I will always go to the place I have been thinking about all the time. This is the second time I have come to Xijiang in winter. The last time I came here was when I was studying. Take a look at the grandeur of Qianhu Miao Village from the viewing platform, walk the streets and alleys in Miao costumes, watch a Miao style performance, drink twelve bar wine, and eat a long table banquet. This time, I spent two days of joy and warmth in Xijiang Miao Village.
[Walk the streets and alleys, feel the style of Miao Village]
When I first came here, there was no high-speed rail, no high-speed, and it took several transfers to get there. Nowadays, travel is much more convenient. Take the high-speed rail from Chengdu to Kaili, and then take a car for about 40 minutes to reach Xijiang.
Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is a place where the "primitive ecology" culture of the Miao people is preserved intact. It is composed of more than 10 natural villages built on the mountain. It is currently the largest Miao village in China and even in the world.
I stayed at the B&B in the scenic area. The location is very good. When you open the window of the room, you can see the stacked houses on the opposite side.
After putting away my luggage, I took my camera and went out. In order to improve the feng shui conditions of the villages and facilitate the life of residents, most Miao villages will build a Fengyu Bridge. This is the No. 1 Fengyu Bridge, which connects the two sides of the Miao Village.
In winter, the temperature difference between morning and evening in Xijiang is relatively large. Walking on the streets during the day, strolling here and looking there, it is very pleasant to bask in the sun.
The main streets are basically commercial shops selling snacks and handicrafts. The whole street is not very long, and it will be finished in a while. However, if you want to wander the alleys and walk to the heights, it may still take some time.
Take a slow tour along the road by the river. From a distance, the wooden houses built on the opposite side of the mountain seem like cartoons.
In addition to walking the streets and alleys, there is another must-see viewing platform that cannot be missed. Only here can you have a panoramic view of the whole Miao Village. The early morning mist and smoke enveloped the entire village, looming like a fairyland.
During the day, I adore the morning moments. The sun has just come out, and the warm sunlight is shining down on the earth, and the whole world is gentle.
If the Xijiang River in the morning is a fairyland, then the Xijiang River at night is the most charming. Every night, thousands of households are lit up, the stars are dotted with lights, and the lights are dim, making people intoxicated by the beautiful scenery.
The viewing platform is windy at night, so be sure to keep warm. With the ticket, you can take a sightseeing bus to the viewing platform on the top of the mountain, but it won't take long to walk up, about 20 minutes.
[Xijiang Miao Village, starting with 12 barrier wines]
As hospitable Miao people, it is essential to entertain guests from afar with wine. Before entering the Miao Village, there will be welcome activities every day at the square at the gate.
The first is the most distinctive "mountain and flowing water". Don't be intimidated by this battle, although it looks a lot, it's just the Miao sister who poured wine at the end, so it's good to experience it.
After "Mountain and Flowing Water", there are twelve gate wines. Each wine has its own name, rich wine, beautiful wine, wisdom wine, hardworking wine, longevity wine, etc. You still need to drink from the first to the last wine. For those who can drink a little, if you want to experience it, you can talk to Amei about a little wine first.
Banmenjiu uses ox horns as a container for drinking, singing and dancing while drinking, so happy.
Putting on local clothes and wearing a set of silver accessories, the crisp sound of walking seems to be the most beautiful in winter.
I especially like the set I took with my good friends. Wearing Miao costumes, the hair should be combed up. I made a wrong demonstration.
There are probably two places to rent clothes in the Miao Village, one on the viewing platform and one by the river. The cost is not high, and it is very convenient to have someone help you put it on. Wearing Miao costumes and walking along the river, it seems that you are also a Miao girl. You must pay attention to safety when walking on the gravel road in the middle of this kind of river. It is easy to step on the clothes mopping the floor.
[Watch an ecological performance at the performance venue]
Friends who are familiar with me know that whenever I go to a place, my favorite thing is to go to the local performances. Through the performance, you can quickly understand the local area. The actors are singing and dancing in local costumes. Even if they are watching from the audience, they are attracted by this cheerful atmosphere.
There will be two performances of "Beautiful Xijiang" folk song and dance every day. You can go in and watch for free with tickets.
Whenever distinguished guests arrive in Miao Village, they will use a unique way to welcome guests from afar, that is, wine, which is also the best expression of Miao people's hospitality. The beautiful Miao family sister held up the jug in her hand amid bursts of music, and poured rice wine into the wine bowls of tourists from high to low. The scene was extremely spectacular.
Tourists with a heavy drinker can't wait to go up and experience this kind of hospitality, which really admires those who have a bad drinker.
I am very envious of people who are good at singing and dancing. They can express their feelings through dancing and singing. The Miao girl danced happily in silver jewelry, and the silver jewelry on her body made a pleasant and crisp sound, and the whole picture was festive. It is said that the Miao girl's family will make a set of silver ornaments for her from birth until she gets married. The whole set can be worth up to 300,000 yuan.
The Golden Pheasant Dance is a unique traditional folk dance among the Lusheng dance of the Miao nationality. Miao girls wear silver flowers made of golden pheasants on their heads, silver collars on their necks, and silver plates with totems on their chests. They dance gracefully in their embroidered costumes. The colorful costumes are like golden pheasants spreading their beautiful feathers.
The most shocking thing is the performance of ancient songs. The singers are all older people in the village, and they are all over 70 years old. The Miao people do not have their own written language, so all their history can only be recorded in the form of ancient songs passed down orally.
Of course, the final national joint dance is the most memorable for me, even if I, a person with uncoordinated limbs, can dance in it very happily.
After the performance, we learned Lusheng, bronze drums and dancing from the sisters and elder brothers of the Miao family. With uncoordinated limbs and tone deafness, I can only silently admire their talents from the sidelines.
A leaf picked by this Miao elder brother at random can also blow out a heavenly sound. The song "Road to Heaven" blown by leaves shocked all of us present and won rounds of applause.
【The long table banquet that I will never forget】
I have always liked the local specialty meals, and this time I specially experienced the long table banquet.
This time we chose the long table banquet experience of Chuhe Restaurant. The taste of the dishes is very good, and the sisters and brothers of the Miao family are very handsome.
I especially like the feeling of a large group of people sitting around, eating, drinking, and chatting.
The steaming hot feeling is very warm and cozy.
Before the meal, the sisters and brothers of the Miao family have prepared "high mountains and flowing water". The toast songs are particularly nice, and the most impressive thing is "drink whether you like it or not". The rice wine is sweet and has a bit of stamina. At that time, I thought it was delicious and drank a few sips, but I was a little dizzy afterwards, but after eating, I went out to blow the wind and I was fine.
There is a red egg on everyone's tableware, which needs to be rolled on the forehead and smashed, leaving the color of the egg on the forehead, which means good luck.
My favorite is of course Xijiang’s special fish in sour soup. I can’t get enough of it every time I eat it. I still want to buy this kind of sour sauce soup and make my own fish in sour soup.
Guzang meat is also an essential special dish. The improved dish, with a unique dipping sauce, tastes very delicious.
I don't like cakes very much. I especially like this glutinous rice cake wrapped in leaves. It has the fragrance of leaves and the chewiness of glutinous rice.
【Practical Information】
Scenic spot tickets 90/person, sightseeing car 20/person.
The price of the inn is different. In the off-season, it is generally 100-300. The price on the viewing platform is a little higher. You can check the room price on some platforms.
There is a direct train from Kaili High-speed Railway Station to the north gate of Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village Scenic Area, the fare is 35/person