Editor Pick
Guangxi Minorities Cultural Relics Center
During our last full day in Nanning, our tour guide, Michael, arranged a visit to the Guangxi Minorities Cultural Relics Center. In Guangxi, 11 minority groups thrive, including the Miao, Dong, Zhuan, and Maonan groups. We arrived at the center where a Miao minority song and dance performance had begun. Unfortunately, we caught the tail end of the show but learned that the last show would start at around 11:30am.
To spend our time before returning to the outdoor performance area, we decided to explore the two-story museum, which housed several minority relics. As we climbed the steps to the second floor, we spied several bronze drums in a large exhibition hall. The Dong minority used drums profusely in their culture. Along the ancient drums’ edges sat bronze frogs. The Dong people used frogs to foretell their future. The people would bury a frog alive and after a few days, would dig up the dead frog’s carcass to examine the bones. If the bones turned a certain color, they could tell the person’s future. We asked the tour guide if frogs still played an important part in the Dong people’s lives today and she answered that they do.
After exploring a few more rooms, Michael quickly hurried us down to the outdoor performance area, consisting of a bamboo home-like structure with a concrete courtyard in front. The sunken courtyard had small wooden stools along the top edge so that we could sit during the performances.
Soon, the PA system blared some contemporary Chinese music and seven girls, approximately 12-years-old, walked out into the courtyard wearing bright green pantsuits, indigenous costumes. They each held a bright red ball with red tassels and one long string. They performed what I now call the “Wedding Ball Dance” because each girl held a wedding ball and swung it around during the dance. The Miao minority group practices a tradition where girls have a wedding ball, throw it at the man to whom they would like to marry and the man must respond within three days. At the end of this particular dance, none of the girls threw their wedding balls, and I breathed a sigh of relief since I thought they were too young to get married.
After the “Wedding Ball Dance,” another group of about seven girls, also about 12-years-old, walked out into the courtyard wearing black suits and elaborate headdresses. Each girl carried a red paper parasol. They started to sing a Miao lullabye a cappella, in which they mimicked different animal sounds. They sang beautifully, harmonized in perfect pitch, and moved in unison as they sang. This performance won over most of us in the audience.
After the performance, we walked around the grounds, exploring the beautiful Chinese bridge and park-like surroundings. Several couples posed for their wedding portraits in this area because of its picturesque settings. We found this a perfect ending to a rewarding week.
From journal Exploring Nanning, Southwestern Chinese Capital