Village that time forgot

Pancun's labyrinth-like lanes are hard for strangers to navigate. The village has been home to the Mulam people for more than 800 years. Photo by Li Yang / China Daily

Most young Mulam people from Pancun working in cities do not know how to speak the Mulam language, let alone the rituals and songs of the ethnic group.

Long Guangli, a 70-year-old villager, says he is concerned about their disappearing culture.

"When the old people die, the language, songs, rituals and crafts of weaving Mulam cloth will disappear. Nobody bothers to learn it now," he says.

Next to the old village stand rows of new houses built with red bricks and red tiles, which contrast sharply with the time-honored old village.

Pan Liuquan says the young migrant workers send money home and choose to build new houses there. But most old residents prefer to live in the old village.

Local officials say they are inviting investors from around China to develop the old village into a tourist attraction. I am lucky to see the village's original state before its commercial development.

In the future, the old village and its old residents may only exist in people's memories.

IF YOU GO

Pancun village is one hour's drive from Liucheng county, which is one hour away from Liuzhou city by long-distance bus and three hours' bus ride from Nanning, capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Liuzhou and Nanning are accessible from all major cities in China by train and airplane.

The shuttle bus connecting Liuzhou and Liucheng leaves every 10 minutes from 8 am to 6 pm throughout the week. The journey costs 15 yuan (about $2.40).

The long-distance bus connecting Nanning and Liucheng leaves at 10:15 am each day from the Langdong bus station of Nanning, and the cost is 80 yuan ($12.70).

The visa office of Nanning Wuxu airport starts issuing arrival visas from May 6.

Tourist agencies can apply for group tour visas in the airport's visa office for inbound tours.

The road connecting Pancun village and Liucheng is a typical bumpy farm track. You can hire a taxi in Liucheng for the short, pleasant trip. The scenery along the road is quite beautiful. You can see picturesque karst mountains, paddy fields and buffaloes by the dirt track.

It takes about two hours to walk around the old village. It is highly recommended to visit the village during its traditional festival season in late autumn and early winter, when the temperature is about 20 C.

You can base yourself in Liucheng and go to Pancun in the morning and visit Shixie old village or Luoya Mountain scenic area, both one hour's drive away, in the afternoon.

Shixie village, about 800 years old, is also inhabited by the Mulam ethnic group.

Read about the Mulam people and Zhuang people's history and stories before your visit. Food available in the area is various kinds of rice noodles accompanied by pickled bamboo shoots, the main dishes eaten by local people.