Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum

Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum

Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum

The Sanjiang Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum is centered around the county-level Dong Ethnic Museum and spans a 15-kilometer radius along the route from Dugong Zuolong to Gaoding, encompassing nine Dong ethnic villages. It integrates Dong ethnic village gates, drum towers, wind-rain bridges, folk art, local customs, and pastoral scenery. Adopting a "museum-village integration, village-museum interaction" conservation approach, it represents a new model among eco-museums worldwide. The protected area includes nine Dong villages, 28 drum towers, 13 covered bridges, and 13 village gates.

Zuolong Village, established in 1487, is naturally and harmoniously distributed along a gentle slope. Lush trees surround the village, both front and back, while the clear Miao River meanders past the front of the village like a jade ribbon or a flying dragon’s tail, offering beautiful scenery and simple folkways. From a distance, the mountain village appears divided into two parts, resembling the eyes of a python gazing into the distance. Up close, the village blends scenic forests, village gates, drum towers, stilted houses, and a performance stage into a typical Dong ethnic settlement. The village has a total of 150 households, with a population of 688, one wind-rain bridge, and two drum towers. The wind-rain bridge features a single-layer tiled roof and was built in 1836. The Zuolong Drum Tower was constructed in 1833, with a pyramidal roof standing 10.6 meters tall and five tiers of eaves.

Baxie Village, founded in 1503, has two wind-rain bridges and one drum tower. The Baxie Gongfu Bridge was built in 1826.

Pingliu Village, initially built in 1503, consists of four basically connected natural hamlets. It currently has one wind-rain bridge and one drum tower. The Pingliu Cifu Bridge, constructed in 1861 and rebuilt in 1951, features a hip-and-gable roof and is a key cultural relic protection unit of the county. The Pingliu Drum Tower, built in 1987, has a pyramidal roof standing 16 meters tall with nine tiers of eaves.

Hualian Village, established in 1504, currently has 461 households, one wind-rain bridge, and three drum towers.

Batuan Village, built in 1603, has three wind-rain bridges and two drum towers. Among them, the Batuan Bridge, constructed in 1910, features a hip-and-gable roof with separate pathways for humans and livestock—the main path for pedestrians and a side path for animals—making it a Dong-style overpass bridge. With a total length of 50 meters, it includes two platforms, one pier, three pavilions, and ten corridors. Its architectural artistry is highly admired by experts, drawing parallels to modern double-decker bridges. In 2001, it was designated as a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit by the State Council.

Gaoding Village, founded in 1573, is located at the foot of Sanxing Mountain, approximately 50 kilometers northwest of Sanjiang County. It borders Liping County of Guizhou to the west and Tongdao County of Hunan to the north. Five hundred stilted houses are densely arranged along the mountains and rivers, while seven clan-built drum towers, with their layered eaves and competing elegance, stand out. The most famous is the single-pillar drum tower with eleven-tiered tiled eaves, built in 1921 and reconstructed in 1990. It is a key cultural relic protection unit of the county. This drum tower has only one main pillar, connected to surrounding pillars via horizontal beams, featuring a rare and ingenious design that showcases the extraordinary wisdom of the Dong people. Additionally, there is one wind-rain bridge.

In addition, the Dong Ethnic Eco-Museum includes Dugong Village, Ya Village, Linlüe Village, and others. Currently, among the nine villages covered by the eco-museum, eight households have been recognized as cultural households by Sanjiang. These households excel in folk arts and preserve outstanding Dong ethnic cultural traditions. The various Dong household items they collect reflect different aspects of the Dong people’s long history and splendid ethnic culture.

Not far from the seat of the Dugong Township government, atop the summit of Sanxing Mountain, lies a dazzling jewel—Datang’ao Reservoir, formed by the convergence of mountain spring water. Surrounded by beautiful scenery, especially in spring when the mountains are covered with vibrant azaleas, it serves both for farmland irrigation and tourism, making it an ideal summer retreat.