Southwest Guizhou 2: Guizhou village
cctv.com 05-12-2004 14:55
It was a typically gloomy cloudy Guizhou day when I arrived at a small village called Nachan in Zhenfeng county, south of Anshun city. The people living here are the Buyi ethnic group, and they are not gloomy at all.
The wine drinking is inevitable. They are very persuasive, and there is no way you could say no.
Every person can't get into the village without drinking the wine. This is the block the road ceremony. They are singing the song as if saying please drink it. Three cups good it's not that big.
The hospitable custom of inviting guests to drinks is almost universal among ethnic groups like the Miao, Dong and Buyi people in this part of China. After this little ceremony, I was ushered into the small village.
Their insistence that you partake of the wine is their unique way of expressing a cordial welcome. So they block you three times and each time you are supposed to drink three cups. Here comes the last block
It's difficult to get to know a people in just one day visit. But their art reflects their daily life. This is called the weaving dance.
People here still wear traditional dresses that are home made. And when I say, "Home made," I mean everything, including the fabric, is made at home. The girls learn to spin and weave at an early age and their general worthiness will be judged on the basis of the skills they display in these handcrafts. Spins and weaving machines could be found in almost every home.
The traditional dress of Buyi girls is so charming that I can't resist the temptation. The loose sleeves and wide pants are fashion statements in their own right. I see in these garments a classic elegance that has withstood the merciless test of time.
For headwear, they use a long piece of white cloth, which sits very lightly on your head.
The legend goes that when the Buyi people first migrated to this region they couldn't find water source and it was a white buffalo helped the people to find the water. Thus the women wear their headwear like this in a way to remember this kind buffalo.
The Shuazi, which is a kind of bamboo brush, is an essential household item for the Buyi women. They use different kinds of Shuazi to wash the dishes, clean the beds and the houses. And here it has been incorporated into one of their dances to show their fondness and respect for this daily helper.
Wearing a bamboo hat like this walking in the old village made me feel like one of those ancient warriors you see in Asian movies.
Remember Guizhou is where people produce top liquors in China such as Maotai and Langjiu.
Editor:Zhang Wenjie Source:CCTV.com
