During my trip to visit the ethnic minorities of Guizhou Province, I made my final stop in the Miao ethnic village of Wudong (乌东村 – Wū dōng cūn).
The village is located in the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture (黔东南 苗族 侗族 自治州), 30 km from Xijiang Qianhu (西江 千户 苗) and 50 km from Kaili, the biggest city of the area (凯里 市), 1300 meters above sea level nestled on the hillside of the Leigong Mountain, among terraced fields, vegetables gardens, and lush forests.
Formed by around 100 houses and inhabited by about 500 people, Wudong in recent years is trying to develop rural, eco-tourism in order to lift its inhabitants out of poverty, as stated on a board at the entrance to the village.
The village is entirely made out of the traditional Miao type of dwelling, the Diaojiao Lou.
This traditional type of dwelling is made entirely of wood and held together only with joints. No nails are used during the construction, which allows the building to be disassembled, into replaceable parts.
Usually the houses have 3 floors: the first is for livestock, the second is where people live, and the third floor is used for storage.
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