The Dong

 

The Dong people are one of the 55 minority people groups of mainland China. According to the 1990 census, there are about 2,514,000 Dong in China. They live in remote mountain valleys along meandering streams in Guizhou, Hunan, Guangxi provinces of southwest China.

 

The Dong wear clothing made of home-spun and home-dyed cloth. The cloth is hammered and beaten until it shines. Dong women wear simple clothes mainly in green, blue, purple and white. On important occasions women wear chokers of many strands, necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings and silver ornaments of fine and decorative designs.

 

They tend to cluster by families or as clans in villages. These villages may contain anything up to 600 families and a typical village will consist of families having only one or two surnames.

 

They are ancestor-worshippers. They revere many gods and spirits. Certain trees, rocks and sites are considered sacred. The Dong are famous for their carpentry skills, and there are two structures unique to Dong society: the Drum Tower and Wind and Rain Bridge. The Drum Tower is the highest and most cherished building in the village, functioning as a place for public meetings as well as the center of social activity. The covered Wind and Rain Bridge (Fengyu Bridge) also serves as a meeting place, a rest area for weary travelers, and a shelter from bad weather.

 

The Dong are essentially an agricultural society. In irrigated fields and on steep mountain terraces, they grow rice, wheat, millet, maize and sweet potatoes. The most important cash crops are cotton, tobacco, rapeseed and soya beans.