After visiting Tianmenshan and its wonders, we were driven to the Tujia Folk Custom Park in the heart of Zhangjiajie. The park is a replica of a typical Tujia village. It was built in 2000 with the intention to introduce visitors to the customs and traditions of the Tujia people - an ethnic minority.
The Tujia trace their history back to the ancient Ba people who occupied the area around modern-day Chongqing some 2500 years ago. The Ba Kingdom reached the zenith of its power between 600 BC and 400 BC but was destroyed by the Qin state in 316 BC. They came to be known as the Tujia from about 14th century onwards - Tujia itself means local dwellers in Chinese.
The Tujia today have a total population of over 8 million, and are the 6th largest ethnic minority in China, living in the Wuling Mountains, straddling the common borders of Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces, and Chongqing municipality.
The Tujia trace their history back to the ancient Ba people who occupied the area around modern-day Chongqing some 2500 years ago. The Ba Kingdom reached the zenith of its power between 600 BC and 400 BC but was destroyed by the Qin state in 316 BC. They came to be known as the Tujia from about 14th century onwards - Tujia itself means local dwellers in Chinese.
The Tujia today have a total population of over 8 million, and are the 6th largest ethnic minority in China, living in the Wuling Mountains, straddling the common borders of Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces, and Chongqing municipality.
Trumpets being blown as guests were welcomed into the park...
... followed by pretty girls singing traditional Tujia welcome songs...
Traditional Tujia totems... a symbol of their religion!
The park is home to Tujia relics...
The wooden 9-storied Jiuchongtian Hereditary Hall - constructed on a steep slope without using a single nail was even listed in the Guinness World record.
It contains thousands of relics and is the "museum" of all things Tujia
A corpulent laughing Buddha...
A traditional Tujia market place scene depicted on this painting in the Jiuchongtian Hereditary Hall
And other relics...
Tujia dance...
Tujia embroidered dress
Agricultural implements...
Amazing woodwork...
A mask for every ancestor - a Tujia tradition!
A view of Zhangjiajie city from Jiuchongtian
Harnessing bull power to grind grain
And we passed by a Tujia temple (the tortoise has a great religious significance in their culture), as we exited the park to head to Wulingyuan....
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