Zhuang and Yao villages

Over 90% of Chinese are of Han descent - but there are 55 other ethnic minorities - and in the Guilin area you'll find Dong, Zhuang, Miao and Yao peoples. These Yao ladies are all unmarried (their hair is covered) and share their music, dancing and customs relating to hair, which is cut once, at the age of 8 years, and never again. If you're hair is uncovered, you are married. If you have a knot of hair at the front - you have children!

A beautiful shady walk around the valley takes you up to the Zhuang village of Ping'an. The houses are all wooden and put together without screws and nails - and so is our hotel - an eyrie resting on the crest of the rice terraces, with swallows looping and swooping for our pleasure: Katie and I are the only guests! Because of the holiday - there are fireworks in the valley and it is rather delightful to be looking down on the sparkles and bursts. A lady from the village brings up all the ingredients for our supper in a straw basket on her back - and we have the best dumplings we've had in China - served by her young grand-daughter!

Every little village offers Zhuang or Miao costumes for hire and whole families dress up for photo-shoots at the most popular viewpoints ....

Lightening and heavy rain - with almost no thunder - freshen the sky overnight and we set off in the morning to walk down and then drive across to the Dong villages of Chenyang, famous for their drum towers and "wind and rain bridges" which are covered and offer not only places for people to socialise, or keep out of the sun, they are also supposed to ward off "inauspicious energy". The river is butterscotch colour because of the stormy rain but it still feeds the fields through the waterwheels and is the reason for hay-ricks to be on stilts - out of the wetness and water.

Katie finds another amazing necklace from the Dong sisterhood - and I am amazed to be offered 1000 year old eggs for lunch! I remember these from my last time in China. They're not 1000 years old at all - but the curing take a few weeks to prepare with a wrapping of clay, ash, salt etc. The white of the egg goes translucent amber and the yolk goes dark green - quite delicious with the chilli dip.

We have lunch baked in bamboo, whilst others eat in the village square at a big communal table.

All colourful, fragrant, friendly and at the same time, rather wonderful.