Guandong Scenic Area

　　Guandong Scenic Area is a national 3A-level tourist attraction, located in the central part of Guandong Village, Linxi Township, 27 kilometers from the county seat. It is an important scenic area that highlights the Dong people’s collective guest hospitality cultural activities. Through the “Yueye” (visiting festival) events, it features folk customs such as road-blocking ceremonies, welcoming guests, lusheng dances, hundred-family banquets, antiphonal singing, storytelling, Duoye (group circle dancing), and overnight stays. Through mutual antiphonal singing of road-blocking songs, river songs, love songs, and drinking songs, as well as performances like Duoye, storytelling, pipa playing, lusheng competitions, and Dong opera, it showcases the talents of all participants, offering visitors a rich taste of Dong culture. The highlight is the Dong people’s highest form of welcome—the hundred-family banquet—which brings the Dong cultural experience to a climax.

　　“Dear guests, where do you come from? The Dong people warmly welcome you.” Every evening as the sun sets, on the steps in front of the drum tower square in Guanxiao Tun, Linxi Township, Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County, Guangxi, crisp and melodious Dong road-blocking songs ring out. Visitors ascend the steps to the drum tower square amid lusheng dances and road-blocking songs to join the “hundred-family banquet.” After years of effort, leveraging the village’s simple folkways and rich ethnic charm, Guanxiao Tun has been successfully developed into a Dong ethnic cultural “hundred-family banquet” tourism destination. The “hundred-family banquet” has become one of Sanjiang’s ethnic tourism products, attracting more and more visitors. The scenic area not only preserves and showcases ethnic culture but also generates income for local residents, with annual tourism revenue exceeding 600,000 yuan.

　　Several key attractions and highlights within the scenic area:

　　(1) Experience the Warmth of the Dong People in Guest Reception and Farewell

　　Road-blocking Antiphonal Singing and Songs to Retain Guests — “Road-blocking antiphonal singing” is a grand Dong ceremony for welcoming guests and represents the highest form of hospitality for visitors. “Road-blocking,” also known as “blocking the village gate,” involves setting up obstacles at the village entrance or main pathways to detain guests outside. The hosts first sing “road-blocking songs,” listing various reasons for stopping the guests, after which the female guests or young men respond in song, refuting these excuses in a call-and-response manner. Each time the guests answer a question or playful remark with a song, the hosts remove one obstacle until all barriers are cleared. Then, the host girls offer the guests drinks from cups or ox horns filled with wine, one by one, before guiding them into the village. When guests depart, groups of girls gather again at the village entrance to sing road-blocking songs to persuade them to stay. The hosts and guests bid farewell with heartfelt antiphonal songs. Finally, the departing guests throw candies to the hospitable hosts before leaving.

　　Lusheng Welcoming and Farewell — The lusheng is one of the ancient musical instruments beloved by the Dong people. Whenever distinguished guests arrive, the Dong people line up along the path to play the lusheng welcoming tune, signifying their warm welcome. When guests are about to leave, the farewell tune is played to express the hosts’ reluctance. The Dong people also play the lusheng during festivals, weddings and funerals, and harvest celebrations. Sometimes lusheng competitions are held, with dozens or even hundreds or thousands of lusheng played together, creating a spectacular scene.

　　(2) Appreciate Dong Music through the Lusheng Dance

　　In Dong regions, the lusheng dance is usually performed during festivals, ceremonies, or prayers for “favorable weather and peace,” or to celebrate grain and oil harvests. Performers, typically twenty to thirty in number, dress solemnly and beautifully, wearing leg wrappings, white pants, and bird-feathered garments. The lead and end performers hold umbrellas and wear red cloaks, swaying left and right to the beat of the lusheng while chanting incantations. The lusheng dance melodies are steady and majestic. The dance is divided into two parts: after dancing to the left, they then dance to the right. This is the lusheng dance.

　　Currently, there are 17 types of Dong lusheng. Large lusheng are used to play bass tones, fixed in place and standing tall, solemn and serious; medium and small lusheng play the main melodies, with the small ones also taking the lead. When large, medium, and small lusheng play together, their high and low tones interweave, creating a broad range, diverse pitches, and a magnificent atmosphere. The Dong people also play the lusheng during festivals, weddings and funerals, and harvest celebrations. Sometimes lusheng competitions are held, with dozens or even hundreds or thousands of lusheng played together, creating a spectacular scene.

　　(3) Experience the Rich Folk Culture of the Dong People through Dong Songs and Dances

　　Duoye — The oldest form of Dong song, traditionally performed during Spring Festival singing gatherings, major celebrations, or ceremonial events. During performances, men form a circle, linking arms and walking while singing, while women join hands in a circle, singing and walking as well. The lyrics of Duoye songs cover a wide range of topics and are generally divided into six categories: ceremonial Duoye, blessing Duoye, praise Duoye, ritual Duoye, antiphonal Duoye, and riddle Duoye. There are two performance styles: one features a solo lead with group response, and the other is group unison singing. Dong Duoye is also a form of group dance. The number of performers can vary. Men link arms behind each other’s shoulders, forming a circle, legs spread at a 30-degree angle, alternating feet, swaying with the music rhythm, nodding and stomping as they move in sequence. Women join hands in a circle, facing inward, singing while swaying and moving their steps to the right.

　　Love Song Antiphonal Singing — As night falls, the Leimian (young women) gather in groups in the stilted houses to do needlework, spin, or weave, waiting for their sweethearts. After dinner, three or five Leihan (young men) carry a niutuiqin (ox-leg lute) with a square lantern hanging from it to visit the Leimian’s homes for courtship and antiphonal singing. Through repeated interactions, they get to know each other and deepen their friendship. Sometimes, late into the night, the Leimian set up a stove, prepare oil tea or cook sweet porridge, and invite the elders in the family to join in the merriment. Over time, the Leihan and Leimian develop mutual respect and deepen their affection. Some become friends, while others become lifelong partners.

　　Dong Opera Performances — Dong opera originated during the Jiaqing and Daoguang eras of the Qing Dynasty. Its founder was Wu Wencai, a literati from the Dong ethnic group in Ladong Mountain Village, Liping County, Guizhou Province. He adapted two Dong opera scripts, “Mei Liangyu” and “Li Dan and Feng Jiao,” based on Han Chinese storytelling books and designed the vocal style on the foundation of Dong songs, thereby creating Dong opera. After its creation, Dong opera became very popular among the Dong people and quickly spread across Dong regions. Around 1875, Dong opera was introduced to Sanjiang County. Dong opera music includes traditional vocal styles such as “big interlude,” “small interlude,” “common melody,” “crying melody,” and “ending melody.” Instruments include erhu, niutuiqin, gongs, and drums. The performance style is relatively simple, with actors moving in figure-eight patterns on stage. After the 1940s, Dong opera incorporated strengths from other Han Chinese opera genres, enriching its performance forms and instrumental accompaniment, and has since remained very popular with audiences. To date, there are over 400 Dong opera plays, both old and new, with notable titles including “Qin Niangmei,” “Lengzi,” “Fu Kuan,” and “Meitao.”

　　Source: Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County Tourism Bureau