Episode topic: Legends of Guizhou: Listening to Ethnic Hosts: Lucia Guests: Howard、Ivan Duration: 40 minutes Audience: 1. Candidates preparing for the foreign language tour guide exam 2. Foreign language tour guides 3. Tourism industry practitioners 4. Travel enthusiasts 00:51 Welcome to Qian-YoYo, your go-to program for Guizhou English tour guiding. I’m your host, Lucia. In the next forty minutes, let’s embark on a journey across the land of Guizhou. Our topic today is Legends of Guizhou: Listening to Ethnic Voices. Known as a fairyland on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, Guizhou boasts world-famous natural wonders and picturesque landscapes, including Huangguoshu Waterfall and Libo Zhangjiang Scenic Area. 01:33Beyond the breathtaking landscapes, Guizhou is home to 17 ethnic groups that have lived here for generations, nurturing unique ethnic romance and timeless folk legends. Exquisite Miao silver ornaments, heavenly melodies of the Dong Grand Chorus, and the graceful tunes of Buyi traditional music — all these are precious cultural treasures of Guizhou. 02:00They embody distinct ethnic characteristics and carry the most genuine and heartfelt warmth of life hidden deep in the mountains. Now, please join me in welcoming our two special guests today — Howard and Ivan. 02:19Thank you so much for having us. It’s a great pleasure to share our stories and thoughts about Guizhou with all of you today. 02:40Hi everyone! I’m Ivan. I’m thrilled to be here today to share wonderful stories about Guizhou with you all. 02:53A very warm welcome to both of you. As foreign language tour guides, our daily work is closely connected with Guizhou’s rich and diverse ethnic cultures. We share local ethnic stories with global visitors in English, and pass on Guizhou’s unique cultural charm to the world. 03:15I believe both of you have visited countless distinctive ethnic villages across Guizhou, and communicated a lot with local ethnic communities while guiding tours. Among all the ethnic groups you’ve encountered, which one has left the deepest impression on you? 03:36Is there any unique cultural symbol or icon that can best represent this ethnic group? 03:53Most of my tour groups head to southeastern and southwestern Guizhou, where three autonomous prefectures are located in the southern part of the province. I’ve been arranging my schedule for early May, from May 1st to 3rd — it’s the Labor Day holiday, and also the time when local communities in southeastern Guizhou celebrate an important traditional festival: the Sisters’ Festival. It’s one of the most lively and representative festivals of the Dong people, full of ethnic customs and romantic traditions. 04:49During the festival, young men and women take part in the traditional courtship activity — Singing While Wandering. Young girls gather together, and young men come singing folk songs to court them. It’s such a romantic folk custom. 05:22Speaking of special ethnic groups in Guizhou, I’ve always been curious about the Chuanqing People. I looked up relevant information online, and found their historical origins have long been controversial. 05:38Thank you for your wonderful sharing. Every ethnic group in Guizhou has its own unique charm. Personally, I’m really fond of the Dong people. They are famous for three iconic cultural symbols: Dong Drum Towers, Wind-and-Rain Bridges, and the world-renowned Dong Grand Chorus. 06:00Dong villages are built entirely of pure wood, without any metal nails or joints. The drum tower is the spiritual and cultural center of every Dong village, serving as a venue for village meetings, celebrations and daily gatherings. Wind-and-Rain Bridges, decorated with exquisite carvings, shelter pedestrians from wind, rain and sunshine all year round. 06:17The Dong Grand Chorus is a precious intangible cultural heritage. It has no conductor and no musical accompaniment. Singers imitate the sounds of birds, running streams and all kinds of natural scenery, creating music that sounds like nature itself. The Dong people are born lovers of singing and dancing. 06:39They also have distinctive costumes, delicate silver ornaments, traditional weaving and exquisite handicrafts. Their food culture is also unique, especially sour fish and sour meat, which are classic Dong delicacies. The Dong people are warm, hospitable and keep their ancient traditions well-preserved to this day. 07:01Their simple lifestyle and profound folk culture make the Dong ethnicity truly unforgettable to every visitor. 07:15Many tourists are curious about Guizhou’s ethnic cultures but know very little about them. Most have only seen online photos of Miao silver ornaments and Dong drum towers, with little idea of the interesting stories and cultural connotations behind these landmarks. 07:36Today we’re going to talk about practical tips for foreign language tour guides when leading groups in Guizhou’s ethnic areas. Howard, you mentioned you interact most with the Miao people in your daily guiding work, and it’s the ethnic group you’d love to share with us today. 