Traditional Dong Village Life in China – Weaving, Weddings & Chorus

The Dong people are an ethnic group in China. They have lived deep in the mountains, at the junction of Guizhou, Hunan and Yunnan. We visited one of the Dong villages, Dali Dongzhai, which seems to be isolated from the world and gathers original ethnic culture. This village is one of the few well-preserved villages in China. If you would like to shop the handmade items I have collected during my travels, please visit eastsarcuration.com. There are around 300 households living in this village. It is located deep in the mountains, with no public transportation, like a hermit hiding from the world. On normal days, the village is very quiet, since most young people go to work in the city, leaving only the elderly and young children at home. We are very lucky. On the day we arrived, there was a wedding celebration in the village. As soon as we got off the car, we were taken to the banquet. Before the banquet, the bride's family register to receive gift money, and the people in the village come to give the gift. But the amount of gift money is not large, ranging from 100 to 200 yuan for each person. Everyone who comes will receive a gift bag in return, which contains a variety of pastries to share the drawing. Candy and melon seeds are also placed on the table for the guests. The celebration begins in the evening the day before the wedding day, and it lasts for two days. In Dong village, wedding celebration is a festival for everyone. From the preparation of the dishes, the setting of the table, to the cleaning of the tableware, everyone in the village helps. Although the dishes are cooked in big pots, the food was very delicious. We sat at a round table, eating the steaming food in front of us. The small square was filled with chatting and laughter. After dinner, people in the village returned to their home. The elders gathered around the stove, weaving flower ribbons and chatting. The whole village became quiet again. Flower ribbons are one of the indispensable necessities in the lives of Dong people. It can be used for headbands, belts, skirt belts, and necklaces decoration. On the flower ribbons, the women use various colored cotton shreds or silk shreds to embroider patterns such as flowers, birds, fish, insects, mountains, and rivers, weaving them into colorful and lifelike embroideries. Each pattern on the flower ribbons has different origins and legends. They are not only an expression of national sentiment, but also a display of local history and life. The Dong people maintain the tradition of man tailing and women weaving. And most of the women here are ingenious. Most Dong people wear self-sewn, self-woven, and self-dyed Dong clothes, varying the color of green, purple, white, and blue. Women retain the tradition of wearing headscarves and bangs. Almost every woman has a red comb on her head. It is said that in the old days, hair ties were not very common, so ladies would directly tie their hair with a comb. This custom has been passed down to this day, and the headscarf is used to prevent dust and is convenient for daily work. The next day was the wedding day. The bride started dressing up early in the morning. Nowadays, most people wear white wedding dress on their wedding day, but this bride chose to wear traditional clothes. The bride's family also gathered together to prepare for the wedding. Now everything is ready, we are just waiting for the groom to come and receive the bride. The groom is from a neighboring village, and he is on his way, accompanied by his friends and family. Among the Dong people, there is a wedding tradition of blocking the road with liquor. The groom arrived with the same group from the neighboring village, and the same group on the bride's side are already prepared to welcome him. The two groups started antiphonal singing. The same group on the bride's side sing the blocking song, and the same group on the groom's side sing the opening song. After several rounds of singing, the door is opened with welcoming drink. The groom enters with the singing group, but this is just the beginning. There are many obstacles awaiting him. In the first round, the groom needs to cut the wooden stick into two pieces. In the second round, the groom needs to wash the dishes. These obstacles are set up to make the groom realize that the bride cannot be married off easily. To make him cherish the bride and treat her better during their marriage. After passing these obstacles, the groom is greeted with hundreds of cups of liquor. Liquor is a carrier of the rich and colorful culture of the Dong ethereal group. There is a saying that there is no ceremony without liquor. There is no custom without liquor. Liquor and folk customs are inseparable. After all the obstacles, the groom can't wait to get into the house to receive the bride. However, the bride's family try their best to prevent the groom from entering. They ask the groom to perform a talent show and hand out red pocket filled with money. It seems very chaotic, but everyone is having fun and enjoying this happy event. It is time for lunch. People are coming out from their home and heading to the banquet. The day of the banquet also provides an opportunity for people in the village to connect with each other. You can hear chatting and laughing everywhere. This lady is embroidering a lucky charm, which will be hanged on the belt that carries the child to pray for health. The menu on the second day are different from the first day. On the first day, we ate a lot of dishes with pork and on the second day we are having chicken. I feel very lucky to visit this village during a wedding celebration so that I have the opportunity to taste a variety of local food. After lunch, people pack the leftover food in plastic bags to avoid food waste. Normally, a wedding celebration offers three banquets, but we didn't go to the last one. Instead, we went to listen to the Dong chorus that we have admired for a long time. The Dong chorus belongs to the world-class intangible cultural heritage and are inexpensable spiritual food for thought for the Dong people. The Dong people are also known as the best at singing among the 56 ethnic groups in China. Singing has a high status in the social life of the Dong people. The elders teach songs and the younger ones learn to sing. This is passed down from generation to generation and becomes a social custom. I hope that through this video, you will have some understanding of the Dong ethnic group. In modern Chinese society, most people choose to work and live in the cities, and many young people are no longer wearing traditional clothes. This visit to Dali Dongzhai allowed me to see that such an original village is still well-preserved in today's society. It might be a selfish idea, but I hope that no matter how the world changes, tradition is not forgotten and the culture stays alive.