◆Text and photographs by Ouyang Changpei

In the language of the Miao ethnic group, the name “Songlong” means “the village situated on the ridge for stacking hay.”

Located in Yahui Township, Danzhai County, a part of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture of Guzhou Province, Songlong Village represents one of the best preserved examples of the traditional Miao lifestyle. Here are abundant and venerated elements of a people’s cultural heritage, including the ancient and unique Geiha Dance, the gorgeous Hundred-Bird Costume, and the Gupiaoqin – an ancient string instrument considered by some to be the predecessor to the violin.

The Geiha Dance originated with the Miao people’s harvesting of fish in the paddy field.

Recently, as part of a group of photographers, I visited Songlong, a small village home to only 60-plus Miao families, and recorded with my lens the unique customs and culture of these people living in this special part of the world.

Upon entering the village, we were warmly welcomed by the residents. They wore their traditional costumes and greeted us with song and dance. Upon the village’s open space, the women assembled in circular formation and danced to the smooth and light music, their hands swaying rhythmically to the right and left before their chest.

They were dancing the Geiha Dance, which originated with the Miao’s harvesting of fish in the paddy fields. When fishing, the women will raise from the river water their bamboo basket and shake away the water and mud to take the fish. The major movement of the dance is said to have been inspired by the action of this everyday chore.

The ethnic Miao are known to be talented singers and dancers, and many of their dance movements were inspired by their ways of daily life and work. Everyday tools, such as the bench, bamboo pole, brush, rice-cake-beating stick and even the dustpan, serve as props for the dances, and these common items add much to the performance.

However, the dance, which is exclusive to the Miao, is on the verge of disappearing due to the group’s continuous migration in the historical past. It is something of a miracle that the dance has been successfully handed down among the Miaos living in Songlong Village. Lying deep in mountains, the village long remained isolated from the outside world. Other than the Geiha Dance and Gupiaoqin, there were no other dances and musical instruments to serve as entertainment. This may explain why the ancient dance has remained well-preserved here for 72 generations.

Carved out of the wood of fir trees and resembling a household water ladle, the Gupiaoqin is an ancient string instrument. It is the man’s job to craft a Gupiaoqin.

When performing the Geiha Dance, the Miao women wear the Hundred-Bird Costume. The costume is fringed with feathers at the bottom hem of the skirt. Also worn by the dancers, adding great elegance, are the shimmering silvery headdress, silver hair accessories, silver bracelets, silver necklace and silver earrings.

In their holiday best, they are adorned with dozens and even hundreds of embroidered birds of different forms. Some fly, some perch, some play, and some run. Hence the name: Hundred-Bird Costume.

Why do they embroider so many birds to their costumes? The Miaos worship birds. As they settled down after their continuous migration from one place to another, they began to hunt for birds in the mountains. Grateful to the fowl that provided food, they embroider their patterns on their clothes and decorate their costumes with various bird feathers.

The making of a Hundred-Bird Costume is a complicated and time-consuming process. From spinning, weaving, tailoring, selecting patterns, embroidering, applying feathers to sewing, it is a display of the maker’s talent. This is especially true when crafting a suit incorporating more complicated patterns. Because of the special skill, effort and time expended, a suit of such an embroidered costume can be priced from several hundred thousand to more than 1 million yuan.

As time passed, the making of the costume was simplified. Originally, to create a single set of such clothing, 100 types of bird feathers were required. Today, such costumes are still available, but some employ goose feathers as substitutes. In the past, only during the grandest of celebrations did women wear such costumes, but now all the villagers may dress up at less important festivals and celebrations. For the local Miao people, donning such garb is a way to honor tradition and display their skill at creating precious clothing.

The Gupiaoqin, which is used to accompany the Geiha Dance, is put to use by young men while dancing. Carved out of the wood of fir trees, it looks something like a household ladle made of gourd, with short and thick body and two palm-fiber strings.

In the farming off-season, men in the village will make Gupiaoqins. They will seek out a section of a good quality log, carve it out and cover the hollow part with a flat section of crafted wood. As the unnecessary parts are cut away and the palm strings are set to it, a Gupiaoqin is made.

The moment the footfalls of the dance begin to resound with music and song, worldly worries fade away. Soon, all that remains in the mind is the image of the green mountains and clear waters surrounding Songlong Village.