Our answer
The drum-tower people 侗族
Rice-growing villages of wooden drum towers and covered bridges where Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi meet
The short answer
The Dong (侗族, Dòngzú), who call themselves Kam, are an ethnic minority of southern China, 3.5 million people in the 2020 census. Most live in Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi. They are known for wooden drum towers, covered wind-and-rain bridges and the Grand Song, a choral tradition on UNESCO’s intangible heritage list since 2009.
| In Chinese | 侗族 (Dòngzú), the Dong people; in their own language, Kam |
|---|---|
| Population (2020 census) | 3,495,993, the 12th-largest of China’s 56 ethnic groups |
| Where they live | Guizhou (over half), Hunan and Guangxi, with smaller numbers in Hubei |
| Language | Kam (Dong), a Tai-Kadai language of the Kam-Sui branch; no traditional script |
| Known for | Drum towers, wind-and-rain bridges, the Grand Song, sour food and oil tea |
| UNESCO | Grand Song of the Dong ethnic group, Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2009 |
Who the Dong are and where they live
The 2020 census counted 3,495,993 Dong people, up from 2,879,974 in 2010, making them the 12th-largest of China’s 56 officially recognised ethnic groups. They call themselves Kam.
They live where Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi meet. In the 2010 census, 55% of Dong lived in Guizhou, 28% in Hunan, 10% in Guangxi and about 2% in Hubei. The heartland includes the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in south-east Guizhou and Sanjiang county in northern Guangxi.
The Dong are rice farmers, and their food rests on what are called the ‘four pillars’: glutinous rice, sour (pickled) food, hot pepper and rice wine. Barbecued fish and oil tea (油茶) are well-known dishes.[2][3][4][6]
The Kam language
Kam belongs to the Tai-Kadai family (in Chinese, the Zhuang-Dong family), in the Kam-Sui branch; its closest relatives are Sui, Maonan and Mulao. There are three closely related varieties: Northern Dong, Southern Dong and Cao Miao.
Kam has no traditional script. A Latin alphabet was created in 1958 but is little used.[3]
The Grand Song of the Dong
The Grand Song (侗族大歌, Dòngzú dàgē; in Kam, *Kgal Laox*) is multi-part choral singing performed without instruments and without a conductor. UNESCO added it to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.
Formal performances take place in the village drum tower, and the songs are also sung informally at home and in public places. Some are imitative songs that test singers’ skill at copying the sounds of animals. UNESCO calls the tradition ‘a Dong encyclopaedia’: it carries the community’s history, knowledge of nature, love songs and values such as respect for elders and neighbours.[3][5]
Drum towers and wind-and-rain bridges
The drum tower (鼓楼, gǔlóu) is the heart of a Dong village, the place for gatherings, ceremonies and song. Towers are built by Dong master carpenters with beams, pillars and rafters joined without nails or glue, and rise in many tiers of upturned eaves. A drum at the top was once beaten to warn of danger. Liping county in Guizhou alone has 429 drum towers.
Dong villages are also known for wind-and-rain bridges (风雨桥, fēngyǔ qiáo), covered wooden bridges, often topped with pavilions. The most famous is the Chengyang Bridge (程阳桥), also called the Yongji Bridge, in Sanjiang county, Guangxi: completed in 1912, it is 64.4 m long and has five pavilions.[6][7][8]
Dong villages to visit
| Place | Province | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Zhaoxing (肇兴), Liping county | Guizhou (Qiandongnan) | Billed as the largest Dong village in China, with more than 800 households. It has five drum towers, including the 24 m, 11-tier Xintuan tower, and wind-and-rain bridges. Oral history dates its founding to about 1160. |
| Chengyang (程阳), Sanjiang county | Guangxi | A popular Dong village, home to the Chengyang wind-and-rain bridge of 1912. |
Dong festivals
- Kam New Year, kept alongside the Chinese New Year.
- Farming festivals for sowing seed, planting cotton, washing the water buffalo and eating the new rice.
- Harvest and seasonal days, including Mid-Autumn, Pumpkin Day and Lusheng Day.
- Singing festivals, such as the Gaoba Singing Festival.
- Days of remembrance, including Girls’ Day.
Questions readers ask
Who are the Dong people?
The Dong, who call themselves Kam, are an ethnic minority of southern China, 3,495,993 people in the 2020 census. They live mainly in Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi and speak Kam, a Tai-Kadai language.
Where do the Dong people live?
Where Guizhou, Hunan and Guangxi meet. In the 2010 census, 55% of Dong lived in Guizhou, 28% in Hunan and 10% in Guangxi, with about 2% in Hubei.
What is a Dong drum tower?
A tall, many-tiered wooden tower at the centre of a Dong village, used for gatherings, ceremonies and singing. Towers are built with joints and no nails or glue; Liping county in Guizhou has 429 of them.
What is a wind-and-rain bridge?
A covered wooden bridge, often topped with pavilions. The best known is the Chengyang Bridge in Sanjiang, Guangxi, completed in 1912, 64.4 m long with five pavilions.
What is the Grand Song of the Dong?
Multi-part choral singing without instruments or a conductor, performed in the drum tower and at home. It carries Dong history and values, and UNESCO added it to its intangible heritage list in 2009.
Do the Dong have their own writing?
Kam has no traditional script. A Latin alphabet was created in 1958 but is little used. The Grand Song, which UNESCO calls a Dong encyclopaedia, carries much of Dong history and knowledge.
What is Zhaoxing?
A Dong village in Liping county, south-east Guizhou, billed as the largest Dong village in China. It is famous for its five drum towers and its wind-and-rain bridges.
What do the Dong eat?
Glutinous rice, sour pickled food, hot pepper and rice wine are called the four pillars of Dong food. Barbecued fish and oil tea are well-known dishes.
Sources
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, Communiqué of the Seventh National Population Census (No. 2), 11 May 2021 · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, List of ethnic groups in China (2020 census figures) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Dong people · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia (Chinese), 侗族 (2010 census distribution) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, Grand song of the Dong ethnic group (2009) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Zhaoxing, Guizhou · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Guizhou government (eguizhou.gov.cn) via China Daily, Dong drum towers: timeless cultural symbols of Guizhou (27 March 2025) · accessed 2 Nov 2026
- Wikipedia, Chengyang Bridge · accessed 2 Nov 2026
Update log. 2 November 2026 — reviewed. Next review due 2 February 2027. Suggest a correction