China Folk Culture Villages

China Folk Culture Villages

Covering an area of over 200,000 square meters, China Folk Culture Villages is China’s first large-scale cultural tourism destination that brings together folk arts, ethnic customs, and traditional architecture from various ethnic groups in one park. It features 25 villages representing 22 ethnic groups, all built to a 1:1 scale. Through ethnic performances, displays of traditional handicrafts, and the regular hosting of major folk festivals—such as the Chinese Ethnic Culture Fair, the Water-Splashing Festival, the Torch Festival, the Xishuangbanna Culture Month, and the Inner Mongolia Culture Week—visitors can experience the authentic, rich, and colorful traditions and customs of China’s ethnic groups from multiple perspectives. This allows them to fully appreciate the soul and charm of the Chinese nation. With the profound concept of “Twenty-five Villages, Fifty-six Ethnic Flavors,” China Folk Culture Villages has earned the reputation of being the “Museum of Chinese Folk Culture.”

Located west of Splendid China in Shenzhen, China Folk Culture Villages now also features bamboo houses of the Dai people, stone houses of the Buyi people, and more. Opened to the public in October 1991, the village covers an area of 158,000 square meters and includes 24 villages representing 21 ethnic groups, becoming a nationally representative museum of the cultural characteristics of China’s 56 ethnic groups.

All 24 villages are built to a 1:1 scale, offering visitors an immersive experience. Here you’ll find traditional Han Chinese memorial archways and Beijing-style courtyard homes. The villages of China’s ethnic minorities are even more distinctive—busy young men and women from the Miao, Dong, Yao, Wa, Li, and Jingpo ethnic groups warmly welcome guests from both China and abroad. The unique architectural styles of the Bai, Tibetan, Naxi, Korean, and Gaoshan peoples’ homes attract visitors to take photos nonstop. There are also the stone villages of the Buyi, the wooden cabins of the Mosuo, the “mushroom houses” of the Hani, the bamboo houses of the Dai, the yurts of the Kazakhs, the floating markets of the Tujia, the Mongolian yurts of the Mongolians, the Tibetan monasteries, the “tuzhang houses” of the Yi people, and more—all drawing countless visitors inside to learn about the local customs and ways of life of China’s many ethnic groups.

You can also see wooden bridges from Yangzhou, stone bridges from Zhejiang, the wind-and-rain bridges of the Dong people, and vine bridges of the Derung people. In addition, you can admire coconut groves in Hainan and ancient banyan trees in Xishuangbanna. If you’re lucky, you might witness the Dai Water-Splashing Festival, the Yi Torch Festival, the Hui Flower Festival, or the Lisu Knife Pole Festival. In short, in less than half a day, you can feast your eyes on the villages of China’s various ethnic groups, learn about their customs, and even sample their local snacks.

China Folk Culture Villages is the first in China to gather folk arts, ethnic customs, and Dong villages...

...traditional dwellings in one large cultural tourist area, covering 200,000 square meters and adjacent to Splendid China. It currently features 24 typical ethnic villages, all constructed to a 1:1 landscape scale. When visiting the Folk Culture Villages, stay alert—you might just become the groom in the “Hometown of Ashima” of the Yi Village, get completely soaked during the Water-Splashing Festival if you’re not careful, or become a featured character in the “Magical Awa Mountain” of the Wa Village. Here you can learn traditional handicraft-making, taste ethnic cuisine, watch live horse battle performances like “A Generation of Heroes,” the grand ethnic music and dance show “Oriental Splendor,” and the large-scale square art performance “Dragons and Phoenixes Dancing in China.” You can also personally experience the unique appeal of the Horqin grass-sledding field, waterfall ziplining, and other folk activities.

At China Folk Culture Villages, you can see landscapes such as Yunnan’s Stone Forest, Hainan’s coconut groves, ancient banyan trees of Nanbin, the Thousand-Hand Thousand-Eye Guanyin statue, Huizhou’s memorial archway complex, and laser-powered ethnic music fountains. The scenic area features rolling mountains, cascading waterfalls, winding green waters, and boats crisscrossing the streams. Visitors can explore the Folk Culture Villages by vehicle, on foot, or by boat. Amidst this picturesque landscape, the village hosts a large-scale ethnic festival once a month—each celebration grand, romantic, joyous, and auspicious—allowing you to fully enjoy the festive atmosphere and appreciate the poetic beauty of life among China’s ethnic groups.

Performances at 80 scenic spots are all presented by local ethnic actors. The village holds a major ethnic festival—such as the Torch Festival or the Water-Splashing Festival—once a month. In this grand collection of traditional dwellings, the boat-shaped houses of the Li people and the stilted grass homes of the Wa people complement the Splendid China miniature scenic area.

The intricate carvings of the Bai people’s “three rooms and one screen wall” and the Han people’s “courtyard homes” showcase the high artistry of traditional Chinese residential architecture. Surrounding these homes are expanses of Hainan’s coconut groves, towering ancient banyan trees of Xishuangbanna, peacocks displaying their plumage, and strolling elephants. Visitors can explore the “village” by vehicle, on foot, or by boat.

In the villages, aside from learning about the architectural styles of different ethnic groups, visitors can also enjoy and participate in ethnic song and dance performances, traditional handicraft workshops, and ethnic cuisine tastings. They can also watch large-scale artistic performances, professional-level song and dance galas, folk culture exhibitions, and popular programs that showcase the colorful cultures and arts of China’s 56 ethnic groups. The Folk Culture Villages houses over ten craft workshops and offers demonstrations of more than twenty types of folk handicrafts and snack-making, such as Uyghur embroidery, Miao batik, and Dai bamboo-tube rice. When night falls, the magnificent ethnic song and dance performances begin—the lively drum bands, agile dragon lantern teams, humorous folk performances, and elegant ethnic fashion parades slowly make their way through the village. The ethnic music fountain sprays multicolored water jets in sync with the music, while beams of light in the night sky immerse visitors in a wave of joy and the poetic beauty of life among China’s ethnic groups.

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