Yangshuo was unforgivingly cold on this day, and it was the very last full day of touring in Yangshuo for us. We would be pushing a full day program of activities. The day was cold and misty, but the scenery of Yanshuo took on an appearance that was poetic like a Chinese ink painting. Its karst peaks never fail to exhibit the beauty that is said to top the world.

The Moon Mountain

Located at the end of the Ten Mile Gallery, the Moon Mountain is well known as one of the most picturesque sceneries in Yangshuo. It is said that, when you observe the see-through hole as you drive along the Ten Mile Gallery, the shape changes from new moon, half-moon and to full moon. We took a stop to take photographs there.

At a height of 380 meters, the Moon Mountain is climbable. You may ascend the mountain on a flight of 800 steps. The wonder with which the Moon Mountain acquired its name is the see-through archway near the top of the mountain. It measures 50 meters in width and height, but only a few meters in thickness.

It is worth a stop there to take pictures, but picture taking would take only about 15 minutes. We packed some good coffee to go. A large group of school children also stopped by in those early morning hours. They headed right off to a touristy restaurant for their breakfast. The vibe was jovial, but the cold lingered on.

The Dong Minority Village of Malinggu

There was a debate back and forth with our driver Xiaohuang about the visit to a Dong minority village. He rather insisted that we went, and I did not quite understand why. My trouble is that my family is not exactly fluent in Mandarin. They most likely would not be able to get the full story of the minority even if the guide spoke super slowly. Yet my aunt expressed keen interest, and so we did visit the Dong Minority village of Malinggu.

Photo: The hill that lies right across from the Malinggu Village is called Turtle Hill, symolizing longevity.

It turned out to be a good decision. Those of us that were interested in learning about this minority took a lot out of their sharing. Those that did not care much, decided to buy the expensive handcrafted silverware. We each took what we liked from this tour.

The Dong Ethnic Minority of Yangshuo

Xiaohuang told me about the turf wars among the different ethnicities in this part of China. Those that won would take the flatland in the low grounds. The losers were relegated to the top of the mountains. The Dong ethnic minority were the ones that lost all battles and ended up in the mountaintops.

As with life itself, what you lose in some major respects, something else will come as a blessing. The people of Dong have the highest average in longevity by ethnicity. In the Long Hair village of the Red Yao minority, the way the women maintained their hair was the primary branding in both products and tourism. Similarly, in the Dong minority village the secret to a long life is the highlight.

The Malinggu Village

At the entrance of Malinggu Village, the villagers greeted us with a traditional guest welcoming ceremony. They toasted rice wine with us and said their greetings in the Dong language. In all of China, the population of the Dong ethnic minority number some 250,000 to 300,000. They were featured in the 1990s edition of the RMB 1 dollar note.

The Malinggu village is not the native habitat for the Dong minority village, as it is on the low ground area. The government allocated the land to the villagers to live and work. Their native habitat is up in the mountains.

The system goes like this. The villagers work in craftmaking and tourism in this area, designated as their “home away from home.” They are “paid” by credits. When someone buys a silverware, or pay for tourist activities, they earn the credits that will eventually allow them to bring their families to this village from their native habitat up on the mountains.

All the structures of Malinggu Village are made of wood. To prevent fire, the families living in their quarters here do not cook. They all eat at the canteen on site.

Besides being the site of tourism, this village area also provides the space for the villagers to engage in silverware and bamboo crafting, which are the traditional trades for the Dong ethnic minority. Most of the silverware craftsmen are men.

The administration of village affairs is handled by the women, even though the current village head is a man. They do not characterize themselves as a matriarchal society, so to speak, but like the Yao ethnic minority, the women of the village have an esteemed position as opposed to men. The children take the surname of the mothers (and this is a village of the surname Xu). When they refer to marriage, the Chinese phrase they use is “taking a husband” (in Chinese, a marriage is usually said as “taking a wife.”)

Silver in the Dong Minority

Silver is indispensable in the culture of the Dong minority. The Dong people wear silver, first and foremost, for health reasons. The lady that guided us told us that the color of the silver that they wear daily indicates the state of their health. When they have serious illnesses, the silverware will show a black hue. The older a woman is, the heavier the silver earrings that she wears. It is itself a sign of seniority and prestige in the village.

Silver is also the centerpiece of the bride gift for the Dong minority women. The man that seeks marriage with a Dong minority woman would present a set of silverwares. This set consists of two silver combs, two bangles, and one silver cup.

The silver combs serve as the “marriage certificate” for the couple, as married Dong women wear a silver comb in their hair. The bangles are for the bride and her mother, each having one. The one cup rhymes with the words “for the rest of life,” in Chinese, thus conveying the wish to be bound in marriage for life.

As to the secrets for longevity, there is a demonstration area in the village for gua sha, acupuncture and other alternative health remedies in traditional Chinese medicine, but we declined those.

Some Food for Thoughts

I bought a cute little something at the large silverware showroom at the village. I then showed Xiaohuang, “I bought something, you happy now?”

It is no news that tour guides will take a cut from the spending that their clients make at these showrooms. I thought Xiaohuang has kept the shopping to the very minimal already (we only did one session of shopping besides this one) and I appreciated that. But he tended to insist that we visit places that are very touristy. We wanted to see beautiful scenery.

“Ah Jie, you have to understand, they are very poor. This is the way to help them.”

I bet you that in all of his life there has never been anyone that could argue against that. Surely, the Dong people that work here lead basic lives. They are motivated mainly by the dream of being able to reunite with the older members of their families in the village located on the ground.

“Xiaohuang, I have visited the ethnic minority villages thirty years ago here in Guangxi. In those times, they asked for such basic things as clothes. I have seen their poorer days.”

Xiaohuang looked at me speechless. Few people that see China now understands the actual, astronomical dimensions of poverty alleviation that it has been able to accomplish. I have seen the villages up in the mountains thirty years ago. The Dong ethnic minority is given the opportunity to rise above poverty now, with the help of the local government. That is a laudable effort. But to call them poor, no, not relative to the position they were in before. Not relative to the poorest in the world now either.

I say this because the pricing of the silverware at this showroom is ridiculously high. The same pieces that we bought would cost a fraction at marketplaces like Taobao. They claim that these pieces are handmade and with quality assurance, yes, but chances are that they will list these same pieces for sale at other channels and at much lower prices as well.

I don’t question this way of handling the business. It’s just that charity isn’t the justification for us as buyers. If these silverwares are presented as a business, then we as buyers would only assess the pieces with the standards that we use for all other products, including aesthetics, craftsmanship, value, authenticity and price.

Suffice to say, that Xiaohuang was quite amazed that my cousin bought a set of silver tea ware for a whopping RMB 13,000.

Sources

Baidu baike on the Moon Mountain (Chin).