07:58Could you share your personal stories and special bond you have with the Miao people? 08:07Sure. I spend a lot of time touring around ethnic areas, and I’d like to share an interesting experience. A few years ago, I was invited by villagers in the mountainous area to attend a grand traditional festival — the Miao Drum Sacrifice Festival. It’s held once every 13 years, and the celebration lasts for three years in total. I happened to join the third and final year of the festival celebration. 08:46It was such a precious experience to be invited by local villagers. All Miao villagers dressed up in their finest costumes, circled around the drum to the rhythm of drumbeats, and joined in the grand celebration. Young Miao girls were dressed in the most gorgeous ethnic costumes and silver ornaments. 09:15Young men from neighboring villages were also invited, bringing with them the lusheng — a traditional bamboo wind instrument unique to the Miao and Dong people. As young girls danced in a circle on the square, young men followed along, many clearly fascinated by the young ladies. 09:42I watched a young man walking slowly beside the girl he admired, playing the lusheng nonstop for over an hour just for her. His sincere musical expression really touched the girl. 10:06This is part of the traditional Miao courtship custom. Later, the girl presented a flower sash to the young man as a token of affection. After the dancing and courtship, the parents of the young man and woman would meet to discuss their marriage, betrothal gifts and other wedding arrangements. It’s such a romantic and time-honored tradition. 10:58Wow, what a well-preserved ancient tradition. These festival customs have been passed down in villages for centuries. It was such a precious experience for me to witness it in person. 11:17Your sharing is truly touching. Those ordinary little details we often overlook are filled with warm cultural bonds, letting us gain new insights into the wisdom and life philosophy of the Miao people. Alright, now let’s turn to Ivan for his sharing. 11:35You spoke highly of the Chuanqing People earlier. Do you have any unforgettable guiding stories or unique insights into this special ethnic community? 11:58I first learned about the Chuanqing People in geography class. What impressed me most is that they mainly reside in Guizhou alone. They account for about 1.7 percent of Guizhou’s total population, and you can barely find settled Chuanqing communities in other provinces. 12:25You can hardly find such a settled community anywhere outside Guizhou. 12:30What a remarkable story. The culture of the Chuanqing People is filled with reverence for life and nature. Many of their little-known customs are time-honored traditions rooted deeply in their cultural identity. From daily communication with local residents to in-depth interpretation of cultural symbols, Ivan has given us a vivid introduction to this lesser-known group. 13:02I believe all listeners, just like me, have gained a brand-new understanding of the Chuanqing People. From a professional tour guide’s perspective, when you give on-site explanations in ethnic settlements, is there any ethnic group you always spend extra time introducing in detail? 13:39Why do you love sharing its stories with travelers? Which ethnic group do you prioritize introducing to tourists? Is it the Chuanqing People we just talked about? 13:58When I lead tour groups, I always introduce to visitors that there is a special community in Guizhou called the Chuanqing People. They are not officially recognized as one of China’s 56 ethnic groups, yet their ID cards are marked with “Chuanqing” as their ethnic identity. Their name derives from their traditional clothing style. 14:18They wear indigo blue long robes, which look nearly black in dim light, long enough to cover the knees. They coil their hair on top of the head fixed with silver threads, and traditionally wear straw sandals. They worship a mountain spirit totem in the image of a monkey, which has been passed down as their ancestral totem for generations. 14:58Historical records say their ancestors were once saved by monkeys, which is why the monkey totem is respected and even reflected on their costumes. The Chuanqing People are mainly concentrated in Bijie and Liupanshui in Guizhou. There are two mainstream theories about their historical origins. 15:18One theory holds that they are indigenous to Guizhou, known as ancient local tribes who have lived here since ancient times. Historical documents record they once lived alongside local tribes and fought side by side against the Qing Dynasty army in ancient times. Their costumes and living customs share many similarities with the Miao and other ethnic groups in Guizhou. 15:47The other theory dates back to the early Ming Dynasty. Emperor Zhu Yu
