Bi Ke village

(Bi Ke village is in Min Gu township, 10 miles east of Zhenfeng, Guizhou province, south west China. It is the largest Bouyei village in China.)

Bi Ke village is reached by a stony track running through beautiful scenery of a wide valley and mountain ranges. We stopped outside the village school and saw the school tuck shop - an old lady sitting on the ground with her wares laid out around her. As the village was not initially ready to receive us we were able to spend some time wandering around looking at the stone houses set into the mountain scenery. As it was the rice harvest most of the villagers were out working in the fields but we watched the women of a family raking the rice as it dried outside their house. We looked in on the pre-school and first year children as they learnt their lessons. When the villagers were ready for us we watched a woman winding off a skein of thread and then went into a house where a young woman was weaving. A small market of textiles was set up and gradually swelled as the women saw our interest. As lunch time approached a gathering crowd of villagers came to enjoy the interaction and provided a fascinating range of portrait studies. Many of the women were wearing traditional costume as every-day dress.

all text & images © Pamela A Cross

Click on thumbnail for full size images. Click on large image to return here top