Rongjiang Miao-Shan-Dong-Shui Scenic Area

Rongjiang Miao-Shan-Dong-Shui Scenic Area

The Rongjiang Miao-Shan-Dong-Shui Scenic Area is a national scenic area and a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

The Rongjiang Miao-Shan-Dong-Shui National Scenic Area is situated in Rongjiang County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou Province. It was approved by the State Council as the seventh batch of national scenic areas on December 28, 2009, and covers a total area of 168 square kilometers. The area features a rich diversity of resources, where the cultures of the Miao and Dong ethnic groups merge with the natural environment. Combining primitiveness with diversity, the area holds high resource value and features relatively concentrated spatial distribution. It is mainly divided into six major scenic zones: the Sanbao Qianhu Dong Village Scenic Area, Zaidang Dong Grand Song Scenic Area, Qishierzhai Dongxiang Scenic Area, Durong Scenic Area, Longtang Wonder Scenic Area, Shili Baipu Scenic Area, Langdong Miao Village Scenic Area, as well as 20 other independent attractions. The scenic area boasts a very high cultural significance, including the world's only ancestral temple for the Miao people — the Miaowang Temple; villages listed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Tentative List such as Dali and Zaidang; the Zhanglu Village in the Sanbao Qianhu Dong Village Scenic Area, whose Dong language has been recognized by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission as the standard pronunciation of the Dong script; and renowned cultural elements such as Dong pipa songs, the Sama Festival, Dong Grand Songs, Babei Miao costumes, and the story of Zhu Lang and Niang Mei, all of which have gained international fame and are now included in China’s National Intangible Cultural Heritage list. The scenic area also contains ancient trees and rare species of high landscape value, such as the Weather Tree, the Drizzling Tree, the Darui Ancient Cypress, the Wanzhai Ancient Fir, the Millennium Dwarf Pine, and the Longtang Pearl Clam.

1. Ethnic customs and culture are primitive, simple, profound, and deeply rooted among the populace. Rongjiang is home to 15 ethnic minorities, among which the four major groups — Dong, Miao, Shui, and Yao — make up 84.4% of the total population, forming the county's uniquely regional ethnic culture. Moreover, these ethnic groups consist of numerous subgroups, each with distinct and prominent characteristics. The Dong people have eight subgroups, the Miao people have 15, and there are six ethnic townships of Shui and Yao. Due to long-term isolation and minimal external cultural influence, the ethnic cultures here have been well preserved, resulting in Rongjiang’s uniquely splendid and colorful ethnic heritage.

2. Rongjiang is the ancestral birthplace of Miao and Dong cultures. Historical research confirms that the ancestors of the Miao people first arrived in the southeastern part of Guizhou, with Rongjiang (ancient state of Guzhou) being their first stop before branching out to other counties — an undisputed fact in Miao historical studies. This is evidenced in Miao ancient songs, records from Qiandongnan Prefecture, and relevant county annals. The Miaowang Temple in Rongjiang city, the only ancestral temple of the Miao people, further attests to this. In 2000, after careful research in Rongjiang’s Yuemanshan area, experts, scholars, and professors in folklore and tourism from Beijing, Shanghai, and elsewhere unanimously concluded that the Miao culture in Rongjiang’s Yuemanshan is among the oldest and most primitive in the world. The Dong people arrived in Rongjiang after the Miao, and today the county has eight Dong subgroups — the highest number in Qiannan Prefecture. In the mid-1950s, the Dong script created by the State Ethnic Affairs Commission used the dialect of Zhanglu Village in Chejiang as its standard pronunciation. As early as 1997, tourism resource experts from Hunan Normal University concluded after studying Rongjiang’s resources that “Rongjiang is the ancestral birthplace of Miao and Dong cultures.”

3. Tourist resources are relatively concentrated and form contiguous zones. Approximately 80% of the county’s tourism resources are located along three premium scenic routes.

4. Excellent geographical advantage. Rongjiang lies in the middle and upper reaches of the Duliu River, at the junction of National Highway 321 and Provincial Road 202. It serves as a crucial passage for Guizhou to travel east to Hunan or south to Guangxi, and functions as a key link between major scenic areas such as Guilin, Zhangjiajie, Libo Zhangjiang, Huangguoshu, and Wuyang River.

Source: Jiajiang Tianfu Sightseeing Tea Garden

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of National Scenic Areas

Qishierzhai Dongxiang

Sanbao Qianhu Dong Village

Zaidang Dong Grand Song Scenic Area

Durong Scenic Area

Longtang Wonder Scenic Area

Langdong Miao Village Scenic Area

Shili Baipu Waterfall Scenic Area