Huangluo Yao Village is located on the Longji Scenic Area. It is one of the thirteen Yao ethnic villages in Longji. The ethnic group that living here are all the red Yao ethnic people. A custom of red Yao ethnic is that all females should keep a long hair. Among the 60 families, the longest hair can reach to 1.9 meters, while others also have more than 1-meter-long hair. So Huangluo Yao Village is reputed as the first long hair village in the world.
Single girls' hair can not be seen by others. They usually cover a blue scarf on the head so that people could not see it. The man who is the first one to see her hair will be his husband. And he only can see her beautiful hair on the wedding day. If you see the girl's hair carelessly, you have to stay there for 3 years as a son-in-law of the girl’s family.
Huangluo Yao Village Long Hair Custom
【Meaning】 In red Yao woman’s mind, long hair has very important significance. Long hair, has a meaning of "long and prosper", a symbol of long life and wealth and a symbol of prosperity and good fortune. Red Yao women extremely value to the their hair, and they have custom of keeping hairs, dressing up hairs and have secret method of hair care which has passed from generation to generation.
From the age of 12 they began to keep hair, and when it grows to a certain length they will cut their hair and collect it. Red Yao women not only have long hair and their hair is pitch-black and beautiful and it is hard to see white hair. This is owing to their secret method that they use wooden comb to comb hair carefully, and their shampoo is made from rice washing water and mountain herbs.
【Hair Style】 Red Yao women have a fixed hairstyle. No matter young or old, all need to tie their hair upon the head. For them, the hair is like their body that can't be easily cut, so the unmarried woman only can cut their hair at the age of 18 which represent that she becomes an adult. It is said that each Yao Woman has three bunches of hairs on head all her life. It means that two bunches of hairs are tied up with the growing hairs on her head. One bunch is dropped hairs which are collected from every day. Another is the hair cut at her age of 18. From the fact, you can see that the Yao females look hairs as important as their life. When the long hairs are waving and flying with Yao dancing, that is such a kind of charming beauty!
【Cutting Hair】
Red Yao women regard their hair as life, so they only cut their hair two times:
The first is during their one hundred days in infancy.
The second time is in 18th birthday, they need to cut off the hair growing since when they are children. And the cut hair is not discarded, they will use these to dress up the hair which is like wearing a hat on her head.
Huangluo Yao Clothing
【Dress】
Yao's young woman dressed in bright pure red commonly with the black dress, and a pair of old style cloth shoes.
What married women clothing style are between unmarried and older women, their clothes is black with red. Senile women’s clothes are black and decorate with a red belt.
【Accessory】
Every Yao minority women, regardless of age, whether married or not, they are wearing a pair of big silver earrings.
Huangluo Yao Village Song and Dance
Everybody of Huangluo Yao village can sing and dance, and they are friendly and hospitable. Tourists came to Huang Luo Yao village, Yao girls who dressed in national costumes will line up and sweetly singing folk songs, offer their own dance and traditional sports project to welcome their guests.
Huangluo Yao Village Etiquette
Yao ethnic people show their hospitality in a special way. When they need to shoe their like to you, they may pinch your hip. They will also use their hips to crash you when in the dancing situation. This also shows their friendly emotion to you.
Huangluo Yao Village Dwelling
Yao village stilted building is three floors, and the building was established without rivet, all joggle joint is wood. The first floor is for pig sty, the second floor is the for living, and the third floor is good for ventilation so it is used to make a granary.
How to Get to Huangluo Village
You may take passenger bus to Longsheng from Guilin Bus Station, then from Longsheng Bus Station people can take passenger bus from Longsheng to Longji. It is recommended to spend 1 to 2 days.