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Shui Nationality

Achang
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Shui
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Xibe
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Zang
Zhuang

Shui nationality distributes over reaches of Dujiang river and Longjiang River in Guizhou Province. Mountains stretch and wave under the white cloud, ghyll intervein freely. In the endless forest sea, hide plane dam, hill and valley. The Shui people call their hometown ' as beautiful as the feather of phenix. Under the management and exploitation, the area becomes the village of fish and fruit. There are abundant of paddy, wheat, cotton, cole, and other crops. Plum, orange, peach and waxberry are rich and sweet. Fishes swim in clear and bright water. The thick forests conceal rare natural materials. .

A man often wear blue and green clothes. A long gown with a green scarf shows a handsome man. A woman has a blue half long gown with no collar and green trousers, flowery design is embroidered around the clothes and a green waistband wrapped. On festival, hair will be coiled deviously on head with a comb inlayed. Ornaments will be decorated on a feast.

There are two type of houses, one is bungalow, and the other is storied buildings. A bungalow is made up by three rooms, the middle one is for a hall, the two sides are for bedroom. A storied building is with two floors, the upper with five rooms is for living and the downstairs is for livestock. A house is made up by fir wood or deal wood. Commonly the same surnames with same bloody system form a village.

Spit is forbidden when enter a family; whistling is not welcome; and be polite when passing an elder.

Wine is for a guest. A head of a chicken is for a guest to show respect. A head of a pig is for leaving. If a guest is a woman, the killed livestock will be left a leg. When a visitor wants to leave, he should take sticky rice, ciba and zongzi away as present. A shuis' family will not leave a visitor along.

Thunder taboo is when the first thunder in Spring, they will not work for several days. And when a wedding ceremony is held thunder is a hoodoo symbol.

A bridegroom will not pick his bride, he invite some unmarried youth to be on behalf of him. A bride, supporting an umbrella, will walk to her new husband's family. On the same day or next day, she will go back to her parents', and a bride seldom lives in her husband's family; and only after a half year, she will live with her husband.

Jieduan Festival is the most grand festival the same as the Spring Festival. On Hai Day in traditional Chinese calender August to October, villages will celebrate Jieduan in turn. People from all sides goes to the Jieduan village to have a gala.

Culture arts pass on by generations, such as oral literature, dance, embroidery carving and soon. Songs can be divided big songs and wine songs, with no music instrument accompanying. The bid songs are for daily life and labor; and the wine songs are for marriage, funeral and banquet.