Dong Ethnic Singers at Zhaoxing Hotel

Zhaoxing is one of the largest Dong villages in the remote region of Guizhou, with more than 700 households. We stayed in the Zhaoxing Hotel. While life in Zhaoxing village is still very much traditional, you definitely see signs of prosperity from the recent rise in tourism. This hotel was quite nice for such a remote village. There were many other new buildings under construction while we were there. Many looked like hotels.

I got up at sunrise, as usual, for my morning walk in hopes of nice pictures. Oh, at that house on the left, you can sorta see a group of peole standing on the left. I saw a huge pig out there, then they surrounded it, then there was lots of squealing, and then not so much squealing. I saw two pigs killed at different houses on that morning walk. Hey, one thing’s for sure. The food is fresh here!

One night, we went to a Dong performance. The Dong are known for their singing. It was a fun and worthwhile show. Yang was hilarious. He says, “Just go to the stage. I will come there and translate for you.” About 10 minutes after the show has started, Yang shows up. The Dong actor gives some long explanation, and when finished, Yang turns to us and says, “This is a traditional Dong song.” Hahaha, it was cracking us up. He’s so laid back.

After the performance, we had the chance to participate in a bamboo pole dance. That’s where they slap bamboo poles together on the ground, in a certain pattern, and you have to dance your way through it without falling on your face. All that time playing DDR came in handy here, as I made it through without a problem, bringing a surprised smile to the Dong girl who was partnered with me for the dance.

See more photos of this trip at:

https://webspace.utexas.edu/whiteatl/www/Spicebrush/events/070503_China/07zhaoxing/7.html