REPORT ON A VISIT TO ETHNIC MINORITY AREAS OF  GUANGXI AND GUIZHOU

Colin Mackerras

4 May 2018

 The visit lasted from 22 April to 3 May 2018. It began in Guangzhou, but principally Guilin, Guangxi, and ended in Guiyang, Guizhou. It is not the purpose of this report to describe everything that happened but to make thematic observations and to evaluate the tour, from various points of view.

Focus of the Visit

The focus was three specific ethnic minorities. These are

• the Zhuang 壮族, the most populous of China’s ethnic minorities, who are concentrated mostly in Guangxi;
• the Dong 侗族, concentrated around the north of Guangxi and south of Guizhou; and
• the Miao 苗族, who live more broadly not only in Guangxi and much of Guizhou, but also in Yunnan and elsewhere.

We visited many villages of these three peoples and got to know much about their customs, arts, architecture, lifestyle and history. We also met a few Yao people and also members of a few other ethnic minorities.

The type of places visited were mostly villages and museums. These were remarkably diverse, with each village visited showcasing a different form of art and achievement. We also had a very nice cruise and interacted with people, making friends and learning to appreciate other cultures.

One particularly frequent form of art was performance, especially song and dance. However, in addition, we were able to view, enjoy and study, the principally Dong forms of architecture, the drum tower 鼓楼and wind-and-rain bridge 风雨桥. In several Miao and Dong villages we saw song-and-dance performances of high standard.

The Cruise to Yangshuo

We were able to make a cruise along the Li River to Yangshuo.

The scenery in this part of the world is spectacular, and one of the highlights was a cruise along the Li river, so beautiful that it is featured on the 20 yuan note. It features very high mountains along the side of the river, with unusual shapes that remind me of the landscape paintings of the Song dynasty.

Our boat was comfortable and we got a good view of the scenery. We were given a sandwich lunch.

I once did this cruise before, in the 1990s, and visited Yangshuo. But it has now developed to such an extent that I simply did not recognize it at all. Yangshuo is now a modern city, the centre of which is full of commerce, some of it very Westernized. There are modern sculptures there that remind me of the United States and West in general, including a totally naked red male figure in a lying position. This visit was a real eye-opener to me and symbolized the mixture of tradition and modernity that characterizes contemporary China, and especially the ethnic areas.

Villages

The range of villages visited was wide. They are too numerous to list, but some worth special mention are the following.

Pingan平安 in Longsheng, Guangxi. This is a Zhuang village, high up on a hill. Getting to the village involves a steep walk up the hill. Most of our members did the climb, but I paid extra to go up in a sedan chair. Coming down, two others joined me. The village itself is extremely beautiful, featuring Zhuang people and their customs. We were given a display, for instance, of a Zhuang woman braiding her long hair in the Zhuang manner. This village also had some Western features, for example a very nice coffee shop.

Zhaoxing 肇兴, also in Guangxi, is the world’s biggest Dong village. It retains Dong features very strongly, including several drum towers and wind-and-rain bridges. It is very clean and well kept, and we were able to experience Dong song and dance and relax, Dong style, on the wind-and-rain bridges. This village also has many Western features, including a very nice coffee shop and clean roads and shops.

Shidong 施洞 Village near Kaili in Guizhou is the centre of a major festival to be discussed in more detail below.

Museums

We went to a Dong ethnic museum in Zhaoxing and a more general ethnic museum covering Southeast Guizhou 黔东南 in Kaili. Both are extremely well presented. They are designed to show the history, customs, arts and lifestyle of the ethnic minorities in a friendly light. It is very clear that the government has spent a great deal of money on them and given them a high priority. They are clean and well looked after. They are detailed and interesting, showing both great knowledge and great sensitivity.

 Performances

We went to several performances, each showing different sidelights. The first one was in Guilin and very advanced and modern. It showed impressions of the famous Zhuang popular heroine Liu Sanjie 刘三姐and was attended by many thousands of people, with many people taking part in the performance. One feature was very complex, interesting and spectacular lighting effects.

A private performance in Zhaoxing had girls singing Dong songs, with young men playing the Dong pipa 琵琶. This was especially arranged for us and was a highlight of the trip. It was in a private house and very interesting and informative. We also had an open-air performance in a special performance area in Zhaoxing, as well as Miao open-air performances in Guangxi and Langde朗德, Guizhou.

We attended several outdoor performances of ethnic song and dance. Most of it is by folk 民间 (amateur) performers. They certainly show enthusiasm and skills. In some, especially Miao, performances, it is the women who do nearly all the dancing, while men play musical instruments. But it was my impression that in fact more women took part than men. In Langde, the old people were given a special chance.

Festivals

The museums told us quite a bit about various festivals of the Miao, Dong and other ethnic groups.

We were able to attend one of these, called the Sisters Festival 姊妹节, which took place in Shidong 施洞 Village outside Kaili. This lasted several days. It is traditionally a courtship festival, with the women dancing during the day and trying to attract a suitable man. The follow-on of the dancing happen in the evening or night, and we did not take part in that.

The main part of the festival includes a procession, mostly of women dressed in their traditional clothing. They come village by village, a very long procession. The occasion we witnessed began at the high school of the village, and went to a circular platform outside the village. We wanted to go by car, but the traffic was seriously jammed. Although we did use some time in the traffic jam, we were able to get to the dance and spend some time there. This dance was characterized by a smooth rhythmic walking round in big circles, accompanied by a Miao drum located right in the centre of the circular mound.

There were many other tourists and journalists there too, mostly Chinese but quite a few foreigners also. It seems to me that this festival has become a tourist attraction, even though it retains a great deal of its social value. It is also a chance for people to dress up and get together for a day’s celebration. Yet it must be added that the clothes and silver and other decorations in the Miao headgear is quite heavy and must be tiring for people who might have come a very long way to take part. Overall, however, this was for me and our group a completely unforgettable experience, as well as a very pleasant one.

