Many years ago, I have seen a photo on a website abroad , several black men carry guns , pony hair, dressed in black , standing in front of a row of cottage , entitled " China's last gunmen tribal " , the location is Southeast Guizhou Basha , that picture has made ​​me memorable. In this year's festival , and finally completed the trip to Guizhou Basha , to look for this famous mystery gunman tribes.



After a drive from Shenzhen, Guilin, Guangxi , the Guangxi Sanjiang County , all the way along the front row Duliu finally arrived Guizhou Miao and Dong Autonomous County, from the river , travel more than 850 kilometers . After the river from the county, we stayed one night in the county , the next day we drove along the X883 County Road 20 minutes , about 9.6 kilometers , went to the river from the county town of Basha sister propionate sable .



Basha ( locally pronounced bia) sand, Hmong as " distribution ", meaning "vegetation range " means, Basha in the foothills of the Moon , although there is no forest cover , it is also surrounded by bamboo and grass , hillside cottage , Here is terraced cottage , a total of five Hmong stockade , lived more than 2,000 Hmong villagers. Basha see a lot of articles saying tribes have retained the original folk , but I think people have been assimilated Basha a lot, except for those cottage houses remain intact , there are those in the form of performances Armed with nature , black , etc. things have been retained on , many customs are slowly changing .



In Basha said bun , guns and trees is where the " three treasures ", but here, my first impression is black , black tile , black gun , black Basha Miao , long black hair , all this gives a sense of mystery , although not the past Basha Miao cottage , like other ancient cottage is open , has also become a tourist attraction , but the black features, Basha makes significantly different from other tourist attractions.



Basha after entering the door , the first to see the cottage is on the square , a row of tree trunks erected a huge sign that says China last gunmen tribe - Basha , although very formulaic style tourist attractions , but for many tourists rarely go , of course, will go to the pictures taken place.



If Basha Miao retain the most complete , is the wooden houses on stilts , the whole entire house is built from trees , the oldest house roofs are corrugated bark , rather than the current black tiles . Basha said that one of the oldest houses , has been in existence for 250 years . Its pillars, wood Fang , are cut out with a knife ax , but unfortunately we were unable to find this ancient house , of course , can not even find recognizable .



This is one of the oldest traditional staircase Basha Miao Village , is cut out of a tree trunk on a ladder steadily , leaving holes in the middle also , really do not understand why you want to leave holes ? We embarked on the second floor of the houses on stilts along it 's really the point of effort , we must maintain a balance of the body, in order to safely upstairs , we are leaning on the edge of the wood had to go to.



In each Diaojiaolou upstairs , are seen below the roof , which is an abandoned house , but from here on stilts stockade structure can also see the other houses , the light does not block your own house , cottage inside bamboo , so dense housing levels somewhat distant plume of smoke terraces and showed good vision.



Miao compact structure suitable for the entire house , interior lighting to rely on past moves to regulate wood windows are now constructed of glass windows. Basha said that people sleep without bed , mostly sleeping on the floor , and some even like older are adapted to the long-term sit sleep habits , there is no concept of lying asleep , but although it 's Basha who retained past many customs, but in fact , in other aspects of daily life , Basha who has completely lived a modern life, although slightly handicap conditions .



Su Rian Overall, Basha Miao style to keep the past , but a closer look , there are changes in the cottage , which is also a necessary requirement for improving the living environment , most Miao roof is no longer bark, are is black tiles , and some do spend a metal lining , so some rain , stockade houses will be safer .



Basha Miao generations to maintain farming men and women weave , rice for a living , hunting as partners, believe in God and traditional legacy of the trees the sun god . From these home hanging creel , in addition to hunting, farming outside , fishing shrimp fishing Basha who was once the most important way of life , but now, with the changes in the environment , these methods seem to survive are gradually abandoned.



Miao ancestors legend Chi has three sons , Basha who is a descendant of the third son , when the Yellow Emperor Chi was defeated , led the tribe began a march to the southwest , Basha Miao ancestors is the vanguard of the great migration - Jiu tribal one , then someone studies should be Miao Qin and Han migration to here . They were forced to move to the mountains Department , based on the harsh living environment , leave the body Hmong knife leave the gun back .



Before this, I've been thinking the last tribal gunmen are just a selling point , and then went to the only confirmed , it should be said that China is the only tribal gunmen this statement is true, although China conducted a comprehensive gun ban , but probably Basha China only approved individuals wearing firearms stockade, Basha guns licensed by the government of more than 80 percent of people have a gun license . Basha gun , a range of only fifteen or twenty meters gun powder , it can be said that the traditional soil blunderbuss , their guns from Qiandongnan Liping county Kando , Lung area master build, Basha who particularly cherish rifle , and even passed down from generation to generation , has become an important family heirloom .



