With the appealing natural scenery and colorful ethnic customs, the region of Dong nationality in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (guǎng xī zhuàng zú zì zhì qū 广西壮族自治区), the source of "grand songs" (dòng zú dà gē 侗族大歌), the peaceful town of miracles, this is the old Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County (sān jiāng dòng zú zì zhì xiàn 三江侗族自治县), prepared to show its pure beauty to the world.

 

Located in Liuzhou, northern Guangxi province, China, Sanjiang is a region traditionally inhabited by the Dong people, lies at the joint area of Guangxi, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. It has an area of 2454 square kilometers and a population of 350,000. As one of the five Dong minority autonomous counties in China, Sanjiang has the largest population of the Dong people. It includes three towns which in three different valleys. Sanjiang is a popular destination for travelers with its meaningful folk customs, Dong people's distinctive architecture and specific food.

 

 

The history of Sanjiang can be traced in the Liangkou Scenic Area (liáng kǒu fēng jǐng qū  
良口风景区) and the Danzhou Scenic Area (dān zhōu fēng jǐng qū 丹洲风景区), where many of the ancient constructions were built in the Ming Dynasty (míng 明)(1368 - 1644 AD). Among them, the Sanwang (Three Kings)(sān wáng 三王) Palace and the Ancient Banyan of the Liangkou Scenic Area deserve a visit. The minority was only formally recognized as Dongzu during the state ethnic identification processes of the 1950s, initiated under the first decade of Communist rule. In earlier times, not only were the residents of today’s Dongzu areas referred to by many different names, but different groups of people who spoke what are now recognized to be dialects of the Dongzu language were identified in different ways.

 

 

The Wind and Rain Bridge is characteristic feature of the Dong minority's architecture. There are 108 Wind and Rain bridges in the Sanjiang. And the most famous one is Chengyang Wind and Rain Bridge (chéng yáng fēng yǔ qiáo 程阳风雨桥), which is built in 1916. The bridge base is divided into crescent-shaped reinforced concrete structure, the bridge features some of the Dong Boasting wooden buildings, full-bridge 64.4meters long, the highest point is 16 meters. The miracle is the whole bridge without a nail, only the size of trees to be interspersed with each other convergence ten on mortise, cut through straight sets will enable full-bridge fastness security.

 

Representing the high-quality building technology of the Dong people, drum towers in the Dong villages are spectacular and exquisite. Each Dong village has at least one drum tower. Some have four or five towers. Usually the drum hanging on the tower is made of cow skin, used for calling people before a meeting or for asking for help when accidents happen. The most typical drum tower is Mapang Drum Tower (mǎ pàng gǔ lóu 马胖鼓楼) which is built in 1928. It has nine floors and is 16.4 yards high. Shaping like a pagoda, the tower was engraved with dragons and phoenixes on the eaves. A sculpture of crane is standing on the top of the tower which symbolizes auspiciousness. The entire structure is joined together with redwood, without a single iron nail. It is said that the Dong architect drew the blueprint with only a carpenter's square and a bamboo marker.
 

 

Dong people often build their house along the mountain. One is connected the other. According to Dong customs, the house will hold a grand ceremony on the beam. Beam is building in the column above the frame cross members, wooden shelf component is the most important part. Local people believe that the upper beam is smooth, not only to the housing structure is solid, but also related to whether the future prosperity of residents, has a "roof of the beam, the family has food, no roof beams, domestic animals is not busy" saying.

  

 

 

It is Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County at the history of the Dong areas largest and most spectacular large-scale Square "100 feast" (Banquet 100) activities. "100 Banquet" is known as "folded rice", "long table dinner", is prepared based hospitality group Bong district banquet, but also means hospitality is the Dong people’s respect for the guests and entertain guests the most courteous reception. It has been circulating in Sanjiang several centuries of history. In the Dongxiang area, there is a saying "eat 100 meals together 100 heart, flooding hundreds of evil, into a 100-like thing." During the activity, Dong-young man and woman also held the "Dou Ye", blowing Lusheng, sing Dongzu dage ethnic groups Performances kept alive the "Banquet 100" campaign to increase very atmosphere. With the development of tourism, a more profound sense, implies the unity and friendship, sincerity and joy, and gradually evolved into the present during the major festivals or important guests came to visit the ceremony necessary for hospitality.

 

Every Dong person knows the saying, "Rice is for the body; song is for the soul". They take great pride in their "grand songs" (dòng zú dà gē 侗族大歌) or galao in the local language - the only polyphonic chorus without accompaniment or conductors in China. Galao originated in the Song Dynasty (sòng 宋)(960-1279 AD) and UNESCO recently listed it as an Intangible Culture Heritage. Grand songs typically have one of four meanings. The "narrative style" tells of everyday happenings and conversations. The "lyrical style" is reserved for love songs. The "moral style" deals with questions of right and wrong. And the "vocal style" focuses more on the beauty of the melodies than on meaning. It is said that the grand songs play an important role in passing down culture. Because the Dong doesn’t have a written language, they use singing to preserve their oral history.And Dong people say that" The natural songs are filled with passion and sincerity about nature and life. We would love to share them with more people."

 

 

Location: the Chengyang Village of Sanjiang County

               (sān jiāng zhèn chéng yáng cūn 三江镇程阳村)

Traffic: Take bus to Sanjiang County at Liuzhou bus station (liǔ zhōu qì chē zhàn 柳州汽车站) or Guilin bus station ( guì lín qì chē zhàn 桂林汽车站).

Ticket: RMB 30

Best time to go: Anytime.

Tips: It is best to find the hotel in the Sanjiang town (sān jiāng xiàn chéng 三江县城), because it is cheaper and more convenient. The travelers will have enough time and freedom to choose which villages you want to go because around the Chengyang Village, there are some small villages which are also good, such Danzhou scenic spot (dān zhōu fēng jǐng qū 
丹洲风景区) and Mengjiang scenic spot (mèng jiāng fēng jǐng qū 孟江风景区).