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These women have the longest hair in the world

In Guangxi, vacationers may want to take selfies with you.

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These women have the longest hair in the world

In Guangxi, vacationers may want to take selfies with you. The province in the extreme south of China on the border with Vietnam attracts tourists from all over China with its picturesque landscapes. Europeans are considered exotic there and are therefore popular photo motifs. With the end of the quarantine obligation on January 8th, China opened up again, and international holidaymakers are slowly being expected again in rural Guangxi, which is little known in the West.

The region is culturally shaped by the many peoples who live here as state-recognized minorities. In 1958, Guangxi was granted the status of an autonomous region because of the high proportion of minorities in the population. While Han Chinese make up over 90 percent of the country's population, in Guangxi it's only 25 percent.

It is the historical area of ​​the Zhuang, a people related to the Thai. A good 15 million of them live in the province, which has around 50 million inhabitants. There are also Yao, Miao, Dong, Mulam, Maonan, Hui, Jing, Yi and other groups. Many maintain their own languages, customs and religious rituals to this day.

Nature lovers can experience wild animals and plants in Guangxi that can only be found here in the world. For example, the endangered white-headed langur, a monkey with a light-colored crest. The White-headed Langur Ecological Park sanctuary is home to 450 species of animals, including rare hornbills, pangolins, clouded leopards. Guangxi is home to over 900 land mammals, nearly half of all species in China.

It is also the province with the most rare plants: over 8,300 species were counted, 122 of which are threatened with extinction. The wealth of culture and scenic diversity makes Guangxi one of the most exciting areas in China.

The hair of the Yao women in the village of Huangluo measures up to 2.70 meters - the "Guinness Book of Records" recognized them as having the longest hair in the world. For tourists from all over China, they present their raven-black hair while washing in the river.

Only then can you see its true length. Because the women of the Hong-Yao people, a widespread minority in Guangxi, always wear their hair piled up in high hairstyles. Their shape shows whether they are married and have children.

The scissors are only allowed to be used once in a lifetime – when a girl turns 18, as a ritual that she is now a woman. The braid that has been cut off is kept until she marries. Then it is integrated into her hairstyle - along with a second braid made of all the hair that has fallen out. Each one is collected. For the Hong-Yao, hair is a symbol of life and wisdom. The longer and more lush it is, the more durable and smarter the woman.

The history of the Yao, whose ancestor is said to be a five-colored dragon dog with 120 points, goes back to the fifth century BC. In addition to the Hong, there are more than ten different branches of this people who have their own languages ​​and customs.

It is officially recognized as a national minority by the Chinese government and has always been exempt from the one-child policy. Traditionally, among the Yao, women are in charge, and they are allowed to have several partners.

When the haze over the Li River envelops the karst mountains like a soft focus, you can understand why the Guilin area is considered the most painted landscape in China. She has been drawn and sung about for hundreds of years.

Visiting the rural idyll once in a lifetime is the dream of every Chinese, whether from Beijing or Canton. Many fulfill it, for example on a honeymoon. As you cruise the river that meanders from Guilin to the small town of Yangshuo, you'll enjoy views of the oddly shaped karst hills with names like "The Rock of the Nine Horses" or "The Upside Down Paintbrush."

The Longsheng rice terraces, the highest in the world, are also breathtaking. Created more than 700 years ago and today a Unesco heritage, they extend up to 1180 meters and form fabulous shapes: waves, snails, towers. Signposted paths lead to vantage points. Rice farmers in hand-woven costumes, members of minority peoples, impart their traditional culture to visitors on site.

Hardly anyone knows her in this country. But in China, Guilin rice noodles are famous. Since the Qin dynasty, i.e. for more than 2000 years, the dish, which is named after the city of Guilin, has been enjoyed from morning to night - and yet it is never boring.

Because rice noodles in spaghetti form are only the basis, they disappear under the many delicious additions: fried peanuts, soybeans, spring onions, various types of meat in thin slices. The crowning glory is the sauce made from up to 20 ingredients. There are other extras on the table, such as winter radish in chili sauce, sour bamboo shoots and pickled beans.

In Guilin, there are noodle restaurants on almost every corner. The area offers other local dishes, such as duck in gingko soup, stuffed Li River snails, fried dried fish. Those who want to try them can book food tours and cooking classes for vacationers.

Every night, 600 actors stand simultaneously on the world's largest natural stage to perform the open-air show "Yinxiang Liu Sanjie". The grandiose landscape of Yangshuo, a city on the Li River, serves as the stage setting.

Against the backdrop of the karst mountains illuminated in the dark and on the water, visually stunning scenes with human chains bathed in light, water buffalo and hundreds of bamboo rafts are created in front of 10,000 spectators. The heroine is the legendary folk singer Liu Sanjie, who as a simple girl quarrels with her landlord and has to flee with her lover.

The actors represent different local minorities, their traditional clothes are decorated with light-emitting diodes. There is singing and dancing, a crescent moon floats from the sky. The pinpoint choreography is by Zhang Yimou, director of the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Even for those who don't understand a word, the spectacle is an experience that you will never forget.

“I was blown away by the prospect of shooting a film there”

Actor Edward Norton, known for his appearances in "Twilight", "Fight Club" and most recently in the Netflix hit "Glass Onion", was fascinated by China from an early age; he also studied Chinese history. He immediately accepted the offer to shoot "The Colorful Veil" (2006) with Naomi Watts in Guangxi - for the leading role as a doctor who fights cholera with his unfaithful wife in southern China in 1925, and as a co-producer.

It was the first Hollywood film to be made in China in years. The film received awards and the beauty of the region enchanted the audience. One location was the 1000-year-old village of Huangyao. "Even the Chinese crew was amazed - it was like stepping back in time," said director John Curran. To this day, travelers rave about the originality of the region.

Bizarre, record-breaking, typical: You can find more parts of our regional geography series here.

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