Zaidang Dong village

　　About 20 kilometers away from the county center of Rongjiang lies Zaidang village surrounded by mountains. The erect old maple trees, murmuring creek and beautiful local scenery of farmlands form the unique picture of the village. The Dong people living here belong to the Miaolanzaidong tribe which is one of the six biggist branches of Dong. They not only have the peculiar character in their custumes but also keep the tranditional construction of Dong people. what's more their customes are well kept. Dong people are famous for the Big songs. The lyrics of the songs are mainly about love stories, the stories of Dong hero, the real life and history as well as the beautiful nature. The famale big song is slender and lyrical while the male big song is deep and powerful. When performing, there is usually a woman leading the song, then followed by the chorus. The free rhythm and changeable tunes are performed in harmony mading the big song a treasure in the musical world.
　

　　　When walking on the blue flagstone stone streets in the village, you will have a feeling of sobriety and primitive simplicit of the village. The construction of Dong people kept their trandition very well, and the houses with wooden balusrade show the features of constuction of Dong people perfectly. They are wooden structured with the height of about 2 meters and width of about 1 meter. The first floor is used to raise livestocks or to store firywoods. People usually live in the second floor.
The Dong's drum tower in Zaidang village built in the Qing dynasty is majestic and unique structured. The flower window can be seen on the lowest floor of the drum tower with the patterns of various flowers and birds.
　　

　　　Zaidang Dong village is known as "the ocean of songs". The famous big song is so wonderful and the custom of Dong people is also very interesting. To take their custom of the marrage for exemple: during the ceremony of their wedding, the bride and the bridegroom do not do obeisance to parents and the shire they don't spend the night together either. Some couples would spend several days together and then the bride would come back to her own family. She was called back by the families of the bridegroom during the busy seasons of farm work or on the festivals.After that the bride would come backe to her family again. When the bride was found pregnant , she can live with her husband.
　

　　　For Dong people, there is the custom called "Jisa". "sa"is the respected goddess called "sax sis" or "sax mags" who can guarantee the security of the villagers and make the livestock grow very well even determine everything. The activitiy "Jisa" ,inherited from the period of matriarchal clan socioty is to memorize the goddess. Tea, wine, meat, dishes,ghost money paper and candles are usually carried for sacrifice. When finished, people would have a meal together. Then, the married women would be hand in hand to form a circle and sing the folk song called "Duoye" in order to pay the tribute to "Sax mags"and to wish her longevity so as to save villagers.

　　　Except for "Jisa", another festival called Washing buffalo festival is worth knowing that is also called sacrifice buffalo or washing the body of buffalo. It is on the sixth day of the sixth lunar calendar. On the festival, people would kill chicken or ducks to sacrifice the buffalo divinity in order to impetrate auspiciousness and good fortune. To kill chiken or ducks depends on the buffalo they feed. If the family raise water buffalo,they will kill duck because duck can stay in the river as the water buffalo. And, the chiken will be killed for sacrifice if the yellow buffalo that usually live on the land is raised in the family. On the festival, the water buffalo will be pulled to the river to wash dirts on her body. It is said that such activity is for the people to express thanks to the buffalo who comtributes a lot to the villagers' farm work.. Therefor, the Washing buffalo festival became one of the popular festivals among Dong people.