Although the head man here is not tall , but all of them are very lean , they dressed in Tsing Yi, sounded the shoulders carry guns , very like the ancient warrior . Some people say that quite a bit Basha samurai samurai movie charm , in fact , it should be said that the Japanese samurai warrior and Basha have many similarities. Rumor had the Japanese nation , folklorists came to Southeast roots , Basha also attracted strong interest in them , and some even study Japanese ancestry if there is some mysterious connection with Basha who checked a lot of information this statement has not been confirmed , the estimate is a legend , but they did with the Japanese samurai have many similarities .



Basha clothing is also very unique , mysterious gorgeous, men wear left front and right opening round buckle black waist coat, big black straight trousers , women dressed in black breasted suits, pleated skirts, with colorful batik and embroidery. Regardless of men and women, wearing a blue- purple glowing light clothes , a bit like our childhood popular silk . This fabric is said to Miao own homespun textiles , plus something called indigo plant , in his homespun dyed woven and dyed also added in the egg , so that both glossy dyed cloth , but also rain, there is a saying that after wearing dirty clothes , do not wash , and then continue into the vat dye once, so in order to have such a bright feeling.



Basha men value their hair, shaved hair around the head , leaving the top of the bun , known as the " family club " in the Hmong in Basha and lifelong maintain this hairstyle , it became the most masculine attire important sex symbol. It is said that this dress was passed down from ancestors Chi era , is by far the oldest man can see the hair style in China , even the children know the head of hair is left ancestors passed down the rules, man signs, is a symbol of strength, but we see turbaned men , children can only participate in the show to see the " family club ."



With the changing times , Basha also have a subtle influence on our pictures to the stockade , I saw several women in the middle of the road weaving, I guess it is to arouse the attention of tourists , charges should be photographed , so no photographs , first in the past to see what happens . Suddenly the edge of the edge of a friend who at the time of shooting landscapes , the camera shutter sound to disturb them, they are now facing the girl cried , " money ! " In the past I said , did not shoot you, why should we pay? They turned out to be hard to pull my camera bag, I said a few words after being left. Pictures charges understandable, but this situation really feels like some regret .



The old man is the only charge to take pictures , he carried a gun , sweeping the road stockade , but fortunately it is in blatantly , and he told me to shoot a portrait ten dollars , twenty open shot , to see the gunman was shot Basha real scene , we give you the money so that he fired a shot , although there have been prepared, but the sound is still great shot so I was shocked that cameras shake , shoot virtual. I have been thinking , in many tourist attractions, such as the money shot out of photography, so good on a humanistic photography it? It is said that the fishermen on the beach Xiapu shoot , shoot out almost all exactly the same, after all, the performance of traditional culture are also commercial.


Later in the way of the stockade , met several local painting art majors , they should be here some time, they told me dont touch Basha cattle , that is where it is regarded as a fetish , If you encounter will be a lot of money to compensate , of course, this matter has not been confirmed , but let us be more careful in the shooting Basha . If you go to the Bazaar , before giving the pictures here , it is best to seek their consent , after asking the camera, lest caused misunderstanding.



So , we are more pictures to peer friends , apart of photography , I also thought perhaps the wanton taking pictures of tourists , which makes the original simplicity of Basha people have the habit of money , that is not clear in the end is who changed who , but the invasion of foreign culture , inevitably resulting in the current situation. When I left, met a local young man, I want to make a picture says , while he frankly calls while I took , although I'm ready to give money , but he did not ask for money left so , I will not spend money to take this photo on the cover of the travel . Later , there are some companions that Basha was not a lot of people taking pictures for money , let me Basha who view has changed.



Stockade on the Mid- Basha , there is a very flat area , there are folk performances , not every day , but every time I have come to tour , because we have more people , specially arranged a show, stockade after adults and children dressed in national costume , carrying a gun, blowing Lusheng , performing for tourists to see , but I went through the process of money that field , little interest to shoot people , beat people to give up , only to shoot the stockade they went to the building , but when accompanied by a friend or a show, take a lot of good pictures.



Basha 's seen a lot of wooden shelves inside the stockade , rows of wooden cottage on the roadside slopes can be seen , built by the thick tree trunks made ​​, this is the Basha 's " Wo dry " rack , Miao Walled after harvesting rice, the grain and cut off the ear of a root , aspartate were kept in the fields , rice is dry on the gallows , forming a stockade of the most unique landscapes " Wo dry ." Each grain drying rack about 56 meters , four or five meters wide , waxy ears of corn rows hangs a large golden Unfortunately, when we go to is not harvest season , did not see the spectacular scene.



