As soon as the house is erected, the whole village gathers to celebrate — children and adults are running after sweets scattered from the air.
Shielded from the rest of Chinese civilization by a cascade of steep mountains, Dimen and its surrounding lush villages in Guizhou province has kept their Dong minority traditions and arts from centuries ago.
With a history that goes back to the Tang dynasty, the area is adorned with stunning wooden Flower Bridges, bell towers and cascades of beautiful old houses. The Dong people have no written language, but use fine embroidery to communicate their love.
Yet, as highways and tunnels plough through these mountains, the future of the village’s 525 households is at crossroads. There is already a government blueprint to turn Dimen into a satellite town in the coming three years, as China embarks on its latest urbanization drive.