Chengyang

I stayed overnight in Chengyang, a Dong (minority tribe) village in the northern part of Guangxi. The Dong are known for their "drum towers" (kind of a town hall) and "wind and rain" bridges. There are two wind and rain bridges here, and a third is under construction. The oldest one has been around for over 100 years, and is in need of repair. The more well-known one is over 80 years old.

There are lots of kids running around in this village (kid with bug eyes pic, another kid pic), and I spent a good part of the afternoon kicking a ball around with a few of them.

The family I stayed with said that there is a Japanese woman who has lived in this village for a few years, and learned the Dong dialect and local weaving from the villagers. She's now teaching the villagers Japanese, to attract more Japanese tourists. I tried but couldn't find her; if NHK reads this, they should go find her, they go crazy for stories like this...