Guizhou, November 24 (Youth.cn), (Reporter: Song Li, Cao Di) "Hospitality", "green mountains and clear waters", "magically shock"... In November, Guizhou ushered in a group of Asian young creators, who blurted out these words when asked about their impressions of Guizhou. From November 19th to 23rd, young creators from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia went deep into the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou to embark on a 5-day culture exploration tour prior to the “Touching Civilization-Asian Young Creator Conference” sponsored by China Youth Daily, and hosted by China Youth Network.
Asian young creators from Vietnam, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia exchanging and learning Dong ethnic songs with local villagers at the Drum Tower in Xiaohuang Village. (Photo by Song Li, a journalist from China Youth Network)
In the southeast of Guizhou, from Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village and Langde Miao Village in Leishan County to Basha Miao Village, Xiaohuang Village (hometown of Kam Grand Choirs) and Gaohua Yao Village in Congjiang County; From the melodious lusheng sound during the Miao "Guzang Festival" to the Dong “Thousand People Chorus” in the drum tower... Young Asian creators walked into traditional Chinese villages inhabited by Miao, Dong and Yao, and explored the ethnic culture of Qiandongnan Prefecture by touching ancient buildings, performing ethnic songs and dances, trying on traditional costumes, and recording and immersing themselves in the folk life, cultural charm and wonderful scenery of ethnic minority areas in southeast Guizhou.
Appreciate the charm of traditional Chinese ethnic minority villages amidst clear waters and green mountains
In Zengchong Village, Congjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, there is a national key cultural relic named Zengchong Drum Tower located in the center of the village, which was first built in the 11th year of the Kangxi reign. Some villagers chat and warm themselves in this millennium drum tower, a clear stream passes slowly around the village, the green stilted houses are scattered near the mountain and water, the elderly people in twos and threes pick the fallen honey trees, and the children after school singing and talking happily run between the village paths. A beautiful traditional village scene is presented in front of the young creators.
"It seems like this place, peaceful and comfortable, has been enchanted by nature. I feel like all the pressure I had before has gone away with the wind here," said Nguyen Thiu An, a young creator from Vietnam, who has been recording everything she sees with her phone.
Yang Shuyuan from Zengchong Village told the youngsters that there are more than 340 households and over 1,000 villagers in this village, whose ancestors have lived here for thousands of years. Due to its strong historical and cultural background and unique national traditional characteristics, Zengchong Village has earned several honorary titles such as "the first batch of 100 ethnic folk culture villages in Qiandongnan Prefecture", "Guizhou Charming Dong Village", "Chinese Landscape Village", "Famous Historical and Cultural Village in China", and "Hometown of Chinese Folk Art (Drum Tower Flower Bridge)".
In Southeast Guizhou, the landscape of each village varies, making tourists linger.
Rania (first from left) from Saudi Arabia, Nguyen Thi Thu An (second from left) from Indonesia, Wen Feifei (third from left) from Indonesia, and Tang Yuying from Vietnam, sharing, exchanging and filming in Gaohua Village. (Photo by China Youth Network reporter Song Li)
Unlike Dong Village in Zengchong, Gaohua Village, located in the southeast of Cuili Yao and Zhuang Township, is a pure Yao village. Densely covered by flowers and grass, the stockade houses are built along the mountains, with bamboo sea rustling and Yao medicine wafting, giving people another feeling of healing. Wen said the smell of herbs in the Yao bath reminded her of the herbs her mother brewed in her childhood. She recorded the scenery and folk customs of the village on video.
In the Basha Miao Village, several tens of kilometers away, century old trees can be seen everywhere. Women gather in groups of three or two to embroider, and some elderly male keep their swords at their waist and their hair tied in buns. Basha Miao Village, a village that still adheres to the tradition under modern civilization, is known as the "last gunner tribe in China". It seems that it still maintains a slow rhythm of "working at sunrise and resting at sunset", hence it is also known as the "living fossil" and "museum" of Miao culture.
Unlike the Basha Miao Village, the Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village in Leishan County has more than ten Miao villages built together along the mountain, with full-fledged infrastructure and mature tourism industry. Even at night, the village is still brightly lit and bustling. Tourists from all over the country dress in unique Miao costumes to take photos, stroll around, and celebrate the nongx yangx. Young creator Nguyen Thi Thu An took a Vlog while walking, "These Miao costumes are so beautiful, I can't even imagine how beautiful I am wearing these clothes."
