About a 2-hour hike from Zhaoxing Dong Village or a 20-minute car ride is Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨, renowned as the most primitive Dong village in China. You have to pass by Zhaoxing Dong Village in order to get to Tang’an, so even if you were to only visit Tang’an, you would still need to get the entrance ticket for Zhaoxing Dong Village. Far less busy than Zhaoxing Dong Village, the 700-year-old Dong village has more than 170 households and is one of the four Eco Reserve Areas funded by Norway in Guizhou. China’s first ecological museum, Tang’an Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum, can be found here. The village has more than 10 gates with a drum tower at its heart. There are also about 10 intricately carved old tombs in the center of the village built during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912).
Map of Tang’an Village 堂安侗寨
Entrance to Tang’an Village 堂安侗寨
Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Drum tower of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨 drum tower
Entertainment for all: on the left, the little house is the stage for traditional performances; on the right, a TV has been installed under the drum tower.
Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
It is said that the rice terraces here can rival those in the more famous UNESCO Longshen. The mountain here is steep and very rocky, leveling the land to build the terraces is especially difficult with the locals using stone rather than clay found at other rice terraces. The trail from Zhaoxing to Tang’an has been called one of the seven most beautiful hiking trails in China as it winds through the rice terraces and small Dong settlements along the way. The hiking route starts in Zhaoxing and passes through Xiage 厦格 and ends in Tang’an. It is relatively easy and if you start in Tang’an the hike will mostly be downhill. The weather was a bit rainy when I was there so I opted to hire a car for the return trip to Tang’an.
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
Rice terraces of Tang’an Dong Village 堂安侗寨
From Zhaoxing Dong Village, I continued to the largest ethnic Miao village in China, Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village 西江千户苗寨. Stay tuned!
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