Huanggang Dong Village

Huanggang Dong Village is a National AAA Tourist Attraction in Shuangjiang Town, Liping County, Guizhou Province, with over 800 years of history from the Song Dynasty. It keeps intact groups of traditional Dong stilted wooden houses, five drum towers carved with the 24 solar terms, and the UNESCO-listed "rice-fish-duck symbiosis" farming system. Core cultural experiences include real Dong Grand Choir shows and unique folk rituals like the "Rain-Praying Ritual" and "Tai Guanrenl" ceremony.

Highlights of Huanggang Dong Village

Unique Architecture of the Dong People

Huanggang Dong Village has over 360 traditional Diaojiaolou (pile-dwelling stilted houses), cascading along mountain slopes and waterways. Wooden pillars support them: ground floors are ventilated for livestock or storage, with living quarters above. This design fits local land and climate well, showing the Dong people's respect for nature. Five key drum towers—Gaoluo, Danglao, Baoji, Baxi, and Liangjing—rise above the village. Made with interlocking mortise-and-tenon joints (no nails), they show amazing Dong craftsmanship. As communal hubs for gatherings and festivals, these towers stand for unity and luck, acting as spiritual anchors. Covered wind-rain bridges span streams, their eaves painted with flowers and figures. They shelter travelers, symbolize warding off bad luck and drawing good fortune, and serve as romantic spots for antiphonal singing.

Original "Rice-Fish-Duck" Farming Landscape

Huanggang Dong Village's "Rice-Fish-Duck" agroecosystem has been named a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS) by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a unique local landscape. This innovative farming method creates a balanced ecological cycle where rice paddies, fish, and ducks coexist and work together harmoniously. Fish swimming in paddies naturally aerate soil to help rice roots grow better; ducks eat pests and plankton, and their droppings fertilize the rice. This self-sustaining trio grows without chemical pesticides or fertilizers, showing nature's cleverness and the Dong people's old farming wisdom. Visitors can walk along paddy embankments to observe this living heritage closely, even joining in to catch fish or herd ducks—hands-on fun that lets them experience the earthy scents, feel the simple joy of farm labor, and grasp the deep cultural meaning of Dong traditional agriculture.

Distinctive Folk Festivals

Huanggang Dong Village's lively folk festivals include the unique Rain-Praying Ritual ("Xie Sa Xiang" in Dong). On the 15th day of the sixth lunar month yearly, villagers in traditional clothes gather to worship the Thunder Goddess, praying for good weather and rich harvests. In the ceremony, ritual masters strike drums three times, then chant to the sky while waving silvergrass, ending with happy lusheng music and group dancing. The Spring Festival's "Tai Guanren" parade is equally charming: children in silver headdresses and embroidered mandarin robes ride straw hobby horses covered with floral blankets. Carriers take these "officials" around the village, who get mock tributes from "subjects" amid firecrackers and revelers' cheers. Other celebrations like the Dong New Year have antiphonal singing, glutinous rice pounding, and costumed processions—letting visitors feel the Dong people's passionate culture and joyful celebration of life.

Educational Value

Huanggang Dong Village's rice-fish-duck ecosystem shows circular symbiosis—rice, fish and ducks interact naturally to form a closed loop: fish add oxygen to water to help rice grow, ducks keep pests in check and provide fertilizer, and rice paddies give fish and ducks a home. This system uses no chemicals, keeping a perfect balance through natural processes alone. The Dong people's ecological idea of "working with nature, not against it" sets a model for modern society in balancing human-nature relations: humans should join ecosystems as equal partners, not dominant forces, achieving sustainable development within nature's limits and harmonizing economic needs with ecological conservation.

Activities to do at Huanggang Dong Village

Experience the Dong Cloth Making：Dong cloth, a beloved fabric of the Dong people, has complex making steps. In Huanggang Dong Village, visitors can watch the full production process—spinning, dyeing, sun-drying, and cloth-beating—and even try some steps to make their own piece of this traditional textile.