Yanjiao Dong Village is situated in Zhaiya Township, 24 kilometres away from the county seat. Together with Disun Miao Village in Sanqiao Township, it is known as "Dong in the East and Miao in the West" of Jingzhou. Integrating splendid historical culture, rich folk customs and pristine natural ecology, it is a national 3A-level scenic spot and an ethnic minority characteristic village in Hunan Province.

The village was first built in the mid-Ming Dynasty, covering a total area of about 50,000 mu. It governs eight villager groups with a total population of 1,380. More than 60 percent of the local residents are Dong people surnamed Yang. According to the Genealogy of the Yang Clan, their ancestor was Yang Zaisi, Lord of Feishan, a chieftain of ethnic minorities during the Five Dynasties. After thousands of years of reproduction and development, villagers of Yanjiao Dong Village have nurtured profound history and distinctive folk culture. The village worships three deities: the Goddess, the Tree God and the God of Land. It also boasts three treasures: the ancient post road, the pipa musical instrument, and the forest oxygen bar.

Since ancient times, the local society has never upheld the traditional belief that men are superior to women. Women enjoyed higher social status than men, held the economic power within families, and historically took the role of tribal chieftains generation after generation. Thanks to its unique geographical location, Yanjiao Dong Village became an important stopover for merchants and a trading hub along the ancient Hunan-Guangxi Postal Road starting from the mid-Ming Dynasty. The village reached its heyday during the Qianlong and Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty, when it was home to more than 360 households with over 1,000 residents. Inns and taverns thrived with booming business. For this reason, Yanjiao Dong Village is praised as "an ancient post station on the Southern Silk Road and a matriarchal kingdom hidden deep in the mountains of the ancient southern barbarian land".