PICTURE CHINA

While ninety-two percent of the Chinese people belong to the dominant Han ethnic group, there are 55 other recognized ethnic minority groups scattered throughout the country. Muslim Uigur and Mongolian people populate the north of the country, Tibetans in the southwest and Miao in the southern areas bordering Vietnam, Laos and Burma. These groups have historically faced great hardship at the hands of the Han and have had their cultures threatened by Han resettlement. In recent times several groups have been granted status as Autonomous regions and are regaining some control over their lands.

The area straddling the border of Guangxi and Guizhou provinces in Southern China is the home of the China’s Dong minority group and the Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County. The Dong are renowned for their colorful dress, distinctive wooden architecture and incredibly engineered terraced rice fields.

In the villages of Zhaoxing, Che De, and Tang An the Dong people live much as they have for hundreds of years. Farmers work the fields, women use natural indigo dye to make traditional clothing and old men use bamboo to make baskets. Although many things remain the same, the modern world has made inroads even here. Satellite dishes have appeared on some houses, electric mills have replaced the hand milling of rice and in the towns accessible by road, villagers are prepared to greet the occasional Chinese tour bus with handicrafts to sell.