Dong (Chinese: 侗族) is one of the ethnic groups in China, Dong people live mostly in eastern Guizhou (貴州), western Hunan (湖南), and northern Guangxi (廣西) in China. Choumeizai has visited one of the Dong village in Guangxi: Ma On Village (馬安寨).
Ma On Village has already been a well developed tourist site, there are many hotels renovated from the traditional Dong’s residences, almost all of them have notice in English, you can tell how popular this place is for foreign tourists.
The streets in the village are clean and tidy, and it is not as crowded as Choumeizai expects, you can view Fengyu bridge (Chinese: 風雨橋) and its reflection from the square, excellent scenery.
One of the hawkers in the street is selling some green herbal pancakes made of Asian wormwood (艾草), healthy and delicious.
Ma On Drum Tower (馬安鼓樓) is tall and splendid, it is not just a tower, but also a pavilion. The tower can accommodate over one hundred people sitting inside, and functions as a lobby and assembly hall.
In the tradition of Dong people, the taller the drum tower, the richer the village. The tower is constructed by the method of mortises and tenons, embodying the excellent carpentry skills and unique architecture of Dong people.
There are many restaurants which serve local foods in Ma On Village, sour fish is one of their specialties, it is not so sour but extremely salty.
Yongji Bridge of Chengyang (程陽永濟橋) will be lightened up at night and looks quite beautiful, but the surrounding is totally dark, just be careful when you take photos.
