Huangdu Dong Culture Village 皇都侗文化村

About Huangdu Dong Culture Village

The name covers Touzhai, Weizhai, Panzhai and Xinzhai, four settlements whose population is entirely Dong. They sit in the middle of what Tongdao county calls its hundred-li Dong culture corridor, the belt of Dong villages along the Pingtan valley. The village began taking visitors in 1995, which makes it one of the earlier organised Dong cultural sites in the county rather than a recent development.

The county's own descriptions put the emphasis on craft and custom rather than on scenery. The Puxiu bridge and the drum towers are singled out for their workmanship, and the welcoming wine and the long-table banquet for their hospitality customs. Huangdu was among the first places in Hunan named a home of folk culture and art, is counted a Dong song town among the province's characteristic culture-and-tourism towns, and has been listed among eight classic village landscapes of China.

What to look for

• The Puxiu Bridge, which the county singles out with the drum towers for its workmanship
• The drum towers of the four settlements, the communal buildings around which Dong village life is organised
• The layout of Touzhai, Weizhai, Panzhai and Xinzhai as four separate all-Dong settlements under one name
• The setting in the middle of Tongdao's hundred-li Dong culture corridor along the Pingtan valley

Location & getting there

Getting to Huangdu Dong Culture Village

Identify the main visitor approach and any separately managed houses, museums or performances. Ask before entering residential spaces or photographing residents.

• Search for 皇都侗文化村 with 怀化市 and 通道侗族自治县.