying officials. Handsome boys and girls wearing unique "eight regiments of official floral clothes" are paraded throughout the village by the Dong people in sedan chairs. The scene was very lively.
The Dong people have rich ethnic customs and profound and mysterious cultural connotations. Many tourism enthusiasts who like folk culture will come here to participate in Dong people’s New Year activities. I think the folklore activity of raising officials is worthy of our participation. The story behind it is also related to the long historical development of the Dong people. The reason for its formation is still a mystery, so we need to dig deeper.
The Dong people have no written language, but the songs of the Dong people have always been very beautiful. The songs of the Dong people can be divided into Dong songs, cicada songs, hall songs, roadblock songs, pipa songs, corbeled harp songs, drinking songs, and love songs. , folk songs, river songs, narrative songs, children's songs, etc. Dong songs have melodious tones and melodious melodies, especially the Dong songs, which were listed as world intangible cultural heritage in 2009 and are also a world intangible cultural heritage in Guizhou.
The quaint and mysterious scenery of the border village gave birth to the warm and simple Dong people. The grand and grand Dong Year is a grand event for the Dong people and attracts countless tourists from all over the world. Together with the Dong girls, they sang and danced happily, and the streets were full of joyful laughter.
When I walked on the bluestone road of Zhaoxing Dong Village, I suddenly had an unreal illusion. This ancient village has always maintained its own slow rhythm. No matter how many clouds and smoke passed by, the ancient city never slowed down. The sun rises, the moon sets, and the clouds rise. This place has been identified by the United Nations World Cultural Foundation as one of the top 10 tourist destinations in the world for returning to nature and returning to nature. It is also a paradise for photography lovers.
Welcoming wine, carrying officials, antiphonal songs, long table banquets, the sound of firecrackers, and constant singing. I shuttled among the Dong children in costumes. I drank and talked happily at the long table banquet. This In winter, I spent the Chinese New Year in Zhaoxing Dong Village, enjoying the happiness of the New Year with the Dong children.