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The Maonan Nationality
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 ganlan-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 he 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 smallsized 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-eclectric 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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