Guizhou Museum Of Marriage Customs Of Ethnic Minorities

Summary

It is the only museum in China featuring marriage customs of ethnic minorities.

Introduction

Guizhou Museum of Marriage Customs of Ethnic Minorities (贵州民族婚俗博物馆) opened to the public in 1989. It is the only one of its kind all over China. The museum is located in the Liu Family Mansion, which was the residence of Liu Xianshi, the first provincial governor of Guizhou Province. The mansion covers an area of 36,000 square meters (8.9 acres), and the museum takes up one fifth of the area. 

There are various traditional marriage customs in Guizhou Province, and even for the same ethnic group, their customs vary in different regions. Market days and slack farming seasons all provide good opportunities for the young people to find their love. For example, Miao girls in some parts of Guizhou will tie one end of their belt around the waist of the young man they adore, while in some other parts of Guizhou, Miao girls wait at the villages paths with multicolored glutinous rice at festivals around April, and if the young man likes one girl, he will ask for rice from the girl. The courtship of most ethnic people involves singing and dancing.

Exhibitions

At Guizhou Museum of Marriage Customs of Ethnic Minorities, more than 600 pieces are on display, including pictures, videos, ethnic wares, costumes and love tokens. These items introduce ethnic people’s courtship, love tokens, how they get engaged, their wedding ceremonies, and their marriage.

Travel Essentials

Location

The museum is located at Xiawutun Street of Xingyi City (兴义市下无屯街道). Xingyi City located in southwest Guizhou Province, and it is about 357 km (222 miles) from Guiyang City, the capital city of Guizhou Province, 362 km (225 miles) from Kunming City, the capital city of Yunnan Province, and 525 km (326 miles) from Nanning City, the capital city of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Transportation
 

Every day there is a direct flight (small airplane) between Xingyi and Guiyang, taking about 40 minutes. There are also trains connecting Xingyi with Guiyang, Kunming, Guangzhou and Nanning.

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Related Links

• Ethnic Groups in China
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