A tradition worth dyeing for

Located primarily in Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei provinces, and the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, the Dong people have developed a trove of arts and crafts over the centuries, among them Grand Song (dage), and wooden architectural structures, such as drum towers and covered wind and rain bridges.

Their traditional dress-making craftsmanship is recognized as a form of national-level intangible cultural heritage, and apparent upon entering a Dong village.

The costumes are mostly made of the Dong cloth, which is a gift of nature, dyed a dark, rich blue, using wild plants to make indigo. Both finished cloth and cotton threads are dyed. The former becomes liangbu, while the dyed threads are often woven with white threads to create a variety of patterns.