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Liping Town, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province, China
One of the largest Dong ethnic villages in China.
Zhaoxing (Chinese name: 肇兴) is famous for its Dong Villages which is the largest in China. Each village here has at least one drum tower, a wooden structure built without nails and can erect as tall as 30 meters. As the focal point of the whole town, it is the place villagers holding the special events and ceremonies such as the weddings and public meetings. Dong people have a long history as long as the Qing Dynasty. Because there is no written language, the ethnic songs become a very important part in their daily life.
Zhaoxing also named Zhaodong, situated 72 km southeast of Liping County in Guizhou province. You can go to Guangxi Guilin, Liuzhou via Sanjiang from southeast; or go to Hunan Tongdao, Jingzhou, Huaihua via Hongzhou from northeast; or you can go to Guiyang, Chongqing via Kaili from northwest. Zhaoxing is one of the country's largest Dong Villages, it is the core region of Zhaoxing Dong culture scenic area. The entire scenic area includes Zhaoxing Dong Village, Jitang Dong Village, Yilun Dong Village, Tang’an Dong Village, Xiage Upper Dong Village, Xiage Lower Dong Village, Shangdiping Dong Village and Sasui Mountain of 7 Dong Villages and one mountain in all.
Zhaoxing Dong Village was founded in the Northern Song Dynasty, located in the south of Liping County, with over 1,200 households. As one of the largest Dong villages in China, Zhaoxing Dong Village has completely preserved a relatively complete Dong traditional architectural complex and folk culture system.
Zhaoxing Dong Village is surrounded by green hills, and a stream passes through it. Under the blue sky and white clouds, the birds enjoy the pure ecological beauty, and the unique wooden stilted houses of the Dong nationality and the landmark buildings such as Drum Tower, Wind and Wain Bridge and gate of the village are integrated with the green mountains and green waters. Zhaoxing Dong Village has an excellent ecological environment with a forest coverage rate of 76%.
Unique ethnic culture of Dong: In the eyes of western tourists, there are two unique ethnic cultures and tourism resources in the ethnic minority areas in southwest China, namely, the ethnic customs in Yunnan and Guizhou.
Iconic Drum Towers: Drum Towers is an unique public building in Dong regions, which is the symbol of Dong Villages. The Drum Towers have a long history, handsome appearances, distinctive structure and various functions.
Silent atmosphere with less crowds: With less crowds, Zhaoxing Dong Village offers peaceful atmosphere with its unique ethnic culture, beautiful scenery and characteristic architectures.
Drum Tower is an important place for Dong people's daily sacrifice, festival activities and daily life. Below the Drum Tower, there is a square venue, surrounded by benches and a big fire pit in the middle. In front of the building, it is an entertainment venue for the whole village on holidays. Especially during the Spring Festival, villagers gather in the Drum Tower Square to play lusheng and have fun with songs. Or take the traditional Dong folk stories as the theme, write and play Dong Opera, and perform on stage.
There are 4 thick columns in the Drum Tower and 12 columns in the periphery, which represent the four seasons and 12 months respectively. Most of the lintels, cornices, cornices and ridges on the Drum Tower are decorated with totems, mainly dragons, snakes, turtles, fish and tigers, which are revered by Zhaoxing people.
The folk song of Dong people is the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage. The lyrics of Dong people's folk songs have a wide range of contents, which record the historical changes, production and life, ethics and aesthetic taste of Dong people. Everything in Dong people's life can be expressed by songs, which is an encyclopedia handed down from generation to generation by Dong people.
With the wonderful design, the drum towers are best background for your photography. In spring and summer, you can take the photos with the drum towers and lush fields at Zhaoxing Dong Village. And there are five drum towers in Zhaoxing Dong Village, and you can find best locations to take photos with the drum towers here if you have enough time. To take photos at the Zhaoxing Dong Village, you can also wear the clothes of the local ethnic minority of Dong people, which will make your pictures more attractive and beautiful. By the way, Zhaoxing Dong Village during sunset is one of the best time to take photos.
The viewing platform of the Zhaoxing Dong Village is the best place to have a panoramic view of it. At the viewing platform, you can see the fields, terraces, buildings and mountains. In spring and summer, the terraces are lush and green, which adds the vigor of Zhaoxing Dong Village. In autumn, the terraces turn golden, which makes the Zhaoxing Dong Village more attractive and beautiful, full of the joy of harvest. In winter, the village may be covered by snow, which is a white world with another beauty. At day, you can enjoy the panoramic view of the Zhaoxing Dong Village. At night, you can enjoy the stunning night view of it.
The terraces at Zhaoxing Dong Village are the best place to enjoy the sunrise, sunset or sea of clouds. To see the sunrise at Zhaoxing Dong Village, you should get up early at morning(around 5:00) and get to the top of the terraces to wait for the sunrise. At the top of the terraces, you can enjoy the stunning view of the terraces, sunrise and mountains in the distances. Sometimes you will also see the sea of clouds in the morning together with the sunrise. The terraces and highway around the mountains covered by the clouds are idyllic, romantic and poetic.
There are many batik stores at Zhaoxing Dong Village, where you can learn and experience the clothes batik. If you want to experience the batik at Zhaoxing Dong Village, you can learn to use the tools and get the patterns you want. The batik is suitable for families with children because children will think it interesting to learn the clothes batik. And parents can experience the batik together with their children. After finishing your batik, you can wear the clothes you made to take photos together with the batik works at the batik stores, which is an unique experience as well as special photos.
The best time to visit Zhaoxing Dong Village will depend on the scenery you like and experiences you prefer. In spring, you can enjoy the natural beauty of the terraces at the Zhaoxing Dong Village. The Zhaoxing Dong Village is a nice destination in spring for spring outing. In summer, the terraces at Zhaoxing Dong Village are lush and green, where you can enjoy the stunning view of the sunrise, sunset and sea of clouds. Also, you can experience catching fish at the fields of the Zhaoxing Dong Village, which is interesting. In autumn, the rices at the terraces are golden. And you may see the scene of harvest. And the local villagers will dry the grains in the sun, which is a wonderful view. In winter, the Zhaoxing Dong Village may be covered by snow. Sometimes, the Dong people will light a bonfire and get together to sing and dance, which make you feel warm at the cold winter with the warm-hearted and friendly Dong people.
1. One of the main streets of Zhaoxing Village is from the east to west, schools, the township government and dwellings are built on both sides in grey tile wooden buildings. Five drum towers are in Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (manner), Zhi (wisdom), Xin (faith) natural villages. And the drum tower in Zhi Village is the most beautiful one.
2. There's a bar Haixiang in Zhaoxing, the bus stops at the door of the bar. Tourists can sit by the window and enjoy a leisure time.
3. There are a lot of things to buy in the shop in the middle of postal hostels and township hostels, and the stocks are quite a lot so you can choose slowly. There are also many locals nearby selling beautiful handicrafts, and the price is not expensive, but also can be bargained.
4. Zhaoxing Middle school is located at the hilltop where you can see the panorama of Zhaoxing.
1. There is no direct bus to Zhaoxing. You can take bus to Luoxiang from Congjiang, then take agricultural vehicle from Luoxiang to Zhaoxing which costs 2 Yuan. Or take a motorcycle for 6 Yuan.
2. From Guangxi Liuzhou and Guilin, you can take the bus to Liping and get off at the Zhaoxing.
3. In Liping South Bus Station, there is minibus to Zhaoxing, or take the bus to Diping, Sanjiang, and get off at Zhaoxing.
4. It takes three hours from Zhaoxing to Liping, 15 yuan, and the earliest bus departs at 6:30.
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