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The Maonan Ntionality |
With a population of over 70,000, the Maonans are concentrated in the upper, middle and lower reaches of the Huanjiang River in Guangxi province. They have a language of their own and Chinese is in wide-spread use among them. The Maonans engage in arable farming as a main means of livelihood. They raise beef cattle which are sold as far as in Shanghai and Hongkong. The bamboo articles they make, especially the finely-designed bamboo hats, show superb craftsmanship. There is a saying in praise of the Maonan people's distinguished work and diligence: "Sweet potatoes, beef cattle and bamboo hats, three treasures in the Maonans' pride of heart's.'
Living in a mountainous area at the foot of China's Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the Maonans prefer to have their houses built in gunlan-style(split-level structures built on mountain slopes and supported by stilts). With their frames constructed of wood, the upper floor is for people to live in and the lower one for keeping livestock. A balcony is attached to the main entrance. Cool in summer, the whole building is properly illuminated and well ventilated. More than moisture-proof and secure from the attack of wild animals, it deserves its fame as a folk residential architectural masterpiece in southern China.
The Maonans are masters of stone carving. The finished stone products bring in extra income and at the same time beautify their environment. In this way stone has become part of their daily lives. The pillars of their ganlan-style houses are built of stone; the steps inside the building are laid with stone chips. Stone also makes up its foundation and walls against the mountain slope. Moreover, the threshold, the flat roof for drying clothes, the animal fences, tables, stools, water vats and basins are all laid with or carved of stone. Vivid and fascinating images of such animals as birds, worms, fish amd insects are depicted on the stone.
The ornamental carvings on tombstones enjoy a good reputation both near and far. On the cold, inanimate stone, animals and human figures become alive in the hands of those dexterous and ingenious masons. All the exquisite relieves of human beings, flowers, mountains and rivers have been created impromptu. Maonan masons undertake the carving with the help of drafts or drawings prepared before-hand.
Rice and maize are the Maonans' staple foods. Their favorite vegetables include Chinese cabbage, pumpkin, fresh kidney beans and turnips. Beancurd is a important food in their diet. The Maonan people are known for their hospitality. Whenever their guests come, they will hold a big banquet and treat them to the best food they have. At the banquet, guests are asked to taste the delicious and nutritional Maonan dishes including pickled vegetables, sour preserved meat and field snails.
Both Maonan men and women like wearing blue and black jackets either buttoned on the side or opened on the front. The openings of women's garments are embroidered and the hem of their loose-legged trousers laced. Keeping their hair in a bun, they all love to wear ornaments like bracelets, silver or jade brooches, and particularly the flowery bamboo hats.
The traditional Maonan craft of stone carving, wood carving and achitecture, as well as the beautiful landscape of the region give much inspirations to generations of Maonan folk artists. In the late 1970s, a seven-year-old Maonan child prodigy named Tan Wenxi won first place in the Fourth International Children's painting competition. "Little Kitten," another painting created by him at the age of 7, become a memorial post stamp issued by the China Post Ministry in 1983. He has exhibited or presented several thousand paintings. The fame Tan Wenxi has won for his people might well be seen as the best reward he could have given in return for his exposture to the environment of Maonan culture in which be was brought up.
Although they are not good dancers, the Maonans are excellent singers. Maonan's folk dance called "Huanyuan Wu" meaning "dancing to wishes redeemed" has a strongly religious flavor. It is primarily performed at the temple fairs and festivals to serve as prayers for good harvests and prosperity.
The Huanyuan dance, fairly complicated and awe-inspiring, is composed of over ten scenes of acts. One of its striking features is the wooden masks representing various gods. They are carved of whole pieces of hard, high-quality wood by the skillful, imaginative local carpenters. The masks illustrated diverse images of gods with their rich facial expressions. There are a plehtora of good gods, evil gods, household gods, and outdoor gods. The good gods are usually good-looking and have a smiling face, whereas the evil ones, with frowning browns and angry eyes, look ferocious and violent. Female gods wear a gentle, loving face. All the masks are decorated with different kinds of headdress. When making the masks, the carpenters use no drawings for reference, but simply draw upon their imagination and carving skill to create the works of unique features.
The accompaniment of the clear, melodious folk songs and such musical instruments as the small-sized drums, gongs and cymbals, the bumping bells, and Suona (a woodwind Chinese instrument), add much to the charm of the Huanyuan dance.
Most of the area the Maonans inhabit is mountainous. Arable land is scarce and thus precious to the Maonan peopel. They have tried to cultivate every piece of the land whether it is hidden deep in stony hills or held in fissures of rocks. Terraced fields spread over to mountain slopes with the ridges of the field winding around like ripples of water.
The Maonans usually plough their watered fields three times a year and the hard lumps of earth in them often needs to be smashed before crops are planted. So good harvests result in return for the intensive farming. In some places, the production of rice per mu( Chinese measurement of area equaling to 0.16 acres) amounts to 500 kilograms. With the adoption of various planting techniques, the Maonan people have accumulated a rich experience of farming on the hilly land in the western part of the Lingnan region.
The Maonan mountain country used to be known as a poverty-stricken place with arid land full of rocks and stones. Because of the poor vegetation, it was often plagued alternatively by floods and droughts. Today, networks of hydraulic projects and hydra-eclectrie power stations have been set up. The Maonan village now has a new appearance fearuring clusters of concrete ganlan-style building in the shades of lush-green bamboo forests.
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