Dong Ethnic Group
Occupying an extensive stretch of territory on the Hunan-Guizhou-Guangxi borders are the Dong people, one of China’s recognized ethnic groups.
The population of 2.5 million live in a mild climate with an average annual rainfall of 1,200 mm. The Dong farm large numbers of trees that are logged and sent to market. Tong-oil, lacquer and oil-tea camellia trees are also grown for their edible oil and varnish.
Fir trees are the most popular variety, holding a special place in Dong folk customs. When a child is born, the parents plant fir saplings. As the child reaches the age of 18 and marries, the matured trees are harvested and used to build the bride and groom’s home. These trees are known as "18-year-trees." With the introduction of more modern cultivation methods, a fir sapling can now mature in only eight or ten years, but the term "18-year-trees" is still used among the Dong.
Food farming is another major occupation of the Dong, who grow rice, wheat, millet, maize and sweet potatoes; with the most important crops being cotton, tobacco, rape and soybean.
With no written script of their own before 1949, many Dong learned to read and write in Chinese. Philologists sent by the central government helped to create a Dong written language on the basis of the Latin alphabet in 1958.
The Dong usually live in villages of 20-30 households located near a water source. But, there are also know to be very large villages of 700. Their fir wood houses rise to two or three stories. Those homes located on steep slopes or riverbanks stand on stilts. People live on the upper floors, reserving the ground for domestic animals and firewood. In previous days, landlords and wealthier peasants lived in large houses with engraved beams and painted columns. Gravel paths and fish ponds can be found in most villages leading to a large, lavishly decorated drum tower. These towers serve as a focal point and meeting place where meetings are conducted and celebrations held. The drum tower of Gaozhen Village in Guizhou Province is especially elaborate. It stands 13 stories high, and is decorated with carved dragons, phoenixes, flowers and birds.
Equally spectacular is the folk architecture used in the design of bridges. Wood, stone and bamboo are all used in the construction. The covered bridges which the Dong call "wind and rain" bridges are well-known for their unique architectural style. The Chengyang "Wind and Rain" Bridge in Sanjiang is 165 meters long, 10 meters across and 10 to 20 meters above the water. Covered with tiles and engraved with flowers, it has five large pagoda-like, multi-tiered pavilions beautifully decorated with intricate carvings. It is a covered walkway with railings and benches for people to sit and enjoy the scenery.
Rice is the staple of a typical Dong diet. In the mountainous areas, glutinous rice is eaten with peppers and pickled vegetables. Home-woven material is used to make traditional Dong clothing; finer cloth and silks are used for decoration or for making festival costumes. Black and purple are traditionally used with blue becoming more popular.
Men usually wear short jackets that button in the front. In the mountainous locals of the south, men wear collarless shirts and turbans. The females are dressed in skirts or trousers with beautifully embroidered hems. Women wrap their legs and heads in scarves, and wear their hair in a coil.
Many popular legends and poems, covering a wide spectrum of themes, have been handed down by the Dong from generation to generation. Their lyrics tend to be very enthusiastic, while narrative poems are subtle and indirect. Songs and dances are also important aspects of Dong community life.
At the time of the Qin and Han dynasties (221 B.C.-A.D. 220) many tribes lived in what is present-day Guangdong and Guangxi. The Dong people are descendants of one of these tribes. Agriculture developed rapidly during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in the Dong areas in southeast Guizhou and southwest Hunan provinces. Rice production increased with improved irrigation methods and self-employed artisans appeared in Dong towns. Markets came into existence in some larger towns or county seats, and many feudal landowners began to do business. After the Opium War of 1840-1842, the Dong were further impoverished due to exploitation by the West, Qing officials, landlords and usurers.
The Dong, who had continually fought against their oppressors and Han assimilation, started to struggle more actively in the early 20th century. They served as guides and supplied grain to the Chinese Red Army when it marched through the area during its Long March in the mid-1930s. In 1949, guerilla units organized by the Dong, Miao, Han, Zhuang and Yao nationalities fought alongside the People's Liberation Army forces to liberate the county seat of Longsheng. In 1951 several Dong autonomous counties were set up.
Agricultural reform, Women’s liberation, Han encroachment, education, and industrialization have dramatically changed Dong life. Malaria and other diseases, which used to take a heavy toll of lives, have by and large been eliminated thanks to improved health care and transportation. Today, small factories are turning out farm implements, chemical fertilizer, cement, paper and other products. Electricity generated by small power installations drives irrigation pumps and lights homes in almost all Dong villages. Satellite TV and even DVDs are bringing the outside world into their homes for the first time. Many of the younger generation have left the farming for better opportunities in the nearby cities. This progress means that fewer traditional techniques and cultural practices are being passed down to future generations. Many of the unique cultural features of the Dong are quickly disappearing.