In mid to late November, nongx yangx is coming. At the Langde Miao Village in Leishan County, you can feel the hospitality of Miao people from the moment you step in the gate. The twelve glasses of gate blocking wines accompanied by melodious lusheng song represent the blessings of Miao members to their guests. After drinking the wine and entering this quaint village, you can see an ethnic song and dance performance taking place in the center of the village, attracting many tourists. "They are all local villagers, this is the song and dance of our Miao people, and we now have at least one performance every day," said Hou Wenfang, who lives in the village, runs a Miao cultural and creative shop, and hosts the performances from time to time. The young creators and other tourists put on the Miao people’s costumes, performed local songs and dances, and felt the excitement of the collision of "Guzang Festival" and nongx yangx once in 13 years. Rania, a young creator from Saudi Arabia, shared these with her friends and family in real time.
Perceive the distinctive culture of ethnic minority areas in China through exchange and mutual learning
Starting from Congjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, driving nearly 30 kilometers along the winding mountain road, you can reach Xiaohuang Village, the hometown of Kam Grand Choirs. More than 10 villagers dressed in Dong costumes are singing in the drum tower on the village square. The highly ethnic melody immediately attracted young Indonesian creator Wen Feifei, who couldn’t wait to learn the Kam Grand Choirs from the locals and imitate the sound of cicadas and frogs with her singing voice. She also taught the locals how to sing traditional Indonesian songs. At this moment, she felt the exchange of music between different ethnic civilizations.
"Chinese characters are passed down through books, while Dong people having no words pass on the singing. The ancestors have sung to the parents, and the fathers have sung to their children and grandchildren," said Wu Yuehua, a Dong singer in Xiaohuang Village. "We have no written characters, but our songs are passed down orally from generation to generation, with a history of over 2,500 years." Now there are 52 singing teams in Xiaohuang Village, and they will sing in the Drum Tower every festival day. In 2006, with the approval of the State Council, the Kam Grand Choirs was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, and in 2009, UNESCO included it in the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
After listening to these introductions, Wen Feifei also shared the changes brought to her by music exchanges. She used to be introverted and afraid to talk to her classmates, but since learning Chinese folk songs, she has become more outgoing. As graduation approaches, she is considering teaching folk songs in Indonesia after returning to her home country.
Young creators from Vietnam, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia learning Miao language with villagers in Basha Miao Village. (Photo by Song Li, China Youth Network reporter)
Like Wen Feifei, young creator Tang Yuying from Vietnam was also overwhelmed by the Miao song of a villager named Gun Xinshui in Basha Miao Village. The impromptu song sung by the elderly in his 70s is mysterious and charming, reminding her of a Miao saying she just learned in the Science Popularization Research Base of the Langde Miao Village: "Have a destination in your heart, and you won't get lost." When she first saw this slogan with Miao pronunciation, she went around asking for advice on how to read it in Miao language and carefully recorded it with her phone. She shared the "motto" she had just learned with Mr. Gun Xinshui and the local youth in Basha Miao Village.
"Although I didn’t understand what you said, I can teach you how to read this sentence in our language," Wang Jindang, a young villager from post-2000s generation told Tang Yuying. In Guizhou, different Miao villages speak different Miao languages, and they may not be able to understand each other. Tang Yuying thus followed Wang Jindang to learn how to read this sentence in his language.
For Rania from Saudi Arabia, the Chinese language has taken on a deeper meaning. She began learning Chinese after coming to live in China with her family in 2008 and later taught university Chinese in her home country. Fully embracing the Internet, college students in the new era can see the world on video social media. She gradually realized that only by mastering the civilization of a country can she better use the language, so she came to China again for postgraduate study, hoping to learn more about China. She also hoped to record her trip to Guizhou through short videos this time, exposing the rich and colorful Chinese culture to students curious about China.
A total of 30 young creators from 14 Asian countries, including China, were invited to the event, and the preliminary culture exploration activities were held simultaneously in 5 cities, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Guizhou, Chengdu and Xi'an. Through activities such as culture exploration, video creation, and conference exchanges, young people will deepen their understanding of China and impression of Chinese civilization.
