【Written in front】
In some places, I don’t know when to meet again,
Some people may not have a chance to see each other once they say goodbye.
That year, the first time I came to Xijiang Miao Village in Guizhou, the time was quiet and light.
That year, you said, "We're all on the same earth anyway, how easy it is to meet."
But many things in this world,
It's always too late to see you again,
too late to forget,
It's too late to recall.
When I came to Xijiang Miao Village again, it has changed a lot from before. Tourism has developed, people have increased, and the economy has been boosted, which is also good. It is no longer the quiet and silent Xijiang Miao Village, it is more charming.
But when looking down on this thousand-household Miao village, it is still the same.
The smoke is still curling up, the house is still the same house,
Wind and Rain Bridge is still that Wind and Rain Bridge.
For some of Guizhou, I always love it.
This is a special emotion.
Whatever changes, let it go, and what remains the same remains the same.
Some places can go as early as possible, so go as early as possible,
Don't say goodbye easily when you meet some people.
[Thousands of Miao Villages, the place where the "primitive ecology" of the Miao people is preserved]
Xijiang belongs to Leishan County, 20 kilometers away from the county seat. The natural ecological environment here is very beautiful. It is backed by green hills, steps on the jade belt, and surrounded by water. People living here are in awe of the mountains, rivers, vegetation, and follow the animistic law of survival to coexist harmoniously. Xijiang is the main gathering place of the five major migrations in the history of the Miao people in China, and the base camp of the Miao people in China. The people living on this land are all descendants of Chiyou, the ancestor of the Miao nationality, and his Jiuli tribe. If Yingong and Maogong, who migrated south, settled here, Xijiang has a history of more than 2,000 years.
Although the Xijiang Miao Village is not as quiet as it used to be, it is still a place that preserves the integrity of the "primitive ecology" culture of the Miao people.
Due to the special geographical environment and the influence of Leigong Mountain’s regional culture, whether it is architecture, farming, clothing, or singing and dancing, crafts, and customs, it has been passed down from generation to generation here, and the ancient legacy has not been changed for thousands of years.
When overlooking Qianhu Miao Village, no matter how many tourists there are, at this time, you will still feel a sense of tranquility and deep life. I also feel that this Miao Village is unique and magical.
It is connected by more than 10 natural villages built on the mountain. It is currently the largest Miao village in China and even in the world.
Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is like an open-air museum, presenting the development history and Miao culture of the Miao nationality in the most unadorned way.
It is also like a live-action drama without a director. Every family living here and every tourist walking here is a corner of the drama, and they jointly interpret the legend about this place.
Maybe it was God’s special favor for us. On the day we arrived, the sky was clear, blue sky and white clouds. The local staff said, “You are so lucky, it has been rainy for the past few days.”
After we put our luggage in the hotel, we couldn't wait to come out to experience the sunshine and Miao style.
【Diaojiaolou on the mountain】
The buildings in Qianhu Miao Village in Xijiang are mainly wooden stilted buildings with a bucket-shaped roof structure. Because most of them are built on the mountain, they are divided into flat stilted buildings and slope stilted buildings. According to the introduction from the locals, the stilted buildings are generally divided into three floors. The bottom floor is used to store some labor and livestock; the second floor is the living room, bedroom, kitchen and other rooms; the third floor is for storing food, grains and daily necessities. On the outside of the main room, there is the Miao family's "beauty leaning", which is used for enjoying the shade and embroidery, which is also a major feature of the Miao stilted buildings.
As the saying goes, "The Hakkas live on the streets, the Zhongs live in Shuitou, and the Miaos live in the mountains." Why are the stilted buildings of the Miao people built on the mountain?
Firstly, the Miao people have been migrating continuously in history. Every time they migrated to a place, the flat land was inhabited by foreigners. In order to avoid conflicts with these ethnic groups and to avoid the suppression and expulsion of the dynasty, the Miao people mostly lived in deep mountains and old forests. Some Miao villages are built on the top of mountains or cliffs, condescending, and can retreat or defend;
Secondly, the Miao people were a farming nation in history, they cherished the land very much and knew the value of flat land. Every time they migrated to a new place, they would reclaim the flat land into rice fields and plant rice, and the stilted buildings were naturally built on the mountains.
"Fish live in the beach, people live in the bend". In addition to building on the mountain and choosing danger, the Miao people also pay attention to Fengshui and the environment when building villages. wind and rain bridge. The Miao people understand mountains as human beings and water as money. The mountains should be solid around, and the water should be winding, so that the population will prosper and the source of wealth will continue.
Most of the stilted buildings that we can walk into on both sides of the street are used for restaurants and accommodation. The houses where the locals live are not open to the public. However, from the external environment, it can still be seen that the Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is harmoniously integrated with the surrounding green mountains, green waters, and rural customs. I am also amazed at the wisdom with which these houses in the mountains were built. They have become living fossils of ancient Chinese residential buildings, and they also have extremely high research and aesthetic value in architecture.
