Night Walk in Zhaoxing Dong Village, China's Real Masterpiece of Dong Nationality | Guizhou | 4K HDR

Situated in southeastern Guizhou, Zhaoxing is one of the largest Dong minority villages in China. It lies in a basin surrounded by mountains with a small river passing through it.

Zhaoxing enjoys a critical geographical position, as Guilin can be reached in the southeast through Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, with Guiyang and Chongqing in the northwest being accessible through the county-level city of Kaili.

The village is a real masterpiece of the Dong nationality, with theater stages, singing platforms, and grain barns. There are five drum towers, which are the village’s special symbols, and they appear as five lotus flowers scattered in five naturally formed villages.

In 2001, Zhaoxing Dong Village and its drum towers were listed in the Guinness World Records.

Zhaoxing Dong Village, located in Liping County, southeast of Guizhou Province, is one of the largest Dong Villages in Qiandongnan area in Guizhou. Walking into Zhaoxing Dong Village, one will feel as though the clock is being turned back. All the buildings in the village are wooden-stilt houses. This is a picturesque village noted for the beautiful natural sights and unique ethnic flavor. It is surrounded by verdant mountains with a crystal stream running through.

The drum tower, being built of wood, is the distinguishing mark of a Dong village, that is to say, every Dong village has its own drum tower, and Zhaoxing is no exception. The tower represents luck and prosperity. In Zhaoxing Dong Village, there are five drum towers, which are known far and wide for their unique styles. Each of them has a particular name and virtue. These are Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (courtesy), Zhi (wisdom) and Xin (faithfulness).

They differ in method of construction, external appearance, height and size.

Among the five towers, the Zhi Tower is the most beautiful. The drum tower is the place where Dong People gather for meeting and entertainment and there is even a place for sacrifices during January of Chinese lunar calendar.

As supporting facilities to the drum tower, flower bridges and stages are constructed for local people’s amusement. In general, one flower bridge and a stage are built with one tower. Corridors are built on the bridge.

The creative Dong People built these corridors which provide benches for passers-by to have a rest or run for shelter.

It is astonishing that there is not a single nail on the whole bridge. With firm mortise and tenon joints, the bridge is strong enough to withstand the region’s strong winds and rains.

The appearance of the stage is similar to a wooden-stilted houses and it is a place using for playing Dong opera.

In Zhaoxing Dong Village, everything is simple and far removed from the influence of modern city life. Only the murmur of the little brooks, the happy songs of Dong People and the rhythmic beating of the rods for laundry will provide the occasional sounds of daily life.

The verdant mountains, simple but elegant houses and the smiling faces of Dong People will greet you and complete this natural feast for your senses.

If someone wants to escape noisy city life and would like to experience a special rural life, the Dong village is the best choice, and people can choose to stay there for several days. Many home-stay hostels can be found there and among them Zhaoxing Hotel is a good one.

0:00 Intro
1:40 night walk in the village
46:28 morning walk in the village
1:09:29 Dong people party

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