Matang Gejia Village

Matang Gejia Village

Matang Gejia Village is located in Longchang Town, north of Kaili City, about 21 kilometers from downtown Kaili. The village is home to over 400 people who call themselves the "Gejia people." Here, visitors can enjoy the unique Gejia performances such as lusheng dance, bench dance, flying song, drinking song, love song, as well as the exquisite embroidery and batik art created by Gejia women.

The Gejia people are a hardworking, simple, and musically talented tribe. Gejia women have a rather distinctive attire: young girls wear red tassel hats, while married women don floral headdresses. They wear batik-embroidered floral tops covered with a cape-like armor-style shawl, paired with pleated short skirts. Their waist is adorned with silk ribbons, tasseled waist sashes, and they wear silver necklaces. Their calves are wrapped with embroidered leg bindings. Both Gejia men and women have sun-shooting motifs on their headdresses, and their clothing features the same design on the back. The red bow and white arrows enshrined on their family altars serve as memorials to their ancestors. Even the tombstones of deceased Gejia elders are engraved with sun patterns.

Gejia batik has a long history. These rustic batik works feature unique patterns, mostly depicting elements of nature such as majestic tigers, fierce beasts, flowers, birds, insects, and fish, fully reflecting the Gejia people’s boundless longing for a better life and their deep love for nature.

Address: Matang Village, Longchang Town, Kaili City, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province

Opening Hours:

Open all day

Time Reference:

2–3 hours

Transportation:

1. From Kaili West Suburban Social Bus Station (locally known as Miao Family Bus Station), take a bus heading to Longchang or Yudong. Get off at the Matang intersection. The fare is 5 RMB per person, and the ride takes about 40 minutes. The village’s archway is right by the roadside. It takes about 20 minutes to walk from the archway into the village. To return to Kaili from the Gejia village, you can flag down a bus at the archway as well, also for 5 RMB per person.

2. Matang is 18 kilometers from Kaili City and 8 kilometers from Xianglu Mountain. At Xianglu Mountain (Huzhuang), take a bus bound for Yudong, Longchang, Zhong’an, or Huangping, and get off at the Matang intersection. The fare is 2 RMB. From the intersection, it is about 1.5 kilometers on foot to the village.