On September 15, the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a group of girls dressed in traditional Tujia costumes sang Tujia folk songs on the Pavilion Bridge of the Rebala Scenic Area of Longshan County, Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture to welcome tourists from all over the world.
The Rebala Scenic Area is located in the northeast of Miao’ertan Town, Longshan County, covering traditional villages such as Laoche Village, Liming Village, and Shubi Village.
There are ancient Tujia villages with distinctive styles, and intangible cultural heritage (ICH) projects with rich ethnic characteristics, such as Tujia hand-waving dance, Tima song, Tujia brocade, and Tujia folk song, showcasing the traditional culture of the language, clothing, architecture, folk customs, songs and dances, and production and life of the Tujia people. It is the most well-preserved area of original Tujia culture in Wuling Mountainous area.
The Pavilion Bridge is one of the important scenic spots in the Rebala Scenic Area, with a length of 288.8 meters. The beautiful scene of one bridge connecting three villages makes it a popular destination for many tourists. The bridge is decorated with Tujia brocade works, and exquisite carved patterns displaying the daily life of the Tujia people, combining traditional Tujia architectural culture and modern tourism.
At the Rebala Film and Television Base, Peng Jirong, an inheritor of Dongdongkui, an ICH project, performed Dongdongkui and introduced the characteristics of this Tujia musical instrument. The beautiful and melodious tunes attracted many children.
Dongdongkui is a single reed vertical instrument of the Tujia ethnic group made of thin bamboo. It can be played solo or in an ensemble, with a bright tone and a lively melody.
In recent years, Longshan County has relied on the rich natural resources and folk landscapes of the Rebala Scenic Area to create an ecological tourist resort that integrates the protection, inheritance, display, and experience of Tujia ICH projects. It has integrated more than 20 ICH projects such as Tujia brocade, Daliuzi, and Dongdongkui, and gathered over 40 ICH inheritors to realize the active inheritance of ICH, and drive the development of the tourism industry.
Chinese souce: hunantoday
