The man leading the circling queue is known as the Guzang Head. He is the core figure of the festival.

Moving the catch to another basket.

Small fish enter the bamboo basket with reversed flanges, but they can’t swim out. Villagers remove the plug to retrieve their catch.

Enjoying barbecue by the campfire after a long day’s labor.

Back home.

A villager hammers at a rock in the river to stun the fish.

At the Guzang Festival, circling is part of the sacrificial event.

The small ethnic Miao village known as Dengmeng is located in the southeastern part of Dajia Township, in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guizhou. Presented within these pages are just a few of photographer Ouyang Changpei’s images, providing a brief glimpse at the Miao lifestyle and this beautiful part of the world.

In a small Miao village far away from the mechanized noise and frenetic pace of China’s cities, the gurgling river, the singing crickets and the cracking campfires present a supremely serene scene. Drawn by the age-old customs and natural scenery, I visited the village on three occasions in two years, attempting to capture with my camera the gentle ethnic group’s naturalistic way of life and the unspoiled beauty of the land in which they live.

How to Fish

Fishing in the local Mengyan River after the autumn harvest is a tradition handed down for generations among the farming Miao people. Back-dropped by the natural surroundings, they compose a unique riverside scene during a colorful season.

To photograph the custom, I set off for the village on a fine day just after the autumn harvest. I took the bus to Liping County and from there took another bus to a place near the village.

From a distance, I could see village women kneeling to catch fish in the river. An older woman of about 70 years led them in singing a Miao song. The guide approximated what they were singing: “My home is high on the mountain slope / There is no river, nor fragrance of river fish / Children want to taste fish / So have to fish in the Mengyan River…”

In this village, men and women catch fish in differing ways. Men use a long-handled hammer to strike rocks in the water, and the small fish under the rocks are stunned then captured. The women, on the other hand, catch fish with a bamboo basket called “zhuan.” The zhuan has reverse flanges at its mouth, so the fish swim in, but they can’t swim out. Once retrieved, the plug at the back of the basket is removed and the fish poured out. They herd the fish, moving rocks to direct them in the direction of the flow to enter the belly of the zhuan through its large mouth. On an average day, a moderate catch may be up to a kilo, and a good catch could be two kilos.

To preserve the meat, they lay the fish layer upon layer in salt. Upon arriving home, they place the fish in wooden pickling barrels and add spices like ginger and pepper. Fish preserved this way can be eaten 20 days later. The delicious meat tastes sour and spicy, and is considered a dish only to be served to distinguished guests or on other special occasions. Some smaller semi-transparent big-eyed fish are brought home to make into fish paste after being grinded and spiced. This is also a dish offered to special guests.

According to tradition, as the sun set the villagers who had been laboring the entire day in the river built a campfire on the bank and gathered together for a barbecue. Besides small fish, they also had pepper and tomato strings. Although the only added ingredient was salt, the barbecue smelt enticing.

How to Party

Guzang Festival is celebrated every seven years. In November of 2007 I was lucky enough to take part.

According to tradition, the festival is held on the sixth day of the tenth month of the Chinese lunar year. The village gate is closed after six o’clock and no person may enter during the festival.

I arrived at about four o’clock, two hours before the gate was shut. Firecrackers mixing with the sound of lusheng flutes could be heard far away. The entire village was imbued with a strong festive atmosphere.

The next day, the quiet of morning was broken by the sound of lusheng flutes rising in a corner of the village. It grew louder as spectators gathered and the festival began.

About 10 seniors in a queue, all garbed in long robes and holding an umbrella covered with a deep red cloth, slowly circled the sacrifice altar three times. While walking, the man who led the line swept rightward and leftward with a grass and the second beat a gong. After circling, they entered the altar grounds to light incense, burn paper and kowtou. They left the altar and led a long queue in circling the village high on the mountain, and then the grand sacrificial event began.

Through a narrow mountain pass and a pool with clear water, the troop reached the village’s traditional sacrificial grounds, where villagers gathered around according to the routes marked by tree branches in a spiral form, to finally arrive at the center of the circle. Colorful umbrellas and shining silver ornaments were the color of the center and its outer circles. For about 30 minutes during sacrificial process, except for the autumn wind that occasionally whispered in the trees, no other sound could be heard from the more than 1,000-person queue. It was a solemn and mysterious scene.

Then came the time to kill a buffalo, an age-old Miao festival custom. Village head Jiang Shenglong said that in Dengmeng Village, they only kill one buffalo.

Legend tells of the origin of the festival. It says that the Butterfly Mother, the ancestor of the Miao people, gave birth to 12 eggs, and Jangx Vangb and the other 11 sons emerged. As they grew up, they competed for the superior position. Eventually, Jangx Vangb defeated all his brothers and settled down to farming. But the good times didn’t last. Soon they were stricken with droughts and epidemics. Jangx thought they had offended their ancestors and they were thus cursed. So the buffalo sacrifice was conceived to placate the ancestors and prayers were said for peace, happiness and the avoidance of disasters.

Usually, the festival will last for three days. It reaches its climax on the morning of the third day. Guzang Head plays the major role, and many events during the festival are organized and led by him. To be such a person, he and his family members must be in good health; he must be upright and winning with good word of mouth; and, of course, such persons are deemed to be model villagers.

During the festival, the village is a joyous sea of songs and lusheng flutes.

How to Protect

Under the setting sun, the village, which stands amidst ancient trees with its wood-structure buildings tracing the mountain slope, looks magnificent.

The entire village is covered with ancient yew trees. According to the village head, these tall and thick trees, some towering above more than 30 meters, are known as living fossils. In the village there are more than 300 trees hundreds of years in age.

Villagers treasure the trees, guarding them with village rules and regulations handed down from ancient times. These edicts issued by village chiefs include fines and punishment provisions for those who cut or otherwise damage the ancient trees. Other rules also apply to theft and damage to the environment. Thanks to these rules and regulations, the venerable trees, as well as the traditional simple and honest atmosphere, are well-preserved. The villagers are polite to each other, and they live in peace with the environment.

Tips

Transportation

Fly from Guiyang City to Liping County (at the time of this writing, the ticket was 470 yuan, and the flight departed at 14:45 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Guiyang, arriving in Liping at 15:20); or fly to Liping from Guilin (the flight departs at 16:45 every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from Guilin, arrives in Liping at 17:15). From Liping County, visitors can take a mini-bus for the 60 kilometers to Dajia Township. At the time of this writing, the bus ride was 15 yuan.

Visitors may also take a long-distance bus from the Guiyang New Gymnasium to Liping County. The bus journey is 545 kilometers. Tickets are 140 yuan during the busy season and 120 yuan during other seasons. Of course, visitors may choose to drive. The approximately 500 kilometers distance can be covered in 10 hours. The scenery is beautiful along the way, but drivers should be aware that highways in this province present many sharp turns, and are sometimes very narrow. Drivers should be careful, especially on rainy days, and never hit the brakes when going downhill.

In addition, there is no gas station at any ethnic village. So be sure you have enough gasoline, and top up at stations at the county seat.

Accommodation

In Liping County are approximately 20 hotels with rates ranging from 90 to 250 yuan. Dengmeng Miao Village Committee also offers accommodations at 15 yuan per night.

Shopping

There is an ethnic handicraft store in Liping County. The embroidery in the Miao village is exquisite, and prices range from 50 to 500 yuan.