Variety of its landscape, diversity of its people, welcome to Travelogue, minority series. This is Guangxi. An autonomous region and Zhuang people everywhere. All right let's go.
The Zhuang are the most populous of China's ethnic minorities, with a population over 15 million. They reside mostly in the mountainous regions of southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The rest have settled in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces, scattered over places shared by other ethnic groups.

The Zuang minority have so many songs and music, actually when we just got here we found out that there are so many branches. Even in one minority group you have northern, southern, all different kinds. This is because of their location. Geographically they have different locations. So the music is different. The music is different, the songs are different, even the instruments. Music instruments are different.
For example: they have this snail and then they use it as an instrument. Even with this, you can make music out of it.
We stop by Jiuzhou, a small town in Jingxi County, known for its quaint beauty. Residing in Jiuzhou are 500 households, who are famous for making a particular Zhuang handicraft. Embroidering it is a skill they pass from generation to generation. It's seemingly a household business here, and everyone can make them.
Handmade embroidered silk balls are quit famous on the street. Actually in the Zuang minority it's very famous. Lot's of people make them. Normally you'd think woman would the sewing work. The so-called “King” of handmade embroidered silk balls, is a man. A guy, he's so famous!
Even local media always come here and interview him. And right now, he's on the air.
Colorful silk balls, or Xiuqiu in Chinese, are traditional objects of the Zhuang nationality. The embroidering on the ball are mostly birds, flowers and characters of auspicious meaning. In old times, they used to be a token expressing love between young boys and girls, and there are stories about girls throwing an embroidered silk ball to choose the husband in the Chinese ancient plays and novels.
Hey, almost! That's the sports. This is what locals do when they have a big festival. What they do is; lots of boys have the so-called silk ball. What you see over there is big pole, a bamboo pole and on top of it, there is a ring. So if you can throw ball, through that ring, that's when you win. You get a big prize; you might win a girl of the village.
No matter where you are in China, you will discover the craftiness of the local peoples through the artistic aspects of their lives, Zhuang brocade, originated in the Tang Dynasty around the 7th century. The women of Zhuang Nationality use the weaving machine to make the brocade out of cotton, silk down, and locally produced silk threads. Typically, they make quilts, tablecloths, handbags, etc. The product has a strong local flavor and the patterns on the Zhuang brocade are mainly figures, flora and fauna and geometrical shapes. The brocade was so prized that the local government offered it to the imperial court and royal family in ancient times.
So, embroidery has all different kinds. This is the embroidery in a beautiful scarf. This is another design for clothes. Actually this is different, this is a waving. They waved this with a special machine. This is hang decoration. You can decorate anything you want. Hang it on your wall, but it on your bed on the table, anything. Or just put it on top of your clothes. Why not? Like me, THIS is also nice.
Guangxi has a long history of trade and communication with foreign countries. Located in the southern China, bordering Vietnam, it stands by the coast and river. Guangxi has become a key hub in connecting the southeast coastal provinces with the southwest interior provinces.
This is the most interesting boarder line between two countries, I've ever seen. Looks very simple, and there is trading going on. There's a little shopping market. On this side, we have all Chinese markets and on the other side, you can tell, there's pretty much of Vietnamese products and while I'm talking, I crossed the boarder already. This is like two different countries.
Amongst the mountains and waters of Guangxi, the Zhuang have developed a lifestyle completely unique to them. They are an industrious, hardworking people, who also know how to have some fun.
During the farming slack season or festivals, traditional Zhuang puppet shows are quite representative. Puppets for different roles have different theatrical masks and different expressions. Troupes are established by folk artists spontaneously, mostly Zhuang elders.
 
