Modernization vs Traditions

Earlier last month during the Chinese national holiday, I had the opportunity to visit some remote villages in Guizhou which is home to dozens of ethnic minority groups in southwest China. One of the largest groups is the Miao group. About half of China's Miao population of 3.6 millions live in Guizhou. With a history of over 4,000 years, the Miao group is one of the oldest of China's ethnic groups. Traditions and customs were passed on by singing and dancing.

Living mainly in mountainous regions, the Miao people live off farming and animal husbandry. They are famous for their hospitality, and community spirit. Families will work on each other's farms during harvesting or planting seasons, and during construction projects, half of the village will show up to help on the project.The Miao group, especial women, has distinctive and beautiful clothing. Men wear a short jacket and trousers while Miao women wear a blouse or long coat, long trousers with at least one skirt, broad waistbands, embroidered shoes, and various silver pieces attached to the clothing. 

Of special note are the headdresses worn by the women. When a couple has a daughter, they would start saving money to have a silver headdress. According to tradition, silver is a symbol of light and can scare off evil spirits and during a daughters first bath, a piece of silver is dropped into the water to ensure the child will be healthy and wealthy. Miao people are known for their embroidery. Young Miao girls are taught to embroider by their grandmother. To complete a complete set of Miao clothing usually takes a woman one to two years. Because the Miao people did not have a written language many of their legends, religion, and stories are incorporated into their embroidery designs. The most impressive piece of clothing is saved for major festivals. It is known as the Miao hundred bird coat. It is embroidered with hundreds of birds and dragons.

Men from Miao playing lusheng flutes, a reed-pipe wind instrument, during the Festivals or ceremony. During our visit to Baibei Miao Village, there was also an exciting bull fighting. The entire village from elders or babies were sitting around an oval shaped bull fighting arena cheering. The bull looked extremely well fed and groomed with shiny skin and large horns. Once they are in the area, they fought fearlessly, sometimes had to be separated with ropes by over a dozen of young men to avoid serious injuries to the fighting bulls.

Similar to the rest of China, or many parts of the world, life in the small villages has been experiencing dramatic changes during the past few decades. On the one hand, connection by paved roads and modern communications have allowed the villagers to have access to modern means to connect with the rest of the world, indicated by the fact that every small vendors during my trip were connected via WeChat mobile payment system for merchant activities and communication. On the other hand, young people are becoming an increasingly rare sight in rural areas – and those who are born in small enclaves often leave for professional and cultural opportunities elsewhere.The exodus of young people means that villages are left without a next generation to whom they can pass along traditions, including trades. As a result, many of the beautiful traditions and cultures are facing the danger of disappearance. 

It is a decision facing many of the traditional society in the rest of world as well. 

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