Bakai Village 扒开村

Rongjiang 榕江

Guizhou Province 贵州省

Bakai village is the home to the Gaoshan Miao, a Miao sub-group known for their incredible embroidery.

After spending the morning strolling around Rongjiang’s huge Sunday market we were left with a few hours to kill before we had to catch the last bus back to Kaili. There wasn’t enough time to go to the amazing Dong Village of Zengchong so we looked for a closer alternative.

Gaoshan Miao 高山苗

Walking around the market we had noticed that some ladies had come to town in the most amazingly embroidered dresses and trousers. We asked the receptionist in the hotel about them and she told us that they were Gaoshan Miao 高山苗 or High Mountain Miao from the village of Bakai 扒开村 some 15 kilometers away along the Duliu river. I had never heard the name, Gaoshan Miao, before or since so it might just be a local name for the villagers living along the Duliu River.

Before we could say any more she was already recommending that her ex-boyfriend, who just happened to be a taxi driver, could take us there for the modest fee of 60 Yuan for a round trip to Bakai village. And before you could say ‘Jack Robinson’ there he was ready to take us to Bakai, a village we had previously never heard of.

Continue reading “Bakai Village: The Miao 苗族 and their amazing garments”