The poorest and the proudest.

Trip Start Sep 21, 2006
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Trip End Ongoing


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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Gaozeng was probably the poorest Minority village I visited yet it presented some of the most beautiful architectural elements I've seen in Eastern Guizhou.  The prosperity of a Miao village is measured by the number and the beauty of its "Drum Towers" and "Rain and Wind Bridges". Gaozeng might be extremely poor, it doesn't take away any of its inhabitants' pride. Its many Drum Towers all rivaled in beauty and its Wind and Rain bridge was one of the nicest looking I ever saw.

It is here that I first realized how superstitious Chinese people can be. For the whole Chinese community shares many of Miaos' superstitious beliefs. On nearly every home in China you can see posters of some kind of ugly monster whose role it is to protect the home by scaring away evil spirits. Many homes also have a mirror hung over the entrance door. Chinese believe that if an evil spirit wants to enter their home, it will be scared away by the reflection of his evil face in the mirror The signature Drum Tower of Gaozeng.
The signature Drum Tower of Gaozeng.
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Every home in China must have a middle wall that comes between the front and the back door. It's called the spirit wall. Chinese people believe that spirits can only travel in a straight line. The spirit wall makes it impossible for an evil spirit to go through their home and thus protects the home.

When the build a new home, there are many steps they go through in order to ensure the house will be ghost free. For example, after the foundation is completed, they will light up hundreds of firecrackers to scare bad ghosts away. And they'll do it again at different stages of the construction.

When you ask them, most Chinese people will tell you they don't believe in those superstitions but most of them will secretly take all the necessary precautions to stay on the safe side, particularly when it comes to protecting themselves from the all mighty evil spirits !!!

Andre.
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