Exultant Gathering of Yao

The picturesque views combining with mountains， waters and caves， as well as abundant natural mineral resources all add to Bama’s uniqueness. Apart from these， Bama also boasts a diverse array of cultural tradition kept alive and preserved by its people. As one of the most beautiful and isolated places， Bama is home to a dozen minority groups including Yao， Zhuang， Mulao and Maonan who lead a simple and peaceful life. Traditions such as Zhuang Singing Festival on March 3rd by the lunar calendar， and Yao people’s primitive customs like acacia smoke， crossbow shooting， throwing Xiuqiu （a ball made of strips of silk） and playing gyroscope endow the county with diverse and rich ethnic cultural heritages.

Yao nationality is a typical minority living in the mountainous region of Bama. They are divided into several branches， such as Landian Yao （people who wear indigo clothes）， Fan Yao （people who favor dazzling and attractive adornments） and Baiku Yao （people in white trousers）.

Isolated by huge mountains， people of Yao don’t like going out and socializing， offering few opportunities to people from the outside world to get close to them. That is one of the reasons why the Yao have maintained their indigenous culture for thousands of years and preserved numerous primitive tribal relics till today， which have become precious samples of ethnologic and anthropologic researches. As one of the branches of Yao nationality， Landian Yao has long been recognized by the UNESCO as an ethnic group that preserves the most complete national culture. Praised as the “living civilization fossils”， Baiku Yao call themselves “Duonuo”， which means descendants of Yao nationality.

Clothes differ according to the regions where they live. However， their clothes are mainly made of blue cloth with various pictorial designs on the fabric. However， owing to the climate， sap is available only in the sticky cream trees growing in Bama County. As a result， Yao people are the rare people who could have such fancy dyeing technique. As early as in the Records of Geography of Book of Sui Dynasty （581-618）， Landian Yao， the ancient branch of Yao nationality， was depicted as this： Men and women wear blue and black clothes dyed with the extract of baphicacanthus cusia brem. Like many other branches of Yao nationality， Landian Yao is also named after the costume they wear — their unique “indigo clothes”. It is a complex process to draw patterns with such a dye. This becomes a unique skill in the costume culture of Yao. Many people are curious about the big square pattern embroidered on Yao’s coats.

The name “Baiku Yao” comes from the dressing habit of men in Baiku Yao who typically dress in black shirts and white middle pants， the legs of which are embroidered with fiery-red lines of various lengths， resembling the five fingers. This pattern originated from a historical story that when the head of Yao nationality fought against other clans， he left his blood fingerprints on his pants. In order to memorize his bravery and loyalty for the nationality， these blood fingerprints are embroidered on the white pants of men， showing that they have inherited their head’s heroic spirit. Gradually， this pattern has become the totem of their clan. Different from the men’s dressing habits， women wear hanging clothes without sleeves， which are made up of two pieces of cloth， one piece over the chest and the other over the back.

Entering the villages of Yao， you may feel like travelling back to the virgin days of human society， where forest-clad mountains and placid lakes stretch around the orderly cottages. Walking in this beautiful and vibrant place， you may wonder if you have already been in a remote paradise.

Bama County is regarded as one of the most attractive tourism destinations that carry most of the national characteristics in Guangxi.With the reform and opening up in recent years， the local government has established a good relationship with the people of Yao dwelling in deep mountains. Gradually， tourism festivals begin to flourish， among which the Zhuzhu Festival of Fan Yao and the Panwang Festival of Landian Yao are the ones most worth mentioning.

As the home of Yao ethnic group， Bama has preserved abundant Yao traditional customs. In honor of Miluotuo， the Creator in Yao’s belief， Zhuzhu Festival， previously known as the Danu Festival falling on the 29th day of the fifth month by the lunar calendar， is the biggest traditional festival for the Yao ethnic group to mark the beginning of local New Year. On that day， a wide range of activities， including folk customs involving spinning top， crossbow shooting and other competitions， will be organized for a three-day celebration， which displays the profound culture and spirit of the Fan Yao. Among the colorful crowds， the most eye-catching thing is those girls dressing in their national costumes and elegantly walking in the streets as if they are on a fashion show. Time flies and the night comes. The bustle and excitement of the day come to a temporary halt till the evening lights are lit.

On the 16th day of the tenth month of Chinese lunar calendar， Landian Yao people in splendid Yao attire gather to worship and express their reverence to their mythological ancestor Panwang. With a history of more than 1，700 years， the Panwang Festival has gradually developed into an occasion to celebrate the harvest. Usually， activities for the celebration last for seven days and nights， featuring a variety of art forms， such as songs， dances with Yao style mask and other performances. The Tambourin Dance imitates hunting， housing， slashing， cultivating and other actions， vividly reproducing the lifestyle of Yao minority in the past. If food is the material wealth of the Bama people， then the folk songs they sing everyday are their intellectual assets. Singing folk songs encourages the elderly to maintain an open mind and helps them get rid of anger and anxiety. All people， regardless of age， will participate in the song contest. It is the best entertainment for local people to keep young， physically and mentally.

Nowadays， the elderly also come together to sing folk songs for tourists. Sometimes， many sit at the doors of their houses， becoming a living advertisement of their healthy lifestyle. All in all， the moralities of diligence， faithfulness， hospitality and braveness have been handed down from generation to generation by the Yao people， and have become their typical characteristics.