[The West clan living in Baishuihe Bend]
The Baishui River originated from Leigongping, an ancient battlefield against the Qing Dynasty. This river crossed many canyons before it came to the Xijiang Miao Village and raised generations of Xijiang people.
"Backing mountains and facing water, surrounded by mountains and water" is a major feature of the layout of Xijiang Miao Village. The Miao family believes that where there is a bend in the river, there is spiritual energy. The bigger the bend in the river, the greater the wealth that can be gathered, so that life can continue and reproduce from generation to generation. The word "Jiang" in the place name "Xijiang" not only has the meaning of "discussion, discussion", but also the meaning of "river bends". If understood in this way, the explanation of Xijiang is the Xi clan living in the Baishui River Bend.
Relying on mountains to eat mountains, relying on water to eat water. Since the establishment of the Xijiang Miao village, the Miao family has known how to skillfully use everything in the Baishui River to create their own beautiful homeland. The flat land along the river was reclaimed into good fields and fertile soil, and the river water was used to irrigate rice. The Miao people have known how to use water energy for a long time. In the past, there were five or six rice mills built on the banks of the Baishui River, which continued to process rice for the Miao Village day and night. The stilted buildings in Xijiang Miao Village have a solid fortress, and there are Huajie roads in the village. The stone materials used are all from the Baishui River.
For us, Baishui River is also a scenic river. On both sides of the river, there are green mountains and green waters, dense forests, and fresh air, which is a natural oxygen bar; the terraced fields and pastoral sightseeing areas on both sides of the river are good places to get close to nature and experience the farming culture of the Miao family.
【Wind and Rain Bridge, Touching the Past】
When I saw the Wind and Rain Bridge, I was very cordial. No matter how many years have passed, this scene has never changed.
The Wind and Rain Bridge is also a characteristic building of the Miao people. Crossing the Baishui River in Xijiang Miao Village, there are seven wind and rain bridges from top to bottom, all of which are made of fir as the main building material. And door and other parts. In addition to being used for people to walk and rest, it can also shelter from wind and rain, so it is called Fengyu Bridge.
Once standing on the Fengyu Bridge, you can see the children living here playing and playing by the water, and some simply jump into the water to swim.
That year, I wrote in my travelogue:
"The children who grew up in this mountain and by the water since they were young,
I think I am very happy to enjoy the nature of your children. When I face the water, I am like a thirsty fish. Seeing the water leaning against the mountains, I can’t help but want to jump, so I made my own swimsuit with a scarf, Had a wild swim...
Like this child who is surrounded by mountains and rivers, some instincts will always be released uncontrollably.
Perhaps, to be continued..."
Today, standing on the Fengyu Bridge and looking out, there are more people wearing Miao costumes and taking pictures, which has become a new landscape of Fengyu Bridge.
[Blocking wine, the highest etiquette for the Miao family to welcome distinguished guests]
Barring wine is the highest etiquette for the Miao family to welcome distinguished guests. When you come here, you must pass this level before entering the Miao Village. The Miao family will dress up and welcome everyone with homemade sweet rice wine. The rice wine is filled with ox horns. If guests come up to drink, they will express their desire to drink, but they must not hold the ox horns with their hands when drinking, so that the Miao people will think that you still want to drink, and they will continue to pour you a second cup. Door wine.
According to the custom, there are 12 types of bar wine, which are Congratulations Wine, Kindness Wine, Hard Work Wine, Brave Wine, Smart Wine, Beautiful Wine, Reasonable Wine, Honest Wine, Generous Wine, Longevity Wine, Wealthy Wine, and Perfect Wine.
Someone once described the Miao family's roadblocking wine as follows: "the etiquette of welcoming guests" is to block 12 roads with wine. What you drink is ox horn wine, what you taste is the fragrance of rice dew, what you appreciate is folk customs, and what you feel is true feelings.
【Gage Ancient Alley】
Gage Ancient Road means small alley in Miao Village. More than 1,000 years ago, in order to find a beautiful home, the ancestors of Xijiang crossed Leigong Mountain, came here and settled here, cultivated farmland, multiplied their offspring, and created the beautiful Xijiang Miao Village.
It is hidden in the ancient street Youfang Street. Close to No. 1 Fengyu Bridge. Walking along a long and narrow alley with oiled paper umbrellas, I found that there are treasures hidden inside.
There are Miao embroidery, batik, handmade paper, wine making, Xijiang Laoyinzhuang, Leigong camellia, ancient song hall and other intangible cultural heritage and special crafts.
