Many ethnic minorities has lived in Guizhou for generations, creating and developing colorful ethnic customs here. As a united and multi-ethnic country, China is a nation of 56 ethnic groups. Among them, 54 ethnic minorities can be found in Guizhou, such as the Miao, Buyi, Dong, Tujia, Yi, Gelao and Shui ethnic groups.

Miao is an ethnic group with a long history in China. It has experienced several large-scale, long-distance, and long-term migrations in history. Miao villages in Guizhou range from a few households to more a thousand households. Most of them live in hillsides or at the foot of mountains, and some of them live in paramos. Miao is an ethnic group good at singing and dancing. Sour Soup is one of the most distinctive cuisine in the Miao ethnic region. The delicious Sour Soup can be used to cook fresh melons, beans, and vegetables. There are many kinds of Miao medicine involving plants, animals, minerals, etc., most of which are herbal medicine. The tourist destinations with special characteristics in the Miao ethnic region include the world-famous Suojia Ecological Museum in Liuzhi Special Region, the Getu River Scenic Area in Ziyun County, and the Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village.

The Buyi ethnic group also has a long history and their ancestors can be traced back to the Neolithic period in Guizhou. Buyi villages were built near mountains and rivers. The folk songs of Buyi are distinctive, including narrative songs, work songs, rite songs and love songs. Buyi batik with beautiful patterns is a precious heritage in the treasure house of Chinese culture and art. In addition, their embroideries with beautiful colors and fine craftsmanship are fascinating too. The life of the Buyi people is full of artistic aesthetics. The characteristic tourist destinations in Buyi ethnic region include the “Plateau Pearl” Huaxi, the Huangguoshu Waterfall, the Xiaoqikong Bridge Scenic Zone and the Zhangjiang Canyon in Libo, the Yelang Lake in Puding, and the Azalea Lake Scenic Area in Changshun.

The Dong ethnic group is rich in literature and art. The Dong Ka Lau is a world-famous unaccompanied multi-part chorus. Dong textiles include brocade, ribbon, handkerchief and cloth. The “egg cloth”, dyed with indigo and then coated with egg white, is the natural clothing material of the Dong people. Dong buildings are usually built of stone and wood. The Drum Tower and the Fengyu Bridge are typical of Dong’s distinctive architectural art. The Qianhu Dong Village in Zhaoxing is the largest Dong village in China. The characteristic tourist destinations in Dong ethnic region include the Fengyu Bridge in Diping Town of Liping, the Drum Tower in Zengchong Town of Congjiang, and the Long’ao River Scenic Area in Cengong County.

The Yi ethnic group has a unique calendar called “October Solar Calendar” which divides a year into 10 months and a month into 36 days. The calendar is not based on the phases of the moon, but on the rotation of the earth around the sun, so the seasons of a year can be accurately divided. The Yi ethnic region has beautiful and distinctive scenery, including the famous Grass Sea, the Zhijin Cave, and the Baili Azalea Scenic Area.

The Yao ethnic group in Guizhou, live in deep mountains and dense forests, facing a changeable climate. Yao people often fight against wild animals, poisonous insects, and various pestilence diseases, so they have accumulated rich experience and medicines in healing wounds and bones, insect injuries, and many other diseases, forming a unique Yao medicine. For example, the Panyao medicinal bath in Congjiang is very famous. The potion for the medicinal bath is derived from dozens of Yao herbal medicine. Yao also has a unique architecture style, representatives of which include the round warehouse in Yaoshan Town of Libo, the square warehouse in Yaolu Village, and the He Corridor.

Maonan people like playing “Cotton Ball”, “Digu Bull” and other sports with ethnic characteristics. Made of cotton and grass, the Cotton Ball is generally about three inches in diameter. If throwing it to the ground, it can bounce two or three meters high. In the game of Digu Bull, there is a centerline and a sideline drawn on flat ground and two players stand head-to-head, or shoulder to shoulder, like a bullfight.

Mongolians inhabited Guizhou in the late Ming or early Qing Dynasty. As they have lived and communicated with the local Han people for a long time, their cultural customs, working and living customs, and educational status are relatively similar to those of the Han people, but they don’t celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Besides, Guizhou is also home to Tujia, Gelao, Shui, Hui, Zhuang, She, Mulao, Man, Qiang and other ethnic groups. Their different food culture, lifestyle and art have been passed down to the present day in ethnic villages, making them a shining pearl of Guizhou.