The Zhuang people have inhabited Guangxi since ancient times. Living on the plains and in the river valleys of the hilly west, they cultivate rice in paddy fields and practice an economy that easily merges with that of the Han people. They are often referred to as "water dwellers" because their settlements are close to water. Thus, it's imaginable that the Zhuang's culture and customs are tied to this water.
Guangxi is a place renowned for its picturesque scenery, green hills, and clear waters. For some visitors, the great appeal of Guangxi is its karts limestone topography. Many rocky peaks rise straight up from the ground, and hide numerous fascinating caves and deep rivers.
This drifting adventure will run through an unusual underground river and 3 limestone caves, which is certainly my first experience through a mysterious landscape of unique beauty.
This is so much fun. Too bad I have nothing to do. I can relax and sleep. It's a bit slow the water, I can just fall a sleep, boring, very boring!
That's what I call rafting. I wasn't expecting water rafting like this. It's not a water rafting…it's a shower.

The Zhuang people have used the natural resources of their environment to fulfill their basic needs. Zhuang medicine was gradually formed in the Tang Dynasty when the people discovered herbs and wild animals that had detoxification functions.
The Zhuang Medicine was passed on orally without written record through its development. There are many prescriptions of Zhuang medicine scattering in the public. These prescriptions become a part of the Chinese medicine.

Have you ever heard of a biting tree? This is the one! Any human body that'll touch it will get allergic. In the forest anything can happen.
The Zhuang medicine made some more development in the Ming and Qing dynasty from the 14th to 20th century.
Most medicines are developed based on the Zhuang folk secret recipes, from hundreds of years of experimentation and experience. Zhuang drugs can cure many kinds of poisons, such as snake poison, insect poison, food poisoning. It is also their belief that the poisons itself, when used in appropriate amount, can cure diseases.
Detoxification is a key concept in Zhuang medicine, and most healing is done through foods.
The Zhuang are known as artistic peoples, skilled in singing a dancing. Sweet songs can be heard wherever you go in the Zhuang area.
Extemporaneous melodies and lyrics and clever use of metaphors, riddles and questioning add witty charm to their songs. In the old days, every Zhuang community held its regular songfests at given venues. On those occasions, young people from nearby villages would come together in their holiday best to meet each other and choose their lovers through songs.
Ancestors of the Zhuang, the Luoyue people have left behind lots of historic sites and cultural relics. There are many examples, their beliefs, customs, song and dance, and even mysterious art, which we can see, but are unable to completely understand.
The famed Huashan Cliff Paintings are over a thousand pictures were inscribed on the 170-meter- tall cliff..
Painting on the cliff, between a mountain of hundred of meters and water, left a wonderful human being. It also indicates long history of a drawn minority. My question is, why the color lasts so long, and it's scientific proved that that painting is at least 5000 or maybe 2000 years ago.  Try to imagine in that time, how can somebody get up there; paint this painting, which shows the whole history of the drawn minorities. It indicates the people; it's lifestyles, their work, and their war. It's a lot of painting, it's not just one or two, and it's the whole cliff. It's all painting, that's a whole mystery.
They are believed to have weathered rains and storms over two thousand years, and are still surprisingly vivid in color.
The animistic Zhuang worship stones, old trees, birds, and "ancestors" believe that all things in nature have a spirit. Buluotuo, a god and first ancestor of the Zhuang, is said to have been invincible and to have contributed to the creation of the heavens and humankind. Some 22 versions of the Buluotuo folk tale have been collected and printed.
Guangxi's history runs parallel with that of the drawn people, those originals are inhabitants, who migrated into the area, three thousand years ago.
This is the tunnel, where you actually come into this little cave. This cave is like a temple for the local people. And behind the cave there is tunnel that goes all the way through the mountain. It's kind of interesting. I'm looking for animals, could be a snake, and could be a bat. It could be I'm scaring myself.
Among all the ports of trade and exchange between China and Vietnam, Friendship Pass in Pingxiang is the most important one. Friendship Pass is built like an ancient city gate.
Guangxi provides a platform for cultural exchanges and economic cooperation between China and Southeast Asian countries. Thus, the Zhuang have traditional relations with many ethnic groups with neighboring countries and have a culture that incorporates influences from many cultures.

What a beautiful trip. Unfortunately this is the end of my trip. I've been walking along the border of South China, actually facing Vietnam. So you probably see a lot of boarders' sceneries and here a lot of beautiful songs because of the Zhuang minority group. The Zhuang minority group is the biggest population on of all other groups. We've shown you the beautiful girls, music, songs, dance everything.