Miao embroidery, batik, and handmade paper can all be experienced in person. We stopped and felt the batik here. I traced the lines, waxed them, and asked the Miao girl to dye them for me. Can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve slowed down like this and spent my time on beautiful things.
The traditional wax-painting tools of the Miao nationality are mainly made of bamboo, wood and animal hair tubes. Nowadays, wax-painting tools made of metal are also very common. The process of Miao batik is mainly divided into five steps: scouring, waxing, dyeing, dewaxing, washing and drying.
One is scouring, which means soaking, beating and rinsing the cloth repeatedly to remove impurities for easy waxing;
The second is to light wax, also called painting wax, which is to put a small iron pot, copper pot and other containers on a charcoal fire, add yellow wax, white wax or maple fat, wait for the wax to melt, and then use a wax knife dipped in wax juice to draw patterns on the cloth . Miao women do not draw sketches when painting wax, but draw them with their hands, and beautiful patterns appear on the cloth one by one. Waxing is the key to the batik process, not only determines whether the pattern is beautiful, but also determines whether the batik is successful.
The third is dyeing, which is to soak the "waxed" fabric with warm water, put it in the dyeing vat and turn it gently, then take it out to dry, and then put it into the dyeing vat for dip-dyeing, and repeat this process. Light colors can be used three or four times, and dark colors can be applied more than ten times. In the process of repeated dip-dyeing, some need to apply soy milk to fix the color; the fourth is dewaxing, which means rinsing the dyed fabric in cold water, then boiling it in hot water, and removing the beeswax attached to the fabric. Dissolve in water, let the wax separate from the fabric, then rinse with clean water, take it out and let it dry.
The traditional dye used in Hmong batik is mainly plant indigo. Indigo is a natural dye extracted from its leaves and roots. Miao traditional batik is practiced by Miao women under the guidance of their mother or elder sister since they were young. They have a particularly good mentality and endurance in painting wax. Hmong families batik, there is no special place. The beauty on the stilted building is close to the light, and it is a good place for painting. Under the eaves and under the big trees in the village are good places for girls to paint batik. Girls paint together in groups of three or four, not only to learn from each other's skills, but also to exchange ideas and enhance feelings.
In the Gage Ancient Alley, you can still hear the representative ancient songs of the Miao nationality, and most of the singers are old people in the village.
The ancient songs of the Miao nationality in different places have different tunes and have their own characteristics. In Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, the ancient Miao songs sung by the old people are unique in style, rich in sound, solemn and solemn, and profound in content, just like the sounds of nature, endless and long-lasting.
The original ecological real scene Miao wedding custom song and dance performance in Gage Ancient Alley is another attractive place. After finishing the batik, lean on the water's edge and watch a touching love story. Thoughts fluctuate with the song, I think of your reserved face...
[Morning and night, just like seeing each other for the first time]
The observation deck is located in Yehuozhai, which used to be a Youfangping, but later became an observation deck. This will also be the best location to enjoy the panoramic view of Xijiang Miao Village.
I heard from the locals that Mr. Yu Qiuyu came to Xijiang when he was inspecting ethnic villages in Guizhou. He exclaimed, "Answer everything with beauty, see Xijiang and know the Miao Village in the world".
In the early morning, surrounded by clouds and mist, the entire Miao village is set against the background of piercing Fangjiaolou, pastoral scenery and farming life, backed by green hills, stepping on jade belts, and surrounded by water.
When night falls, thousands of households are lit up. Watching the sky slowly change, until the sky is completely dark, only dots of stars in the distance can be seen.
At this time, Xijiang Miao Village is like Mr. Hayao Miyazaki's "Spirited Away", which has become extraordinarily romantic, extraordinarily charming, extraordinarily fairy tale, extraordinarily full of imagination and expectation.
This night, when the crowd dispersed, it became even more gentle.
I don't know what year and month it will be when I come again, whether I can meet a good weather and time, and wear my favorite Miao family's neon clothes.
I think I will continue to miss it, just like seeing it for the first time.
【Miaojia Cuisine · Fish in Sour Soup】
Miaojia sour soup fish is something that has been missed after eating it. In the past few days when we came to Guizhou, we ate fish in sour soup every day, but we still couldn’t taste the same taste as before.
The little friend said, "That taste is the taste in your memory, just put it in your memory."
I didn't give up my hopes at first, but I didn't expect to eat it here as I wished. A long-lost but familiar taste of sour soup.
I have been curiously asking the chef what kind of fish in sour soup is authentic.
So the chef allowed us to go into the kitchen. The original sour soup is divided into red soup and white soup. The original sour soup was prepared with the tail wine after brewing, and later it was changed to hot rice soup for natural fermentation and many other methods. Red sour is made by adding wild tomatoes, ginger, garlic, red pepper and so on.
Every time a new soup is made, some old soup will be left as the base to continue to ferment.
