Tongdao Dong Autonomous County
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Tongdao Dong Autonomous County (literally: Passageway) is in Huaihua prefecture of western Hunan province.
Located on the south western corner of Hunan province, Tongdao is immediately adjacent to the borders of the southeast of Guizhou and the north of Guangxi.
Most people who visit Dong or Kam people will mostly go to eastern Guizhou province, therefore skipping this other less visited gem in the lush green mountainous area of western Hunan.
While the administrative seat of the county has the same name, many Kam towns are under its jurisdiction.
Get in
Buses depart from the south bus station (汽车南站) and it takes around three hours. There is a regular bus service from Guilin (桂林).
See
The Dong people are renowned for their unique and distinctive architectural features of their villages.
The Dong have taken a characteristically Chinese structure and developed the details within their own cultural context.
All the above mentioned sites are in the Pingtan river valley and a road goes through all these sites, so it's fairly easy to travel in this area. There are infrequent buses though, so it's best to hire a driver.
The Dong have taken a characteristically Chinese structure and developed the details within their own cultural context.
- See several bridges locally called Rain and wind bridge （风雨桥） and local Drum Towers.
- Zhongbu village 中步寨
- Pingtan village 坪坦
- Huangdu village 皇都
- Hengling 横岭
All the above mentioned sites are in the Pingtan river valley and a road goes through all these sites, so it's fairly easy to travel in this area. There are infrequent buses though, so it's best to hire a driver.
Do
Watch local Dong or Kam people.