Most Unique Miao Villages in Guizhou: Women Love Wearing Ultra-Short Skirts, Grain Silos Built in Ponds, No Entrance Fee
Guizhou is a province dominated by high-altitude mountainous terrain, known as the 'Eight Towns, One River, and One Field'. Amidst this beautiful landscape, numerous Miao villages are nestled. The largest Miao village in China, and arguably the largest in the world, Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village, is located in the southwest of Leishan County, Qiandong Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou. Additionally, another Miao village in Leishan County deserves mention,
That's 'Xinqiao Miao Village', belonging to Datang Town, also known as Datang Miao Village. It's approximately 12 kilometers from Leishan County and takes about 15 minutes to drive. Compared to the famous Miao village tourist attractions, Xinqiao Miao Village is much smaller and less popular, but it boasts 'two major wonders' that attract many visitors,
Xinqiao Miao Village has a very long history and is an ancient village. The characteristic Chaoquanlou (hanging-pillar houses) here can be traced back to the Song Dynasty, and the village still maintains its simple customs. Furthermore, there is no entrance fee to visit the village.
Xinqiao Miao Village's first major attraction is that many of the women in the village wear five to seven-inch (16.7cm-23.3cm) pleated skirts. This is what distinguishes it from other Miao villages, earning it the title of 'Short Skirt Miao First Village'. Due to the short skirts, visitors often jokingly call it 'Ultra-Short Skirt Miao First Village', attracting many visitors to come and experience the local customs and traditions,
Short Skirt Miao is one of the hundreds of branches of the Miao ethnic group. They basically wear short skirts throughout the four seasons, giving a mysterious, alluring, and beautiful impression. As is well known, the Miao ethnic group has a diverse range of clothing types, with a 'Clothing Culture Museum'. Short Skirt Miao can be considered the most unique one,
Previously, Short Skirt Miao was a marginalized group, and their short skirts were ridiculed and disrespected. However, today it seems that they are so fashionable and avant-garde. Now it has become a trend, attracting many visitors to come and experience it. Some other village tourist attractions have even imitated it to attract tourists,
Generally, most women here wear one or two skirts, but when attending a festival, they need to wear three or four skirts, with embroidered jackets or mandarin-collared jackets on top, and short pants on the bottom, in addition to the ultra-short skirts, they also wear shorter pants. They also tie colorful ribbons around their waists,
Another landscape in Xinqiao Miao Village is the 'Water Grain Warehouse', which has preserved numerous water grain warehouses in the village. These warehouses are built in the village's ponds and are made of all-wood construction, with pillars rising from stone platforms that are partially submerged in the water. Each warehouse is about 4 meters high and can store about 5000 jin (approximately 5 tons) of grain.
These water grain warehouses have a history of over 600 years and are still usable today, which is admirable. Setting the warehouses on the ponds not only prevents fire and rodents but also doesn't interfere with the breeding of fish and poultry, and the safety issue is no longer a concern. The warehouses are surrounded by houses, so theft is not a problem,
Walking through this ancient village, everything gives a feeling of mystery. Miao legends and stories appear one after another in my mind. I like this feeling, just like strolling through the ancient towns of the Jiangnan water towns – it's free, comfortable, and full of imagination,
Do you know or have you been to 'Short Skirt Miao First Village' in Leishan County, Qiandong Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou? What are your impressions? Welcome to leave a comment.
