At 1.40pm we were back on the mini-bus to drive to our next destination. The police escort was very slow this afternoon, and at one stage we were escorted along the wrong side of road works only to find the road blocked and we had to make a u-turn and retrace our steps to find the correct road.
We arrived at 3.27pm at the “Areca Valley Tourist Resort of Hainan Ridge Primitive Culture” which covers 24 hectares and consists of three main areas – “The Li Ethnic Group’s Village of Primitive Culture”, “The Mysterious Rainforest”, and “The Primitive-style Chlyou Village of the Mioo Minority Ethnic Group”. I learnt that the Areca is a tall single-stemmed palm growing in profusion in the valley, which is surrounded by lush jungles.
We were welcomed by Li people in traditional clothing playing musical instruments made of ox horns, bamboo, wood, and coconut shells. A betel nut necklace was placed our necks. The betel nut is a sign of politeness and is the most courteous reception which Li people use. Unfortunately, I had only limited time for a quick walk around the Li Village which consisted of timber and thatch houses and other buildings, some of the simple design and some rather grand ones. An elder or chieftain in the Li community is called Ao’ya. The Ao’yas house is a place where the chieftain or elders have meetings. It is built in the shape of a tortoise because they enjoy longevity. Similarly, elders or chieftains are expected to live long lives.
The ethnic Li people were dressed in traditional clothing and demonstrated traditional handicrafts such as spinning, dyeing, weaving and embroidering. Known for possessing the earliest weaving technology in Chinese history, the Li people contributed enormously to the rise of silk weaving technology and the production of fine silk garments throughout China. Li women are incredibly skilled at spinning and weaving and are especially adept at weaving silk cotton. The silk brocades that they produce are famous around the world and are renowned for their quality and elegance. There were several museums showcasing the exquisite ancient weavings such as Dragon Quilts.
I saw Li women using traditional ancient weaving machines to weave silk fabric quilts, curtains and sheets in unique beautiful patterns. It takes many months to complete the weaving of one item of fabric. In contrast to the elaborate fabric materials, I also saw how clothes were made from the bark of trees. These were used by the Li people for protection when hunting.
I saw the Li people demonstrate getting the rice off the stalks to store in the granaries. These century-old granaries are not found in any other place on this island. They have no locks so prove the honesty and integrity of the Li people who would not steal anything from any granary or house, even though they are not bolted at night.
I sampled the Shanlan rice wine, but not in the three stages the Li people traditionally welcome people- 1) talk about something while drinking the wine, 2) the guests must get drunk according to Li ethnic custom and 3) the host and guest sing folk songs together. My singing voice is not great!
I saw that some of the older women had body art tattoos on their faces and bodies. Traditionally at around the age of 13 or 14 the girls were tattooed on the nape of their neck, then over the face and throat. Over a period of around 3-4 years, they would also have their arms and legs covered. The process involved piercing the skin with a thorn and then rubbing a mix of soot, ink and water into the wound, which would create the pattern. These are seen as symbols of beauty and are considered to be a mural painting carved on a body.
At the conclusion on my walking tour of the village I was offered refreshing coconut juice to drink in its shell, and then took my seat in an open-air theatre to watch the Li people entertain us on stage with folk dancing, singing, tree climbing, and “hitting bamboo dancing”. After our enjoyable short visit to the Li Ethnic Village, we were farewelled on our way.
The admission fee for tourists is A$30 and needs a half or full day to fully experience all that is on offer.
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