Great Rejoicing of Yao Ethnic Group

By Mo Tingting

There is little doubt that every ethnic group has its own unique culture that changes over the centuries. Before you start your trip， let me remind you to keep everything you may reach in mind because this is a homeland of pure customs. Nanping Yao Township， located in the hinterland of Shiwan Mountain in Shangsi County， is an area where Yao ethnic group is mostly concentrated. Their own festivals， customs and traditional costumes embroidered with exquisite designs are all maintained. These people tend to be very friendly and possibly invite you to their home for a meal and a short stay.

Living civilization fossils

The picturesque views combining with mountains， waters and caves， as well as abundant natural mineral resources all add to Nanpings uniqueness. Apart from these， Nanping also boasts a diverse array of cultural tradition and history kept alive and preserved by its people. As one of the most beautiful and isolated places， Nanping is home to Yao people who leads a simple and peaceful life. Yao peoples primitive customs endow the township with diverse and rich ethnic cultural heritages. With diverse ethnic customs and charming natural scenery， Nanping Yao Township of Shangsi County prepares to show its pure beauty to the world.

Yao minority is a typical nationality living in the mountainous region. They are divided into several branches， such as Landian Yao （people who wear indigo clothes）， Fan Yao （people who favor dazzling and attractive adornments）， Baiku Yao （people in white trousers） and so on.

Isolated by Shiwan Mountain （Ten Thousand Huge Mountains）， people of Yao dont like to go out and socialize， offering few opportunities for people from the outside world to get close to them. This is why Yao has maintained their indigenous culture for thousands of years and reserved numerous primitive tribal relics till today， which have become precious samples of ethnologic and anthropologic researches. As one of the branches of Yao nationality， Landian Yao has long been recognized by the UNESCO as an ethnic group that preserves the most complete national culture. Praised as the “living civilization fossils”， Yao call themselves “duonuo”， which means descendants of Yao nationality.

Clothes differ according to the regions where they live. However， their clothes are mainly made of blue cloth with various pictorial designs on the fabric. However， owing to the climate， sap is available only in the sticky cream trees grown in Nanping Yao Township. As a result， Yao people are the rare people who could have such fancy dyeing technique. As early as in the Records of Geography of Book of Sui Dynasty （581-618）， Landian Yao， the ancient branch of Yao nationality， was depicted like this： Men and women wear blue and black clothes dyed with the extract of baphicacanthus cusia brem. Like many other branches of Yao nationality， Landian Yao is also named after the costume they wear — their unique “indigo clothes”. It is a complex process to draw patterns with such a dye. This becomes a unique skill in the costume culture of Yao. Many people are curious about the big square pattern embroidered on Yaos coats.

Entering the villages of Yao， you may feel like traveling through time back to the virgin days of human society， where forest-clad mountains and placid lakes stretch around the orderly cottages. Walking in this beautiful and vibrant place， you may wonder if you have already been in a remote paradise.

Indulging yourself in folk songs and dances

Nanping Yao Township of Shangsi County， inhabited by minorities of the Yao， is not limited to its natural beauty.

Over thousands of years， the Yao people have managed to preserve its ancient culture and folk customs， including its distinctive dances. The melody， lyrics， costumes， choreography and props show strong local traditions. Festivals of the Yao people usually include all 18 types of dances， but favorites are the Drum Dance， Tortoise Catching Dance， Soldiers Dance， Eight Immortals Dance and Butterfly Dance. According to historical materials and data， Shuagetang Festival， a large-scale cultural songfest held by Yao minority on the 16th day of the tenth lunar month， is a ceremonious event for the Yao to honor their ancestor， retrospect history， play Long Drum Dance， celebrate harvest， worship the hero， and spread knowledge. Of particular note is that， Yao people worship the goddess of rice， the ancestor Pangu， by holding dragon dance ceremony every year， praying for bountiful harvest and prosperity throughout the year. Until now， it boasts a history of more than 600 years. One of the performances of Shuagetang Festival is the Long Drum Dance which asks Panwang for protection.

Also， it is especially a great opportunity for young single men and women to date and talk about love， full of a festive and joyous atmosphere. If the woman is satisfied with her admirer and his music， she will give the man a token and promise to meet again next time， which means they are entering into a romantic relationship. After dating for several times， they may officially announce their engagement.

The songs are so sweet and echo around Naba Village， Nanping Yao Township， and the melody of them are passing down from their ancestors， but the origin of our folk song festival is far away. Their sweet voice adds luster to the valleys， matches pairs of loving couples and makes masters of folk songs. The unique beauty of Yao is beyond words power and spreads everywhere in the villages they live in.

With the reform and opening up in recent years， the local government has established a good relationship with the people of Yao dwelling in deep mountains. Nanping Yao Township is also regarded as the most attractive tourism destination that carries most of the national characteristics in Shangsi County. Gradually， tourism festivals begin to flourish， among which the Zhuzhu Festival of Fan Yao and the Panwang Festival of Landian Yao are the ones most worth mentioning.

If you want to experience and appreciate the Yaos charm and mystery， you have to come to Nanping Yao Township in person. Only by this means can you understand the secrets of Yao who have survived thousands of years in this world.