Some restaurants outside the province also use Guizhou bad peppers combined with tomatoes, white vinegar, citric acid, etc. to make "sour soup". There is still a big difference in the taste of fermented rice soup.
Even if they are all in Guizhou, the fermentation time or the ratio of raw materials is different, and the taste of the final sour soup will be different. If the taste of a certain kind of sour soup is fixed in your memory just enough to suit your appetite, then maybe from now on, you will think about it day and night. And this taste cannot be copied or replaced.
So it's hard to say which one is authentic or not here, it's just the taste that just warmed your heart in your memory at first.
When eating fish in sour soup, it must be served with a dried chili dipping plate, and then poured with soup. The Miao family eats it by putting one on the soup pot for everyone to share. Later, some places were improved to eat with a dipping plate for one person.
When eating fish in sour soup, it is a perfect pairing with a little rice wine. As the saying goes, "Yunyan expensive wine, Guizhou rice wine every day."
If there are many people, you must experience the long table banquet, and feel the baptism of the Miao family's "high mountains and flowing water" in the melodious songs persuading wine.
The long table banquet is the most solemn Miao banquet in Xijiang Miao Village. It has a history of thousands of years and is known as "a banquet that lasts for thousands of years". Small long-table banquets can generally be held at home, while large long-table banquets can be held in Youfang Street or Ancient Street. During the banquet, the host and the guest sit opposite each other, drink fine wine, share delicious food, and have fun together.
【Miaojia Cuisine · Authentic Snacks】
On the street of snacks, there are many authentic snacks, such as edamame tofu, colorful rice, fresh glutinous rice cakes, Miao-flavored bacon...
Among them, Miao-flavored bacon can also be tasted in many local restaurants. It uses local black hair pork as raw material, puts a lot of spices that Miao people are used to, and smokes it with firewood. It is also one of the characteristics of Miao cuisine.
Next to the snack street, there is a vegetable market. Everywhere I go, I especially like to go to the market where the locals go to buy things. This is the freshest taste of life.
[Practical Information Scenic Spot Tickets and Sightseeing Cars]
There are two types of scenic spot tickets:
1. Tickets for pure scenic spots, excluding sightseeing tickets
2. Scenic spot ticket + four-way sightseeing bus ticket
Scenic spot sightseeing ticket:
Four-way sightseeing ticket: 20 yuan/person
One-way sightseeing ticket: 5 yuan/person
(It is not necessary to buy sightseeing tickets when purchasing tickets. If necessary, you can also purchase them separately at the scenic spot, and the price is the same.)
Regarding whether you need to take a sightseeing bus:
It can be determined on a case-by-case basis. There are two sections for those who need to take a sightseeing bus, and the four-time ticket for the general sightseeing bus will be used here.
1. The round-trip distance from the ticket office of the scenic spot to the Xiaobeimen is about 2 kilometers;
2. The round trip from No. 1 Wind and Rain Bridge to the viewing platform is about 1.5 kilometers;
If you are bringing the elderly and children and dragging the suitcase, it is more convenient to take a sightseeing bus.
If it is the peak season and there are many people waiting in line for a long time, it is better to walk, and it only takes ten minutes.
【About accommodation】
The accommodation in Xijiang Miao Village is generally divided into three types according to geographical location: at the foot of the mountain, in the middle of the mountain and on the top of the mountain.
It is more convenient to go up and down, shopping, eating, watching performances, and going to bars are all very close.
The top of the mountain is not far from the viewing platform, so it is convenient to watch the night view.
In the middle of the mountain, both ends are considered, which is a compromise.
In fact, from the foot of the mountain to the top, it's just a ten-minute walk. If you don't want to walk, you can also take a sightseeing bus for 5 yuan. It's all very convenient.
【About the performance】
Performance venue: It is the center of the Miao song and dance culture exhibition in Xijiang. There are song and dance performances every day. The daytime performances are open to tourists for free, and the Miao large-scale song and dance drama "Beautiful Xijiang" is staged at night.
Gage Ancient Alley: Original eco-real scene Miao wedding custom song and dance performance.
Session 1: 15:00-15:30
Second Session: 16:30-17:00(
(The performance is free. Since it is an open-air performance, if the performance cannot be performed due to weather conditions, we will notify you separately)
【postscript】
In the early morning of the next day, I flew the drone downstairs on the stilts. Just across the street there was a guy flying too.
Afterwards, he put away the drone and came over and said. "Where did you fly to?"
I replied naturally while flying, "I flew farther, in the clouds and mist in front."
Then he said, "See you later."
I said, "OK."
…
It seems that here, people will not be so strange to each other, as if living here, you will always look up and see down.
Everything naturally makes me forget that I am leaving now, when will we see you again?
I think I will continue to miss it, just like seeing it for the first time.