Colors of Miao attract visitors to Taijiang
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A Miao ethnic woman attends the recent Zimei Jie (Sisters' Day), a five-day festival similar to Valentine's Day, in Taijiang county, Guizhou province.CHINA DAILY |
"Zimei Jie" (Sisters' Day), a five-day festival similar to Valentine's Day, is helping boost tourism in an ethnic county in Southwest China. Chinese of Miao ethnicity in Guizhou's Taijiang county, in which 97 percent of the 168,000 residents are Miao, concluded the annual event on April 19-23, with tens of thousands of locals donning traditional attire in parades, musicians playing the reed-pipe lusheng, and performancers presenting drum dances. Group weddings and bullfights were also held, according to the county government.
According to folklore, a Miao couple were not given permission to be together by their parents and tribe leaders. They continued their romance regardless and when they met in secret, the girl would give her lover a bowl of glutinous rice, known as Sister's Rice.
The two overcame adversity and became an official couple. Sisters' Day is celebrated annually in honor of their love.
The occasion, which reportedly reflects the ancient lives of the Miao people during the transition to patriarchy from matriarchy, drew more than 50,000 tourists this year.
"The stories are so romantic," said Xia Xiaohui, a painter from east China's Zhejiang province. "The distinctive Miao culture is really inspirational."
For tour guide Li Mei, Sisters' Day gives tourists the opportunity to "have a glimpse of Miao culture."
"In recent years, many foreign visitors have come to Taijiang to admire the culture," she said.
Daniel, an Italian tourist, said he came to Taijiang to enjoy the "colorful glutinous rice."
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