Xixiang Village, Sandu Town

Xixiang Village in Sandu Town is enclosed by mountains on its western side. Its highest altitude is nearly 1,000 metres, while the lowest point stands below 300 metres. Seen from afar, the whole basin looks just like a green treasure bowl.

On the surrounding mountains, trees stay lush and verdant all year round, with clear brooks gurgling nonstop.

Xixiang Village lies more than 30 kilometres away from Tonggu County seat. Surrounded by lofty mountain ridges, it is geographically secluded. The local Hakka people have preserved many original ways of life, fostering a distinctive cultural atmosphere. The villagers still observe the traditional festival of the Sixth Day of the Sixth Lunar Month, known locally as the Red Drying Festival. On this day, all married daughters return to their parental homes for a family reunion. It is a long-standing custom to dry clothes, quilts and books in the sun to prevent mildew. Villagers also hold sacrificial rituals, praying for the safety of humans and livestock and a bumper grain harvest. The festival ceremonies include altar consecration, inviting deities, offering sacrifices, praying for blessings, entertaining gods, rewarding divine spirits and sending off the deities.

Within the basin and along its edges, neat houses line up, crisscrossed by country paths, farmlands and irrigation canals. The landscape shifts into a riot of colours with the changing seasons.

Walking into the terraced fields of Tonggu, you step into a colourful fairy-tale world. Layer upon layer of terraces climb upward like stone ladders reaching straight into the clouds. Climbing step by step, you feel as if you could walk right up to the blue sky.

Standing halfway up the mountain, you see dense terraced fields scattered across the land like strings of pearls. Farmhouses, curling cooking smoke and working farmers together form a rich pastoral scroll. The harmony between mankind and nature, the unity of man and heaven, finds its perfect expression here.

Standing amid the terraces encircled by green mountains, visitors feel peaceful and refreshed, as if they have entered an earthly paradise. Wisps of drifting mist turn the valley into a fairyland on earth.

Xixiang sits in a small basin, high around the rim and low in the centre. Every early morning, thick white clouds blanket the entire village, covering everything completely without a single glimpse of the ground. All you can see is boundless pale white mist, soft and floating. If not for the winding mountain road leading downhill, no one would guess that a village lies beneath the fog.

When the sun rises, the clouds that have lingered overnight begin to thin out as if growing weary. Gradually, farmhouses and fields flicker into sight through the mist. As sunlight grows brighter, the clouds disperse and the whole village comes into clear view. A few trailing wisps of white cloud still hover above houses and farmlands, lingering reluctantly over this beautiful land.

On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, dry red and green belongings in the sun. The Red Drying Festival of Xixiang has been passed down continuously since the Xiangxing reign of the Southern Song Dynasty. It embodies the ancient ancestors’ devotion to heaven and earth, as well as their perseverance in fighting against harsh natural conditions and wild beasts.

Local traditions include storing spring water, airing clothes and books, married women visiting birth families, bathing humans and livestock, and banning earth-moving work on the festival day.

All villagers gather at the Nuo God Temple to invoke and worship deities, pay homage to heaven and earth, and hold grand folk activities: the Nuo God parades through the village, straw dragon dances ward off pests, the Twenty-Four Opera troupes drive evil spirits from every household, and paper boats are launched to send off ghosts.

All rituals are meant to pray for good fortune, ward off disasters and plagues, and wish the nation peace, favourable weather, thriving livestock, bumper harvests, healthy families and lasting good luck