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Dong minority big song is a kind of very rare folk choral music in the world today, multi-sound, no conductor, no accompaniment, and known as “the sound of nature ". The Dong or Kam People are internationally renowned for their polyphonic choir singing called Kgal Laox in their own language, which can be literally translated as Kam Grand Choir in English, and Dong minority big song(侗族大歌) in Chinese. The Kam Grand Choir has been enlisted by the UNESCO as a world-class intangible cultural heritage since 2009. In September 1993, the Xiaohuang Village was named as the township of Dong Songs by Guizhou Provincial Department of Culture and “hometown of Chinese folk art” by the State Ministry of Culture in 1996.
There are a lot of masters of songs in Xiaohuang village. There is 68-year-old Grandma, who is one of the masters of songs, also, the national non-material cultural Dong minority big song inheritor, can sing 300 dong songs, and have taught thousands of new singers.
8:11 in the morning, the grandma go to pick indigo plants which used to dye her own Dong clothing on the uphill.
When she was young, she reclaimed a piece of land to grow indigo plants. Now she has to climb to the slope to pick the indigo plants, it is rather hard for an old to do so.
Picking indigo plants: indigo plants are the natural vegetable dyes for Dong people dyeing. Soak in a bucket, and plants rot in a few days, then water becomes cyan, remove the slag, adding the right amount of lime, agitation, what settle down is the dyeing dye.
In this way, a few days a time, collected enough amount of the plant, and go on the next step of the dyeing
Before soak indigo, collected indigo floating debris made a few days ago first, and placed inside the bags.
Poured out the water, and collect the precipitate at the bottom of the barrel, which is the indigo
Put the floating objects and precipitation in the bags
Put the fresh indigo plant picked in the morning in the bucket, soak water
It was 10:00 after well-soak this barrel. A few days later, this bucket of water will turn cyan, and then add some lime, coming up with some dye later. The production of dyes is not easy, such a vat, the final indigo dye is about one kilogram, and to dye a cloth, then should need a few barrels.
The elderly was too busy to attend to wipe the sweat on her face, but just said that it was a good day, she had to sun the spinning.
After lunch, the elderly excited to show me the photos, while telling me the situation when she went to Beijing to attend the 2010 Chung Yeung Festival elderly Chinese Art Troupe theatrical performances.
In 2009, China's Ministry of Culture awarded her national intangible cultural heritage project Dong minority big song representative inheritor’s certificate.
In 2009, China's Ministry of Culture awarded her national intangible cultural heritage project Dong minority big song representative inheritor’s medal.
In 14:00, it was time for her to sewn clothes.
Although she has been 68-year-old, but the action is very deft.
The Elderly introduced that generally speaking, if the cotton inside layer of fabric is blue, it is the women’s clothes, but if it is white, it is male’s clothes.
Making shoes is a meticulous work, and it should take more than two months to make a pair of shoes.
The elderly showed me that a pair of shoes she spent two months time to make, this pair of shoes is all handmade, and the cloth embroidered pattern is very exquisite.
She is famous mistress of embroidery.
Steamed Fragrant Glutinous Rice in the evening: Fragrant Glutinous Rice is a kind of rare rice protected by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The village is full of peace at night
At night, there are always groups of students coming to learn the dong song.
There are two time to learn song in Xiaohuang Village: First, annual the second day the Chinese New Year to the fifteenth; second, annual song competition held on August 15; during which young people will learn a lot of songs.
At ordinary times, the songs of heritage need the masters to teach the songs.
There’s no specific "teach" time of the Dong Songs, all in their own spare time grant of songs, voluntary. They are silently making a great contribution for Dong cultural heritage.