Features

In the past, girls aged 12 or 13 were tattooed in the face to show that they had come of age. It was said that the tattoo design of a beautiful butterfly was chosen because the souls of the deceased turned into butterflies. Whilst these beautiful insects hovered over the gorge, the Dulong girls pierced their faces with indelible butterflies using bamboo needles and indigo ink.

The Dulongs love singing and dancing. Perhaps because the hunters in the depth of the mountains used to feel lonely, or maybe because their young wives in the wooden buildings missed them too much, the Dulongs got used to expressing their innermost feelings through a string instrument called the "Mangguo." This can be played solo or in unison, and the music is soft and sweet. There is also a special dance to go with it.