Wangshang White Pants Yao New Village in Nandan

Wangshang White Pants Yao New Village in Nandan

In Nandan, there is one of China’s most mysterious, primitive, and traditional branches of the Yao ethnic group — the White Pants Yao. They are named for the white trousers worn by the men of this group year-round. The total population is about 30,000, with over 90% living in Lihu Yao Ethnic Township and Baxi Yao Ethnic Township in eastern Nandan. To this day, they still retain cultural elements from the transitional phase from a matriarchal to a patriarchal society. As a result, UNESCO has recognized them as “an ethnic group with the most intact folk culture and a living fossil of human civilization.” In June 2006, the traditional costumes of the White Pants Yao were listed as a “National Intangible Cultural Heritage.”

Wangshang Village is located in the southern part of Lihu Yao Ethnic Township, Nandan County, about 4 kilometers from the township government seat. The village has a total of 86 households and 358 people, all belonging to the White Pants Yao. The residential area covers 4,717 square meters, with a total cultivated land area of 378 mu, including 238 mu of paddy fields and 140 mu of dry land, and an ecological forest area of 260 hectares. The main pillar industries include Yao mountain chickens, Yao black pigs, and summer-autumn tomatoes. Wangshang Village enjoys a superior geographical location, surrounded by pristine natural forests, rolling peaks, and crisscrossing underground caves, offering beautiful and magical natural scenery. The people of the White Pants Yao are honest, simple, hardworking, brave, and have a pure folk culture. Their customs and traditions are rich and colorful.

Wangshang has profound tourism and cultural heritage. The White Pants Yao are a unique branch within the broader Yao family. The honest, simple, hardworking, and brave Yao mountain people, due to their relatively isolated natural environment and minimal influence from outside cultures, have retained a way of life that harmonizes with nature. They worship heaven and earth, believe in nature, and respect their ancestors. Through long-term survival practices, they have developed into a renowned mountain-dwelling ethnic group and created rich ethnic cultural traditions such as bronze drum culture, wedding customs, funeral rites, attire, and village dwellings.

Transportation Guide

Scenic Area Address: Lihu Yao Ethnic Township, Nandan County, Hechi City

Transportation Routes: Take a bus from Hechi to Nandan, then transfer to a local shuttle bus to reach the scenic area.