When night falls and lights glow, the ancient Zhaoxing Dong village becomes a bustling place. As one of the largest villages where Dong people live in China, Zhaoxing Dong village in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China's Guizhou Province is a perfect spot to take a sip of authentic Dong culture. 

The five iconic drum towers in the village, Ren, Yi, Li, Zhi, and Xin, refer to five traditional virtues of benevolence, righteousness, manners, wisdom, and trustworthiness. There is a saying that goes, 'the drum tower is built before the village.' In the past, when villagers encountered bandits or fires, people would climb to the top of the tower and beat the drum to alarm the whole village. The drum tower nowadays remains to be a public space for villagers to play chess, chat or rest.

Watch the livestream to see more about Dong culture:

Live: Feast and mingle with ethnic Dong villagers in SW China's Guizhou

(Video taken by Liang Jiangyan, Qi Xin, Zhao Jing and Li Qiushi, edited by CGTN's Zhao Ying.)

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