Embroidery

Embroidery is an important art among the minorities in Guangxi and Guizhou. We stopped at the house of a master embroiderer called Yang Yueying 杨月英. What struck me about this was several things. Firstly she is Dong, but her husband is Zhuang. There is a fairly large family with four generations, the youngest now being five years old or so, and they are Yueying’s grandsons. Secondly, the house where they live is quite large and modern, even though it is set in a rural environment. They have television and an air conditioner, and the bathrooms are quite hygienic. Thirdly, she had two students in her house. Both are keen but don’t pay for the tuition. She said they will go out to sell the results of their embroidery and make money themselves. Fourthly, the government is obviously putting a lot into preserving this ancient art of embroidery. They organize competitions and things like that. Yang Yueying had several prizes for her work, and was very proud of that. On the other hand, she complained that the art was in decline. Young people don’t care about it so much now and many of them go to the cities where they can make more money than in the villages. She is sad about the decline of the art. Some are saying that it could die out in the foreseeable future, despite strong government efforts to preserve it.

On our last day in Kaili we also went to the house of a remarkable master embroiderer called Madam Xu徐. She had been out among all the Miao peoples and understood the intricate details of the differences among them and also how to study them. She also had a very good collection of embroidery herself, some of it very old and precious. Some of it was for sale, some not. We didn’t actually buy anything, although I think she wanted us to. I thought this was among the most impressive things we saw during the tour.

The Weather

Generally speaking the weather was good. We had no days where rain completely disrupted our activities. It was somewhat cooler up the mountain in Ping’an and the festival day in Shidong was very hot. The last two days of the tour were much cooler than the others, and the last day was the only one that had serious rain. Overall, I found the weather pleasant and good for travelling.

Hotels

We stayed in a wide range of hotels. They varied in standard, but overall they were very comfortable and with pretty good or very good service. The hotel in Ping’an was very good considering its difficult situation in being at the top of a mountain. Probably the best hotel we stayed at was in Kaili, Guizhou. The rooms were very spacious and things worked well. Most provided very good breakfasts, although at the one in Zhaoxing variety was much less than elsewhere and service more erratic.

Food

The tour included three meals a day. These were all good. They showcased local food, and all were well prepared and delicious. Many of the villages we went to provided lunch, with good quality and generous quantity. I do not recall a single meal that I would describe as below standard. One instance that stands out for me was in Langde, where we were given lunch by a Miao woman in her own home, with wonderful food and a spectacular view over the valley below.

Almost all hotels provided excellent buffet-style breakfasts, featuring both Chinese and Western food. Our guide took us out to coffee in a very nice Western-style coffee shop in Zhaoxing, and we were also able to find several coffee shops on our own.

Organization

I find it difficult to praise the organization enough. It was all excellent. Virtually everything was done on time and according to plan. Both guides were well informed, helpful, efficient, sensitive to local customs and hard-working. They both had charming personalities.

Our guide for the whole trip was Ricky Yang 杨翊. He was extremely reliable, sensitive to our needs and efficient in fulfilling them, and very active in answering our questions and interpreting for us accurately and well. The guide for the last part of Guangxi and for Guizhou was Yang Rongcheng 杨荣成, himself a Dong, but also very knowledgable about the Miao and other minorities and sensitive to their feelings. Mr Yang shone with enthusiasm for his own people the Dong as well as being very much a citizen of China and the world. Our drive Mr Peng 彭 drove safely and smoothly and at all times gave us a feeling of confidence and security.

Tradition and Modernity

It is very clear to me that the Chinese government wants to preserve the traditional culture of the ethnic minorities. The attention given to the tradition in the museums, in the folk song-and-dance performances in the villages, the local costumes, the embroidery, the wind-and-rain bridges, the drum towers, the tea ceremonies, the hair-braiding, and many other examples, is something that struck me very forcefully during the tour. It is also obvious that the government is spending a lot of money to retain the traditions.

But at the same time, this place has become very modern. The freeways that we went along during the trip are simply wonderful compared with what it was like when I visited before. The high-speed trains are an example to the world, with the best system probably anywhere. The city of Yangshuo, already mentioned, is an example of how modern the region has become.

Tourism has a place in all this. Genuine tradition can make money because it’s something people from outside, whether foreign or Chinese, want to see. Tradition is good for commerce. The number of shops with people selling things that reflect their pride in their own tradition, has to be seen to be believed. Of course this is a good thing, because it contributes to prosperity and a higher standard of living.

Overall Evaluation

Overall, this was a truly excellent tour. It certainly fulfilled the aims of spreading friendship between Australia and China, of instruction about the ethnic minorities of Guangxi and Guizhou and of sheer enjoyment. Our group got on well and, if there were personality clashes, I was not aware of them. As tour leader I was able to engage in good discussions with members of the group and about ethnicity and ethnic relations in China. Personally I learned a great deal and enjoyed the tour greatly.

I would recommend it very strongly indeed to anybody interested in China or in ethnicity. Ethnic minorities are of great importance in China and the world, and politically highly sensitive everywhere. This tour is a great way to learn more about those in China at the same time as enjoying spectacular scenery and hospitality, with excellent guides and services.

Colin Mackerras

4 May 2018

 

 

Please follow the links for more information on particular areas Colin has visited and written about.

Guangxi and Guizhou : Miao people; Dong people; Zhuang people

The Tibetans : Traditional Dance; Tibet

Xinjiang;  Life and Uygurs;   Mosques

Yunnan: Hani people; Dai people;   Yi people; Yao people;

 

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