The Wanshou Ancient Stockaded Village in Shizhu is located at the foot of Wanshoushan Mountain. It i[...]
The Wanshou Ancient Stockaded Village in Shizhu is located at the foot of Wanshoushan Mountain. It is a protection and inheritance base for intangible cultural heritage of the Tujia people in Shizhu. It is a resplendent cultural pearl where nature and landscapes complement each other. It is a holy place for the Tujia people to worship, offer sacrifices, pray and celebrate festivals. Here, the distinctive folk customs of the Tujia people that have endured for thousands of years are gathered. It brings together the historical spirit of the Tujia people and the legendary tales of successive Tusi chiefs of the Tujia people in Shizhu over more than 800 years.
1. Unmissable folk experience:
Gate-blocking wine ceremony – The Tujia folk custom tour officially begins. A red silk ribbon with big red flowers is tied in the middle. The sound of drums beats loudly. The crisp Tujia folk songs flow out like clear springs from the mouths of Tujia girls. After listening to the warm toasting songs and drinking the sweet gate-blocking wine, you can enter the magical Wanshou Ancient Stockaded Village. The Tujia folk custom tour then kicks off.
Tujia folk custom song and dance evening party – Guests from afar, please stay. Every night, a Tujia folk custom song and dance performance is held for tourists who come from afar. You can not only watch wonderful song and dance performances but also participate in a bonfire party. The hand-waving dance is known as the ‘Oriental disco’ and reflects the production and life of the Tujia people.
Breaking wine bowls – If the wine bowl is not broken, drink three bowls as self-punishment for a safe year. The Tujia breaking wine bowl custom is a way for the Tujia people to sincerely entertain friends. After drinking a bowl of wine, throw the wine bowl on the ground. For a safe year (‘broken’ for safety), only when it is smashed to pieces will it win thunderous applause. If it is not broken, you have to drink three bowls of wine as a penalty. The cracking sound of breaking wine bowls rises and falls one after another. This scene is full of heroic spirit and resounding, making people unconsciously influenced by this majestic atmosphere. When drunk and warm, surround the raging bonfire and start the Tujia hand-waving dance, which is warm and cheerful.
Taste Tujia healthy cuisine and stay in a thousand-year stilted building.
2. Characteristic ways to check in at the ancient stockaded village:
Visit the Tusi Memorial Hall. In the Tusi Exhibition Hall of the stockaded village, there are many battle statues on display as well as relevant text descriptions, recording some stories of local heroes resisting foreign enemies over the past 800 years. There are also professional commentators who will take you back to the battlefield hundreds of years ago. The scene of the brave and resourceful female Tusi Qin Liangyu leading the soldiers to fight bravely seems to be right in front of you. Here are preserved ancient sites such as the Bai Gan military camp, the 24 postures of the Bai Gan soldiers, the general platform, the flag platform, and the training ground.
See geological wonders and tour the precipitous cliffs. On the western side of the Wanshou Ancient Stockaded Village are precipitous cliffs. You can climb to the top for a distant view and enjoy a panoramic view of the mountains.
Appreciate the thousand-year stilted buildings. It has a unique architectural style of stilted buildings and an overhead wooden structure. The buildings are of different heights and are well-arranged. They are spread along the mountain, layer upon layer, rising step by step, extremely spectacular. The stilted buildings have upturned eaves and precipitous walls, wooden doors and windows. They perch by the cliff and hang in the air. The stilted buildings deep in the mountains, with their unique forms and charm, give people in the city the beauty of a paradise, arousing people’s longing for their hometown.
The night view of Wanshou Ancient Stockaded Village is a place to settle the soul. At night, when the lights first come on, the stockaded village is shrouded in the red light of red lanterns, making people feel as if they have traveled through time and space and are intoxicated. The bonfire is lit, the bowl-breaking wine is drunk, the Tujia Luor is sung, and the hand-waving dance is danced. The tired heart of the day is also released. Eating Tujia bacon in big mouthfuls and drinking Tujia bowl-breaking wine in big mouthfuls. The singing, bowl-breaking sound, and drum sound of Tujia will linger in your heart for a long time.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 09:00 to 22:00.
