Guardians of an ancient migration

For more than 600 years, the people of the Tunpu, fortified villages of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), in Anshun city, Guizhou province, have kept alive customs rooted in a military migration that took place centuries ago, when soldiers and their families from Central China were stationed here to guard the area.

"Our ancestors came here from our hometown 600 years ago at the emperor's order. The way we speak and the clothes we wear all come from that time," says 75-year-old Chen Heying, a member of the Tunpu community, recalling stories she has known since childhood.

Wearing a plum-flower crown nestled in her chignon and tied with a black headscarf, Chen walks with friends through the village market in a blue robe, trimmed with colored thread and embroidered neckline.

In Anshun, the Ming Dynasty origins of these customs remain vivid.

Living in Jiuxi village, Chen is proud of her distinctive dress, saying, "Sometimes when we pick up our grandchildren from school, people ask what we are wearing. I tell them I am from Tunpu."

Tunpu, the local pronunciation of Tunbu or Tunbao (literally fortified villages), refers to settlements created when Ming-era soldiers were sent to defend and farm the land in Guizhou, explains Mao Peiqi, a professor at Beijing-based Renmin University of China, speaking at a Tunpu cultural conference in November.

According to historical records, more than 300 such settlements were formed around Anshun, once home to roughly 200,000 Tunpu people. Their enduring traditions combine Han customs with influences from the surrounding ethnic groups and can still be recognized today in fortress-style architecture, clothing, and dialect.

Ancestral ways persist

In Jichang village, one of the largest Tunpu settlements with more than 4,000 residents, villagers carry an image of the village guardian in a procession each year on the 18th day of the first month of the Chinese calendar.

Villages raise colorful flags and erect ceremonial gates. The ritual, recorded in the Qing (1644-1911) Dynasty's Annals of Anshun, begins with dawn rites at the Wang Gong Temple. Villagers place the image on a decorated sedan chair and parade through the settlement with fireworks, Dixi Opera troupes and floats.

"This is our faith and our shield. It makes the village more united," said village elder Tian Yingmin, seated in a bamboo chair inside the Wang Gong Temple.

The procession is now listed as a national-level intangible cultural heritage and has become a key marker of Tunpu identity.

The veneration of Wang Gong traces back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Wang Hua, a local ruler in Anhui province, was honored for his loyalty and military service.

"Our ancestors came from Shexian county in Anhui and brought this ritual with them. It has been passed down to this day," Tian explains.

Xiamen University professor Chen Zhiping says that the ritual's form differs distinctly from indigenous Guizhou customs and likely originated among migrants from Anhui and neighboring areas.

Today, the responsibility for maintaining and transmitting each component of the festival — floats, Dixi Opera performances and ceremonial roles — is assigned to different groups within the village. "For the most important parts, we choose respected elders aged over 60, while other roles are open to people of all ages," Tian says.

Visitors discover roots

As interest in Tunpu culture has grown, these ancient customs now draw visitors from across China and abroad. Villagers have developed educational programs, guided tours and cultural experiences that help supplement their income while fostering wider understanding of their heritage.

The Wang Gong procession attracts particularly large numbers. "You need to book in advance, or you won't be able to get in," Tian says.

Peking University professor Qian Liqun said turning Tunpu research into tourism, education and literary resources is vital. "Tunpu culture was created by local people, and those people should always be the focus of attention and service," he said.

One of the most compelling attractions for visitors is Dixi Opera, a ritualized, martial dance-drama in which performers wear carved wooden masks representing historical heroes and generals. The masks range from fierce black-faced warriors with long beards to pale, noble visages with high brows. The opera is also a national-level intangible cultural heritage.

During the Wang Gong festival and other shows, a village troupe earns several hundred yuan per performance. According to the troupe's deputy head, their performances are especially popular with visitors from Hong Kong, some of whom travel to Anshun every year to experience the event.

The art of mask carving is also finding new audiences. In Zhouguan village, 53-year-old Qin Fazhong inherited his grandfather's carving knife and now makes the imposing masks.

He has opened a carving museum with an experiential workshop and sells wooden sculptures overseas through social media.

"I opened accounts on Douyin, Kuaishou and other platforms to livestream my carving," Qin says.

His sessions often attract more than 100,000 viewers, and local media report that his works are shipped across China and overseas, with annual export revenue averaging more than 2 million yuan ($278,600).

Shared past emerges

While military-settlement policies existed widely across Ming-era China, scholars say that the distinctiveness of Tunpu culture stems from its development within Guizhou's multiethnic environment.

Mao attributes that distinctiveness to Tunpu's setting amid multiethnic communities. Surrounded by different cultures, Tunpu people developed strong cultural self-awareness and a drive to preserve traditions.

The exchange and friction among diverse groups created Tunpu's unique character.

Signs of this interaction with local ethnic groups are visible. "Today's Tunpu costumes are no longer purely in the Ming-era style," Chen Zhiping says.

Embroidered waistbands, coordinated headwear colors and silver jewelry worn by Tunpu women clearly absorb aesthetic elements from the Miao and Bouyei ethnic groups. In food, the widespread use of sour soup, preserved meat and chili peppers shows the influence of local ethnic cuisines.

At the same time, he adds, Tunpu culture brought educational traditions and advanced farming techniques from the Central Plains.

That long history of exchange gives Tunpu broader significance, Mao says. "We live in a time that values cultural diversity. Each group preserving its own culture makes the world richer," he says, adding that Tunpu demonstrates how distinctiveness can coexist with openness.

In 2023, Tunpu culture was designated one of Guizhou's four major cultural projects, with initiatives covering archaeological research, heritage protection and culture-tourism integration. "We are firmly committed to the principle of protection first, rational use, and minimal intervention," says Xie Nian, deputy head of the provincial publicity department.

Qian echoes this caution. "Tunpu is a living culture, and Tunpu people should be its masters. We should be cautious about commercialization," he warns. "It must not be reduced to a purely profit-driven performance."

Contact the writers at liuboqian@chinadaily.com.cn