Qingman Miao Village

Written by Sally Guo Updated Jul. 26, 2021

Qingman Miao Village located about 25 km southwest of Kaili City, the capital of Qiandongnan, Guizhou Province, is a Miao people village with primitive simplicity. Miao people build houses along mountains and rivers in order to not occupy farmland and build more houses to live in.

Qianman is a well-preserved Miao ethnic village and it is also a nice place for travelers to experience and understand the deep history of Miao. Currently, it has over 300 families with a total population of more than 1,600.

It is a natural and primitive Miao ethnic village. Travelers can easily find locals live a simple and original life when they entering the village. There is a cluster of wooden houses lying on the bottom of mountains and rivers. These traditional houses are surrounded by green trees.

Folk Customs

The Ritual of Welcoming Guests

Miao people are very hospitable and friendly. Traditional songs would be sung by Miao people with forming a circle. Meanwhile, they also dance to the big drumbeats. The unique ritual will make travelers feel at home.

The hospitable Miao people also invite travelers to drink the homemade rice whisky. To drink a toast with Miao people means the beginning of a friendship.

Lusheng Festival

Everyone there is a talented dancer and singer by nature. Taking a stroll in Qingman, travelers can listen to particular songs and watch folk dances showing by locals with traditional clothing.

The most universal festival among the gathering places of Miao is Lusheng Festival. It begins on the sixteenth day in the first lunar month and ends up three days later. The original purpose of this festival is to celebrate the coming of New Year, praying for a good harvest and providing a chance for courtship among young people.

Today the Lusheng Festival still plays an important role in locals’ daily life. It is said that the core of this festival is the courtship ritual. At this festival, young people dressed in festival costumes were gathering in Lusheng Square.

The young males begin to play lusheng by forming a circle for the purpose of expressing their love. If a girl fell in love with one of the young males, she will tie ribbons on his lusheng. Then they become lovers. Travelers are welcome to take part in the festival.

Taking part in local festivals can make travelers gain a better understanding of the Miao people and Miao Culture.

Diaojiaolou

It is a traditional building, which usually building upon rivers and mountains. The special house plays an essential role in local’s daily life. In order to save more farmland and build more houses, Miao people make every effort to build houses along mountains and rivers. This wooden cottage is mainly divided into three parts. The bottom of the house (the first floor) is used for storing sundries, agricultural implements, poultry, etc.

The second floor is used as kitchen, bathroom and living room. And a unique place called Jiexi (Miao language) is built out of the second floor, which is used for rest, embroidery. The third floor is usually used as a granary or storehouse for storing living materials and grain. What’s more, it can protect locals from attacks by snakes and wild beasts.

Travelers can easily find Qingman is a serene and natural Miao village with neatly arranged rural houses.

Traditional Handicrafts

As one of the most typical Short Skirt Miao villages (females wear short skirts there), silverwares still plays an important role in locals’ daily life. All Miao females there wear ornaments like bangles, necklaces, and headgears made of silver. The Miao female is friendly that they usually like shooting pictures with travelers. Travelers can buy silverware in local stores throughout the village as souvenirs.

The Process of Miao Dresses-making

Travelers who go to Qianman will have a chance to witness the whole process of Maio dresses- making. The materials of clothing are mainly cotton and homemade fibers. The song named “Cotton Song” describes the whole dresses-making process includes looking for cottonseed, sorting seed, sowing, harvesting, dyeing, and sewing, etc. 

Each home has vats for dyeing clothes. It is a vat 2.5 feet high and 1 meter in diameter that is made of the fir tree. It takes around a month to complete dying a roll of cloth by indigo pigment. So locals called the vat “Yanggang”. “Yanggang” means the dresses-making process takes a long time to finish dyeing as if feeding it as a child.

Local Delicacies

There are some tasty foods like boiled fish pickled Chinese cabbage and chili, sour Chinese cabbage soup, and tofu curbs with chicken blood. The Miao rice whisky is aromatic. The food there is tasty and spicy.

How to Get There?

Qingman Miao Stronghold is about 5 km. away from Zhouxi Town, and you can take a motorized tricycle in Zhouxi Town, 3 yuan per person. Also, you can take a bus that is toward the direction of Nangao or Dan Stronghold to Qingman.

Nearby Attractions

There are some serene and beautiful villages like Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village and Zhouxi Miao Village around Qingman. Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is the largest and one of the oldest Miao villages in China that travelers can go to experience and understand the deep history of Miao. Zhouxi is a nice place to enjoy a primitive life.

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