Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou Province, 2015/04

A photo album from our visit to Guizhou Province in April 2015.

Bird’s-eye view of the rice terraces, carved into a steep hillside - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04
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Early spring is the best time to visit Guizhou, a mountainous province in central south China. There are all together 18 ethnic groups living in Guizhou, with many based in the south-eastern part of the province. We headed down in April to take a look!

During the five days of the trip we saw a lot of the Miao and Dong culture – quite dissimilar, even though they’re based in the same area. Seeing all the different styles of clothing, customs, and music was one of the highlights of this journey.

Another highlight was hiking between small villages in the mountains, especially passing through the terraced paddy fields where all the rice is grown.

And we can’t forget the local food – delicious, and spicy!

A local woman working in her rice field - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

A local woman working in her rice field.

Starting a hike in a small village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Starting a hike in a small village.

Nice view, stop for a photo! - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Nice view, stop for a photo!

Wild flowers and ferns - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Wild flowers and ferns.

Ducklings in a village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Ducklings in a village.

Heading for a local performance in a Miao village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Heading for a local performance in a Miao village.

Traditional clothing and embroidery - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Traditional clothing and embroidery.

The customary welcome: 12 sips of rice liquor before you're allowed into the village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

The customary welcome: 12 sips of rice liquor before you're allowed into the village.

Everyone has to drink up - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Everyone has to drink up.

Second round - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Second round.

Young women dressed up to welcome us - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Young women dressed up to welcome us.

Yanjing says bottoms up! - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Yanjing says bottoms up!

A performance of a traditional dance - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

A performance of a traditional dance.

The ability to play the bamboo pipe is one of the most traditional skills for men in the Miao ethnic group - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

The ability to play the bamboo pipe is one of the most traditional skills for men in the Miao ethnic group.

At the end of the performance we were joined in for a dance - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

At the end of the performance we were joined in for a dance.

Dinner at a village of the ”Long Skirt” Miao village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Dinner at a village of the ”Long Skirt” Miao village.

Part of the process of making paper—after boiling the leaves, they must be torn into tiny strips - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Part of the process of making paper—after boiling the leaves, they must be torn into tiny strips.

Carrying water back home, just as they’ve always done it - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Carrying water back home, just as they’ve always done it.

The next step of the paper-making process: pressing the water out of the pulp - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

The next step of the paper-making process: pressing the water out of the pulp.

Little kids out shopping - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Little kids out shopping.

Group photo at Basha Village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Group photo at Basha Village.

Collecting seeds for making oil - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Collecting seeds for making oil.

Carrying guns, on the way to a performance - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Carrying guns, on the way to a performance.

A quiet moment of knitting at the balcony - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

A quiet moment of knitting at the balcony.

Village dogs - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Village dogs.

A very important tradition at Basha Village is a special sort of topknot for men, and it can't be cut - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

A very important tradition at Basha Village is a special sort of topknot for men, and it can't be cut.

Sunset at the end of a beautiful day - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Sunset at the end of a beautiful day.

Hello, Mr Pig - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Hello, Mr Pig.

Learning a new skill. Hunting is part of the cultural tradition, and this area is one of the few places in China where people are allowed to own a gun - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Learning a new skill. Hunting is part of the cultural tradition, and this area is one of the few places in China where people are allowed to own a gun.

Looking about a village of the Zhuang ethnic group - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Looking about a village of the Zhuang ethnic group.

Taking some wild greens home - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Taking some wild greens home.

A hunter on his way home - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

A hunter on his way home.

Local kids’ toy: dry grass wound into a rope - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Local kids’ toy: dry grass wound into a rope.

Walking through the rice terraces might require some balancing skills - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Walking through the rice terraces might require some balancing skills.

Bird’s-eye view of the rice terraces, carved into a steep hillside - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Bird’s-eye view of the rice terraces, carved into a steep hillside.

The village is also built into the hillside - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

The village is also built into the hillside.

Children playing in the village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Children playing in the village.

The rice terraces look incredible - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

The rice terraces look incredible.

Hiking between terraces - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Hiking between terraces.

We saw a performance of traditional music at Zhaoxing Village - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

We saw a performance of traditional music at Zhaoxing Village.

Handsome! - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Handsome!

“Longevity” written in ancient-style Chinese characters at a scholar’s house in Qingyan Town - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

“Longevity” written in ancient-style Chinese characters at a scholar’s house in Qingyan Town.

Street food: different types of dried sweet potato - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Street food: different types of dried sweet potato.

Fried chilli peppers and fried rice cakes, popular local snacks - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Fried chilli peppers and fried rice cakes, popular local snacks.

This gate was all that was left from the original construction of a 30s-40s Catholic church that was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

This gate was all that was left from the original construction of a 30s-40s Catholic church that was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Deep-fried tofu ready to eat - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Deep-fried tofu ready to eat.

Pig's trotters, also ready to eat - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Pig's trotters, also ready to eat.

We stumbled upon a wedding banquet - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

We stumbled upon a wedding banquet.

Wanshou Palace, a Taoism temple that dates back to 1798 - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Wanshou Palace, a Taoism temple that dates back to 1798.

Living statues in Qingyan - Miao and Dong culture in Guizhou, 2015/04

Living statues in Qingyan.