The third stop along my journey through Leishan county in Guizhou Provinc to visit some remote authentic Miao villages brought me to Getou (格头村 – Gé tóu cūn). The village is nested between the slopes of the Leigong Mountain at a height of 1030 m above sea level.
The village develops at the side of a small stream and shows the traditional Miao type of dwellings, the Diaojiao Lou. These traditional type of dwelling is made entirely of wood and held together only with joint. No nails are used during the construction, which allows the building to be disassembled, allowing the recycle of some of its parts. Usually the houses have 3 floors: the first is for livestock, the second floor is where people live, and the third floor is usually used for storage.
Because of its history and cultural value, Getou Miao village together with the Miao villages of the Southeast Guizhou was inscribed in the Unesco World Heritage Tentative List in 2008.
Of all the Miao villages visited during this excursion on Leigong Mountain, Getou seemed the liveliest. In fact, here we have met the highest number of local inhabitants, gatering and chatting in the public spaces of the village, curious to see foreigners there.
Leave a Reply