CHINA D6 GUIZHOU APR 2010

GUIZHOU APR 2010 

 D6

13 Apr 2021

Anshun to Guiyang

In the morning, we headed toward Guiyang. The afternoon itineraries were Tianlong Tunpu Village, followed by a visit to an Miao Ethnic Village and then to view the beautiful Dongfeng Lake.

Tianlong Tunpu Village (See notes below)

Tunpu Museum

Tunpu Village and descendents

The agriculture land

Tunpu preserved culture and drama from the Ming dynasty

Dixi Opera which is a kind of drama kept from ancient Ming period with performers wearing masks, colorful long skirts and battle banners to encourage armies and frighten enemies.

 

Miao Ethnic Village

We were warmly welcome by the villagers with rice wine offered as we entered. A cultural dances were performed and we participated in their traditional dances followed by some fun games.

                                   

                                 

                                   

                                       

Hongfeng Lake. On our return to Guiyang City, we stopped by Hongfeng Lake and took a lake cruise, This is the largest  artificial lake on the Guizhou Plateau built in 1958.We just tour a single spot of this huge lake.

Shenxiang mountain

We returned to Guiyang Huacheng Xinglong International Hotel and our tour leader happily played firework outside the hotel. It is a large resort hotel built on the shore of Hongfeng Lake with picturesque views. 

                                        

Next morning, we had some time to enjoy the morning fresh air of Hongfeng Lake and enjoy the lake views and surrounding woods.

NOTES on TianglongTunpu..Info taken from China Highlight

The tunpu (village fortress) in Anshun, Guizhou, was built during the Ming Dynasty (600 years ago) for military use. During the early period of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang sent Han national troops from the middle and lower reaches of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River to Anshun. The garrison forces were ancestors of the inhabitants of the "Tunpu," who built stone-structured villages and turned the neighborhood into farmland for growing crops. In those days, soldiers spent most of their days working as farmers. Only in times of war were they called to unify and repel an enemy. Today, the area retains its original style and pace of life.

Tianlong Tunpu is one such village fortress. It is located in Pingba County of Anshun, 72 kilometers from the capital city Guiyang. Tianlong Tunpu occupies a strategic position, guarding what was once an important passage to Yunnan Province. Therefore, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang of the Ming Dynasty placed much importance on this village and sent large numbers of troops to garrison it.

The name “"Tianlong” comes from a combination of the names of two mountain ranges, Tiantai Mountain and Longyang Mountain, that surround the village. Despite the changing dynasties and the passage of hundreds of years, residents of Tianlong Tunpu still live in forts and maintain a simple, peculiar army style of living. They retain their traditional Ming lifestyle, clothing and hairstyle, and are a distinct branch of the Han Ethnic people called the Tunpu.