Zhanyi Village

Zhanyi Village

Zhanyi Village is located in Gaozeng Township, Congjiang County, Guizhou Province, about 25 kilometers from the county seat. The village currently has 180 households across 8 villager groups, with a total population of 722. Though the village is not large, its people have achieved a record that astonishes the world: zero natural population growth since liberation, earning it the title of "China's No. 1 Village for Population Culture."

Nestled deep within lush forests, Zhanyi is a beautiful Dong village with thriving vegetation and rich ethnic charm. Towering green mountains surround the village, while a stream flows gently at its entrance. Stilted houses are scattered across the landscape, with the drum tower and wind-rain bridges standing prominently in view. Along the small river, towering grain racks over ten meters high are hung with golden glutinous rice during harvest season. Walking into the village, the aroma of cured fish and glutinous rice wafts through the wooden houses on both sides of the path, creating an atmosphere that feels both novel and familiar.

According to local villagers, Zhanyi’s ancestors migrated here over 1,000 years ago from Wuzhou, Guangxi, to escape war. They traveled up the Duliu River and eventually found this piece of feng shui treasure land to settle down.

The people of Zhanyi have always lived in unity and harmony, respecting and helping one another. They cleared mountains, opened fields, built homes, and led peaceful lives. The population quickly grew from just 5 households to over 100. However, due to rapid population growth, nearly all available mountain land had been cultivated, and conflicts such as disputes over farmland and fights began to emerge. The descendants suffered from having too many mouths to feed and too little food, enduring cold and hunger. Thus, the ancestors of Zhanyi were compelled to rationally consider the future survival of the villagers: if this continued, future generations would have no fields to farm or land to cultivate. According to elders, the first to propose controlling population growth was an ancestor named Wu Gongli during the early Qing Dynasty. He gathered all villagers in the drum tower for a meeting and set a village rule for future generations: each couple was allowed to have only two children. Anyone who violated this rule would be punished according to village regulations, and those who seriously exceeded the limit would be permanently expelled from the village, never allowed to return.

This village rule has been followed in Zhanyi for hundreds of years, and to this day, no one has dared to break it. Nowadays, on the first days of the second and eighth lunar months each year, all villagers gather in the drum tower to listen to the village elder’s admonishments, and the rules are passed down through Dong songs. Young men and women, when singing and courting at night, are also required to first sing songs about controlling population growth, ensuring that this custom is passed down from generation to generation, reaching the hearts of every descendant.

Today, many songs promoting population control and family planning are popular in Zhanyi. For example: “One tree hosts one nest of birds; an extra nest leads to hunger,” “Too many sons mean no land to farm, and no wives to marry; too many daughters mean no silver to give, and no grooms to find,” “Humans can give birth, but the land cannot.” These lyrics carry profound meanings, offering endless food for thought and inspiration.

This village rule, beneficial for the peace and harmony of the entire community, has been steadfastly upheld by generations, forming a unique birth control tradition among the people of Zhanyi. Population experts have called it "China's No. 1 Village for Population Culture."

As early as over 100 years ago, Marx proposed the theory that population production should adapt to material production. Yet, an ordinary Dong village in western China’s Guizhou recognized centuries ago that the level of social productivity could not develop infinitely and understood the simple truth of a "moderate population." This must be acknowledged as a miracle of natural life. Here, having only two children per couple has become a consciously followed principle by every family of childbearing age, a shared consensus among all. Their advanced population awareness and philosophically simple thinking have truly achieved gender equality and a balance between people and land. Women here are widely respected, and the preference for sons over daughters has almost completely disappeared. Zhanyi can be described as a blend of feudalism and civilization.

In Zhanyi, there is also a puzzling mystery: 98% of families have given birth to one boy and one girl. Is this the will of heaven? A result of the Zhanyi people’s dedication to medical exploration, or just pure coincidence? This timeless mystery remains unsolved to this day. However, it is an undisputed fact that the Zhanyi people use traditional herbal medicine and secret formulas for birth control and gender selection. They call this ancestral secret formula "Huanshacao" (Herb of Exchange), which has been passed down through generations, taught only from mother to daughter, never to sons. It is said that only one elderly woman in her 80s in the entire village knows this secret formula and never reveals it to outsiders. It is absolutely impossible for outsiders to learn these ancestral secrets, and even the village men are unaware of what it is. Of course, with the progress of the times, modern methods such as intrauterine devices and sterilization are also accepted here.

Is "Huanshacao" really so magical? Can it truly achieve the goal of controlling the sex of a baby? Could such a wonderful formula actually exist in this vast world? We dare not make hasty judgments. But what is thought-provoking is that the Zhanyi people’s millennia-long pursuit of a balance between men and women, their reverence for the concept of yin-yang equilibrium, is not precisely the goal that modern civilized societies strive for—harmony between humans and nature? Perhaps it is a materialized symbol of the Zhanyi people’s long and arduous journey in population control, reflecting their simple and exploratory views on reproduction.

Zhanyi Village: Zhanyi Village is 15 kilometers from the county seat and 22 kilometers from the township government seat. The village has a total of 179 households, 8 villager groups, and 837 people. Zhanyi Village is China’s No. 1 Village for Family Planning Culture. It neighbors Bapai Village to the east, Tuoli Village to the south, Fuzao Village to the west, and Wuyi Village of Guping Township to the north. Roads, electricity, and radio/television are all available, and tap water is under construction.

The village collective economy comes from tourism and fir forests. There are 78 villagers working in Guangdong, with an average annual income of 3,200 yuan. The village has 24 Party members, including 2 female Party members and 3 Party members under 35 years old. Junior high school education and above... Zhanyi Village detailed information++