Village in SW China's Yunnan captivates tourists with melodic charm

Visiting Laodabao village in Jiujing township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province, is like stepping into a world of music.

In Laodabao, a village home to the Lahu ethnic group, people of all ages, from 3-year-old kids to elders in their 70s, can sing and dance.

In recent years, Laodabao village has quietly become a popular artistic retreat, with more and more visitors coming to study, explore, and immerse themselves in the local culture.

Normally quiet, the village of 116 households comes alive when music fills the air.

Photo shows Laodabao village in Jiujing township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Jia Xiang)

Laodabao village is the place where the Lahu songs and dances, as well as the traditional Lahu culture, are best preserved, with eight inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, including two at the national level.

Music is Laodabao's hallmark. Walking through the village, one often hears residents playing guitars and singing on their stilted balconies. From lively pop songs to traditional Lahu folk tunes, music fills the village. At night, tourists may find themselves enjoying an impromptu concert around the fire with local people.

A villager herds cattle while carrying a guitar on his back in Laodabao village, Jiujing township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Jia Xiang)

For 36-year-old Li Zhasi, a performer with a local performance company called "Happy Lahu," music is not just a passion — it's a livelihood.

In 2013, a performance company was founded in Laodabao village, and Li returned home from working elsewhere to join as a performer. "Now, I can make money right at my doorstep," said Li.

Today, over 200 of the village's more than 400 residents are performers of the company.

Tao Zi, a tourist from Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province, visited Laodabao with her family after exploring Xishuangbanna in Yunnan.

"If I had more time, I'd love to stay longer and experience Lahu music in full," Tao said.

Villagers sing and play musical instruments around the fireplace in Laodabao village, Jiujing township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Jia Xiang)

Zha Nu, a local villager, runs a music-themed guesthouse, with guitars and other instruments placed throughout. Here, guests can pick the instruments up and play at any time.

"With the growth of in-depth tourism, more visitors from across the country are coming to Laodabao," said Zha. Many stay for several days, learning Lahu songs or trying their hand at traditional crafts like playing the lusheng (a reed-pipe wind instrument) or root carving, a traditional carving art.

Laodabao has four guesthouses and over 10 agritainment restaurants. Zha believes that as the village's facilities improve, Laodabao will attract even more visitors from major cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, encouraging them to stay longer.

Around 4 p.m., a group of tourists from south China's Guangdong Province arrived at Laodabao and gathered at the performance center to watch a show presented by actors and actresses of "Happy Lahu." The villagers have performed over 1,000 such shows, drawing more than 500,000 visits.

Villagers sing in Laodabao village, Jiujing township, Lancang Lahu Autonomous County, Pu'er city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo/Jia Xiang)