Walking in the Miao , a closer look , but also to find Basha past ancient buildings , roof structures or bark , although many uninhabited , but retains the original style.



Although houses have changed, but the overall structure still retains the style of houses on stilts , watching rows of the cottage , but also to imagine what their lives past the scene .



Said Basha people think so complacent lives, mainly due to the ancestors of this treasure and selecting the right shade of trees , especially trees Basha who worship trees and hills are also considered a Basha Shenmu , never deforestation trees , sometimes not be thought of , but also the limited production of the necessities of life , so the trees well protected . In Basha stockade , saw a fire in the house , everything is reduced to ashes , poles have become like coke , saw this scene , I think the fire is perhaps the biggest enemy of the ancient Miao very worried about a fire will destroy these ancient relics of once .



In many houses on stilts , and still as in the past , become pig cattle place.



Basha 's largest specialty should be bamboo, front of the house behind the house , bamboo everywhere , a lot of bamboo stockade nestled in among the extraordinarily quiet , some of the shoots had just emerged, and some have grown into thick bamboo. There are a joke that peers , get a shovel, dig a lot of bamboo shoots can go home to eat , I want to Basha , the local heat will not let you go just dig their shoots .



Basha there are still many places unlike other tourist attractions, one of the biggest selling feature is rarely native people , even if the local embroidery , bamboo shoots and other special products , but few tourists around to see villagers selling only in one of the few shops Square , just some things to sell , this might have some relationship with Basha aloof personality.



There are many houses on stilts on the verge of collapse , I do not know whether the local money will be used to sell tickets to conduct repairs and maintenance of these ancient artifacts ? Of course, we do not want to be like some places , the old stockade Xiu new stockade. If there is one day , even if there stockade Armed gunmen estimated here will lose their original meaning. When writing blog , the ancient city of Fenghuang has stopped charging , the city must pay 148 yuan , I do not know if one day all the land of the beauty of China , we can not go in ? Do not pay almost no place to go . But these tickets received , how much is used in the ancient city maintained? No one knows , no one to manage .



Past Tsuishine place has been re- repaired with cement , but the taste is completely lost due , can not imagine there is such an ancient Miao cement building, hoping to protect these ancient sites , most worried too Mo too much how to repair and maintenance problems .



Basha stockade not far from the town , 20 minutes by car to get to , compared to other attractions , not many stockade inn , though not so easy in the cottage tourists slowly enjoy the view , but also to bring Basha protected. Finally, many attractions and shops were destroyed in the hands of the inn , Lijiang Dayan Old Town is the case , the most recent in a fire , burned a lot of old houses Old Town , these losses can not be repaired .



Before leaving, we ate a bowl of noodles in the stockade , a Youth Hostel , at the time of waiting for collection innkeeper looked something . Some dilapidated lantern , creel hanging in the living room in the middle , I do not know whether it is in the collection to the stockade . Basha said that one of the most famous attraction is to use curved sickle gives shaved before there is a special show for tourists to see , but it is now rarely seen .



But we saw in the inn turned both seedlings rusty knife , Basha people with knives hanging on the waist is very similar , but the two are straight down , rather than a machete . Although rusty knife have been useless , but outside of the sheath can see, it has been fine .



A small jar , like a child before we saw the jar marinated bean curd , and now uses an ashtray.



According to reports, over the past Basha , both men and women love marriage free-spirited , and cynical , they will be friendly song to song teaser , songs, Philco everyone adept skills. When the boys ' swim party " compete with each other in order to win the girl 's favor. Spring and autumn harvest season, some Saudi Basha "downtown girl" began, with each guy and girl caught his bamboo sheet , Hang -yu, help close planting rice . The fields during the day and go to work, gathered in the evening to help home owners , drinking, singing, holding the girl , Chongqing TV filmed a documentary specially recorded the locals "downtown girl " practices.



However , all of the past, be treated as a legend , appeared in front of people , and now Basha , little hard to see this scene . Even in the past the most common stockade that dance scene , and only when they could see the show get . The men holding hands and small Lusheng , while playing , while rhythmically shaking body ; woman in the periphery , his hands holding a handkerchief , the rhythm kept jumping maneuvers , everything seems to be stuck in the past .



Sitting in the inn 's window, you can see the entire stockade , see those villagers passing by , it seems that one can feel their frustration . Basha become a tourist attraction , so that their original habitat was broken, the traditional way of life has been replaced by a modern way , people in modern civilization and ancient culture clash , and it is very confused , Basha people who have lost their thing, but tourism brings is good or bad for a moment ...... incalculable