Source: CCTV.com
02-26-2008 15:46
When I first learned of my filming assignment to go to Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, my very first thoughts were ‘Why such a long name for a province? What on earth was Zhuang and what made it autonomous? Why not just call it Guangxi province?’ Well, here’s what I found out: Zhuang is the largest minority group in Guangxi, and because of this strong non-Han presence, they enjoy a certain degree of autonomy and benefits in comparison with other Chinese provinces. Being one of China’s five autonomous regions, it enjoys special government subsidies and aid, exemptions from certain taxes and policies, and can trade directly in foreign markets. At the end of the day however, even the autonomous regions must abide by laws set by the Chinese Constitution.
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Anyway, it is a region deeply embedded with minority cultures, ripe fruits, and painting-like scenery. I’ve been privileged to see many beautiful places in China, but the landscape here was especially remarkable. Jagged limestone peaks and columns with disappearing underground streams and springs underneath were formed as a result of acidic rainfall, making it look like an overgrown Grand Canyon. Every direction which I would point my camera looked like the back of a postcard, but no matter how many shots I took, I couldn’t quite capture the feeling of these majestic formations. I let go of this desire try to get the perfect picture, to simply let the feelings and images etch themselves into my memory.
We set up camp in Yangshuo, an attractive tourist destination for Chinese and foreign backpackers. Family-run inns and youth hostels lined wide cobblestone streets, confined only by the meandering Lijiang River and rivulets that led into it. And like any tourist destination in China, there were trinkets galore, and restaurants enough to try something new every night. Just as typical of a Chinese tourist trap was the sappy pop music which blared from barely mediocre sound systems as the city tried to sell you on its quaint historical charm. I’d recommend a packing list with earplugs on it.
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But our team wasn’t out for a leisurely stroll along the riverbanks. Our assignment lay an hour outside of the city, in a farming village called Longwei Zhongjia. Founded over 100 years ago by a man with the surname of Zhong (hence the name Zhongjia, jia meaning family), the village has grown to about 145 people, most of whom are distantly related to one another in some way and hold the same surname, Zhong. Though tucked away in an area heavy with minorities, this village was an anomaly in that it was predominantly Han, give or take a few residents who married into the family. Han is the ruling majority in China, composing nearly 95% of the country’s ethnic makeup.
