Shenzhen 深圳市 - China Ethnic Culture Demonstration Villages 中国民俗文化村

Encompassing 158,000 square meters and situated on the rim of Shenzhen Bay, China Ethnic Culture Demonstration Villages boast 24 different ethnic groups. An assemblage of the diversified forms of ethnic folk art in China, the villages are a treat for tourists in terms of folk art, conventions, customs and dwellings of the ethnic groups as well as of the landscapes in the regions where they reside.

From the Dai people of Yunnan Province, in southwestern China to the Uygur people in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in the northwest, from the Tibetans on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Koreas along the Yalu River in the northeast, and from Gaoshan people in Taiwan Province to the Mongolians in the steppes in the north, more than 20 reproduced villages of minority nationalities, along with their traditional ornaments and furnishings, rich custms and culture appear before tourists’ eyes.

Within the compound of the villages, there are a 1,000-hand and 1,000-eye statue of Guanyin Buddha, about 23 meters high, a unique cluster of stone archways in Huizhou, a magnificent Lamaist temple in Tibet, a drum tower, a wind and rain bridge in Guizhou, an ancient cave in Miao village, a rattan bridge in Yunnan Province, a stone bridge in water village in Zhejiang Province, a wooden bridge in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, and many others. They will definitely lead tourists into the long course of history of traditional Chinese culture.

The villages also unfold an ingenious organization of the quintessential sights spread widely over the vast territory of China—undulating mountains, roaring water falls, zigzagging blue rivers, racing boats in full sail, clustered coconut trees in the tropical Hainan Province, 1,000-year-old ancient banyan tree in Xishuangbanna, wing-spreading peacocks, and roaming elephants.

Tourists are free to take part in demonstrative performance of the varied folk customs and conventions and in the folk dances tasting of antiquity, simplicity, purity, and beauty. Furthermore, they can also savour the various kinds of ethnic local flavours and snacks. When the night falls and the evening lights are lit, with loud music filling the air, the grand art parade begins. The vigorous drum-beating bands, the awe-inspiring totemic square formations, the jubilant dragon-lantern dance, the jocular festive amusement gatherings will lend tourists into a strange and mysterious world. Also going on are the wedding ceremonies in the ethnic villages, the campfire evening parties and the spurting of laser musical fountains. What a dream-like fairyland ! Particularly remarkable are regularly-held various folk festive celebrations such as the March 3rd Song Festival, Torch Festival, Water Splashing Festival, and Dragon-Boat Festival. They are permeated with grandeur, romance, joy and auspiciousness and provide one with both enjoyment and experience in the poetic aspects of life of the Chinese ethnic groups.

The villages include the dwelling buildings of Bai, Buyi, Dai, Dong, Han, Hani, Hui, Jingbo, Li, Kazak, Korean, Manchu, Miao, Mosuo people (a branch of Naxi), Naxi, Tibetan, Uygur, Wa, Yao, Yi, and Zhuang nationalities, totaling 23 in all.
Their villages and houses, which are in reality miles apart, are within just a few ninutes’ walk from each other. Each ethnic group has its own particular customs and life style.The examples of them are the Uygur tribesmen love to play an instrument called the dongbula (a plucked stringed instrument used by the Kazak nationality), and wrestling is the Mongolian’s favourite pastime.

The most stunning performance is a sacred ritual, which includes climbing barefoot up a ladder of blades, performed by the high priests of the Dong tribe. Tourists who doubt the genuineness of the performance are invited to go up and inspect the blades in person. In the villages, visitors can also try the many different minority cuisines available, including tea made by the Dong people and wine brewed by the Miao minority.

A grand parade takes place, led by a troop of Shanxi drummers, which is then followed by floats, each decked out according to the artistic traditions of the different ethnic groups. Then come acrobats on stilts and a spectacle called “Bei Ge,” where one or two young children dressed in colourful costumes are held up by hidden iron frames tied to the shoulders of an adult, so that it looks as if they were both balancing on his shoulders. When the musical fountain turns on, visitors can see streams of water shooting into the air in time to music. Visitors will also be treated to a laser spectacle, in which colourful laser beams radiate from the forehead and palms of the Thousand-ARMED Goddess of Mercy.

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