Miao people

央視國際 2003年07月29日 15:45

　　In Southeastern Guizhou, the Chinese Han people are the minority. Nearly one quarter of the Miao population in China live here, in this lush, idyllic world. They trace their ancestry back to Chiyou, the king who lost a battle to Huangdi in the far, unrecorded reaches of time. Legend has it that, after Chiyou lost the war in central China, he brought his tribes all the way to southwestern China. The Miao speak their own language but didn't have their own writing system until about fifty years ago.

　　This is the Xiaohe village in Shidong town, one-hour's drive from Kaili.

　　Here, people believe gods are everywhere - in the mountains and rivers. They're also very careful not to upset them.

　　The first floor of most homes is used as living room and the second floor is a sleeping area. When a boy wants to ask a girl out, he stands in the courtyard and sings or whistles. The girl then looks out the window from second floor to decide if she wants to go out with him.

　　Each village has its own dragon boats. Some have only one, some have two or three. The Miao Dragon boat is different from the usual kind you see in China because it has three canoes. Usually there is one big boat with two small boats, like a mother with two babies.

　　The mother canoe is about 20 meters long and you can imagine it was once a very old tree. The boasts are repainted every year, carefully sheltered in a boathouse on the river.

　　This village is about an hour's drive from Kaili but villagers still maintain the ancient ways of life. It's a world away from modern urban life and definitely off the beaten path. Every family you visit will have their own loom and women spin, weave and embroider their own clothes. Miao embroidery is famous all over the country. There are some 26 kinds of stitches on record. And because these people didn't have a written system, all the designs represent their history. . Some of them are still decipherable.

　　There are dozens of different Miao styles of dress, depending on different regions and communities. As long as the family can provide it, each Miao girl will have her own costume which she wears for major festivals like the sisters' festival. The costume has a beautiful name, it's called the flower dress. Silver protects the wearer from evil and is also a symbol of family wealth.