Carp Miao Ethnic Culture Village and Carp Lake

　　Carp Miao Ethnic Culture Village and Carp Lake are located within Tunjiao Town, approximately 15 kilometers from the county seat. The Tun (jiao) to Ba (ling) highway crosses over the eastern part of the lake. With a convenient location and easy access, the area has seen an increasing number of visitors year by year and has become a highlight of west-route tourism in the three provinces of Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. It is also the most developable tourism resource in Xingren County. This site can be developed into a comprehensive tourist park integrating sightseeing, ethnic culture, leisure vacation, and summer retreats, complete with supporting facilities for dining, accommodation, entertainment, and activities. It offers visitors a place to return to, immerse in, and enjoy nature.

　　Carp Lake was originally called Sanjiao Dam Reservoir. It was first built in 1958 and put into use in 1966 as a key water storage project. The dam is a homogeneous earth-fill structure, 65 meters long, 21 meters high, and 5 meters wide at the top. It has a catchment area of 10.07 square kilometers, a water surface covering 777 mu (approximately 51.8 hectares), and a total storage capacity of 4.08 million cubic meters. The lake lies upstream of the dam.

　　It extends eastward and westward along the valley, stretching 1.99 kilometers in length and 50–200 meters in width on the eastern side, and 1.8 kilometers in length and 50–180 meters in width on the western side. Branches and inlets form several sizable bays that resemble two giant blue dragons playfully chasing treasure with their heads raised and tails swaying. Carp Lake is currently the largest water storage and irrigation project in Xingren County. With its long, broad waters, branching inlets, winding bays, clear and deep lake water, and gently rolling hills covered in lush pine and fir forests, the area presents a naturally beautiful landscape. The unique mountain shapes around Carp Lake are striking, with year-round streams in the valleys, peaks encircling the farmland, and shrubs densely covering the summits, lending the protruding ridges a uniquely charming and refreshing appearance. The wide field of vision and fresh environment enhance the area’s appeal. What makes the mountains of Carp Lake truly distinctive is that each peak stands alone with its own character — some resemble crouching tigers or coiled dragons, others like a proud golden rooster or a young Miao girl, and some even like a drunkard lying on the ground... Especially during early June mornings when the area is veiled in mist, or in the golden sunset hours of October, climbing to the top of any peak offers a dynamic and ever-changing view of the mountain ridges. As the saying goes, “mountains are nothing without water, and water lacks beauty without mountains.” Carp Lake is embraced by mountains and reflects them in its waters, perfectly capturing the essence of landscape charm — a true earthly paradise.

　　Around Carp Lake, Buyi and Miao villages are dotted across the landscape, complemented by idyllic rural scenes and rich ethnic culture. The area harmoniously blends natural features such as mountains, water, forests, lake bays, and farmland with vibrant ethnic customs, offering picturesque scenery, a refined ambiance, and unique appeal. It boasts abundant tourism resources. The lakeside is home to over 200 original and simple Miao households, comprising more than 1,000 people. Their clothing, jewelry, hand-embroidered crafts, and distinctive lifestyle reflect the simplicity, richness, and diversity of Miao culture. The attire of the Carp Miao people is relatively uniform, especially among the women who wear splendid traditional dress. The Carp Miao costumes make full use of exquisite weaving, embroidery, and batik techniques, forming a cultural masterpiece that remains ever vibrant. Among them, the Miao hand-embroidered neckties, developed as ethnic craft tourism products, are sold both domestically and abroad. From the colorful patterns of their clothing, one can see reflections of the blue sky, white clouds, exotic flowers, and unusual rocks. Natural and human landscapes blend seamlessly, nurturing the Miao people's aesthetic values and cultivating their noble sentiments. The ethnic dances of the Carp Miao are rich and varied. They can be categorized by age — dances for the elderly, youth, and children — or by content, including dances reflecting pastoral and hunting life or mimicking animal behavior, ritual dances, dances depicting daily production, and war-themed dances. The most representative dances are the Bench Dance and the Lusheng Dance. Both are fast-paced, lively, and feature bold, unrestrained movements that convey the straightforward, enthusiastic temperament and indomitable spirit of the Miao people. The Miao Bench Dance is performed not only in villages and fields, under moonlit nights, or during festivals, but also in county towns, prefectural capitals, provincial cities, Urumqi in Xinjiang, Beijing, and even internationally. These performances have showcased unique style and national pride, earning widespread acclaim from both domestic and international audiences. At the First National Minority Games held in Urumqi, Xinjiang, the Carp Miao Bench Dance was performed as part of the Miao ethnic performance team during the opening ceremony and received high praise. In 1994, the Carp Miao Bench Dance participated in the opening ceremony of the National Minority Sports Games and won a silver medal for performance. In 1992, the Bench Dance was performed by the Qianxinan Prefecture Ethnic Song and Dance Troupe at the International Folk Art Festival in Italy and was highly appreciated by overseas audiences. Since 1990, Carp Lake has hosted over 80 tour groups from Europe, America, Japan, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, with more than 800 visitors in total. In April 1997, a crew from the “China Expo” television series specially came to film a program featuring the local ethnic culture and crafts of Carp Lake, which was later broadcast on Hong Kong Star Chinese Channel. Some foreign tourists have shown great interest in Carp Lake and have visited multiple times. For example, Ms. Henna from Los Angeles, USA, has been to Carp Lake three times,

　　and Mr. Kitagawa Tentei from Japan has visited four times,

　　demonstrating that the tranquil lake views and the rich, traditional ethnic culture of Carp Lake possess a unique charm that deeply attracts overseas visitors.