The Tujia — Topography and Natural Products
II. Topography and Natural Products. The Tujia live in the contiguous border areas of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing, and Guizhou, closer to the Central Plains than other ethnic minorities on China's frontiers, and thus had more opportunities for contact with the Han of the Central Plains. Badong County in the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, for instance, spans two of the world-famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze River and commands the throat of the river's upper and middle reaches. Therefore, the region inhabited by the Tujia...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
II. Landforms and Products
The Tujia people live in the contiguous zone of Hunan, Hubei, Chongqing and Guizhou. They are closer to the Central Plains than the ethnic minorities in China's borderlands, and have had more opportunities for contact with the Han people of the Central Plains. For example, Badong County of the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture spans two of the gorge sections of the world-famous Three Gorges of the Yangtze River, holding the throat of the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze. Therefore, the places where the Tujia live have an extremely important strategic position for developing the economic construction of the ethnic minority areas of the southwest.
Towering Mountains and Winding Streams
The mountainous areas where the Tujia live mostly have lofty ridges and towering peaks stretching across them. The main mountain ranges include the Wuling Mountains, the Dalou Mountains and the Daba Mountains; the Wuling range covers the largest area. The Tujia settlements in southeastern Chongqing are either flanked by the Dalou and Wuling ranges, or lie where the Dalou and Wuling ranges interlock. The area where the four provinces and municipalities meet can be called "mountains everywhere," and the heights of these mountains vary greatly. Dawokeng in Shennongjia in northern Badong has an elevation of 3,032 meters, yet the riverside at Hongmiao Ridge in Rangkow, Badong, has an elevation of only 66.8 meters.
The terrain of the various autonomous prefectures and autonomous counties is relatively complex. Overall, in the areas where the Tujia live, there are few especially high mountains, very few flat plains or flat land between mountains, and many mountains and hills, amounting to more than 70 percent of the total area. The landform of the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is "nine parts mountain, half part water, half part field." The Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is "eight parts mountain, half part water, one and a half parts field." In southeastern Chongqing, apart from some hilly river valleys or low mountain flatland in Xiushan, Youyang and Qianjiang, high and low mountainous terrain still predominates, and in northeastern Guizhou, Yanjiang and Yinjiang are almost entirely mountainous.
Zhangjiajie and Qingyan Mountain in western Hunan constitute China's first forest park opened to visitors from home and abroad. Within the park there are more than 2,000 peaks of every conceivable shape, attracting worldwide attention. Among the people there also circulate moving legends about the origins of these famous mountains. On Qingyan Mountain there is a Golden Whip Rock. Legend says that Qin Shi Huang once had a mountain-driving whip, with which he drove mountains to fill the seas, and it worked every time. Later, Qin Shi Huang threw it onto Qingyan Mountain, and it turned into the "Golden Whip Rock," more than 300 meters high, precipitous on three sides and sloping on one, glittering with golden light. Tianzi Mountain, adjacent to Suoxiyu, has a magical peak ridge more than 20 kilometers long and covering 45,000 mu, with 48 great generals and 48 lesser generals lying on the ground facing the Son of Heaven. What is this all about? Tujia elders say that at the end of the Yuan and beginning of the Ming dynasty, the Tujia leader Xiang Dakun rose in rebellion here and proclaimed himself king, opposing the corrupt officials of the imperial court; when surrounded by government troops, he still led Tujia soldiers in brave combat, and after failing to break through, he gave three great shouts and leapt from the cliff mouth of Shentang Bay in Yuanjiajie, together with his horse. At once the mountains and rivers changed color, and these magnificent peaks of the Son of Heaven holding court came into being. There is also a "Temple of King Xiang the Son of Heaven" arching with the "Generals" rock formations, grand and spectacular.
The branches of the Wuling Mountains, besides their characteristic overlapping peaks, also have many isolated peaks and long ridges; quartzite, limestone and slate are especially abundant, generally making up about 60 percent of the total rock strata; there are many dense karst caves, crisscrossing ravines, underground rivers and hidden streams running across the mountains, and the gorges are exceptionally beautiful, with especially many "underground palaces." The Tenglong Cave, Luoshui Cave and Lianyu Cave east of Lichuan City in the Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture form a large karst cave group. The main cave is more than 8,700 meters long, currently the longest karst cave discovered in China. The widest part of the cave is more than 170 meters, and the highest point is more than 80 meters. Inside there are also karst mountains more than 100 meters high — Yaowu Mountain and Baiyu Mountain; the total area of the whole cave is 620,000 square meters, also one of the larger karst caves discovered so far. Inside the cave the underground streams are like a net and stalactites are densely distributed, just like a crystal dragon palace.
According to surveys, within an area of more than 2,300 square kilometers, the Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County has more than 140 natural karst caves. On both the north and south sides of the county seat, along the banks of Tianchi River, there is a dense network of karst caves, including Changsheng Cave and Xiniupen Cave, all with very beautiful cave scenery.
The border region of the four provinces and municipalities has numerous caves and dense underground streams, with large drops in water flow, not only providing many waterfalls for viewing but also usable for generating electricity, so water energy resources are very rich. Winding around the mountains are the Qingjiang, Youshui, Lishui, Loushui, Wushui, Wujiang, Yujiang, Gongshui (Zhongjian River), Tangya River and others, all tributaries of the Yangtze formed by gathering trickling streams. They coil among the Wuling, Wu and Dalou mountain ranges, forming the numerous streams and caves at the forefront of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in the southwest. However, there are many rainstorms in summer and autumn, and mountain torrents sometimes break out, often destroying farmland, houses, roads and bridges and blocking traffic. Most tributaries can provide convenience for boat travel. Rivers and streams such as the Qingjiang, Youshui, Loushui and Yujiang all have the benefits of fish and salt, and in modernization they have great development value.
Climate
The mountainous areas where the four provinces and municipalities meet basically belong to a subtropical humid monsoon climate. In the border areas of Chongqing, Hubei and Hunan, because of the influence of various landform factors, temperature, rainfall and sunshine vary greatly. The weather is not the same even within the same autonomous prefecture or autonomous county. For example, in late spring of 1982, when the author went to the contiguous area of the four provinces and municipalities, Jishou, Enshi and other cities were already warm with spring flowers blooming, but on some mountain ridges in Xiushan, Lichuan and Xianfeng counties snow was still white and glistening. The Yesan River valley in Badong was already lush and green, while on Yesanguan ice and snow covered the ground. At the turn of summer and autumn, the author also visited here: on this side the sky was clear, but after traveling ten or twenty kilometers, on the other side it was pouring rain. The climate in the mountains changes even more: on the ridges it is drizzly and misty, on the mountainsides the wind is gentle and the sun warm, and when one reaches the villages at the foot of the mountain it is unbearably hot. In the urban area of Enshi (more than 500 meters above sea level) we wore shirts, but after driving 110 kilometers to the county seat of Lichuan City (about 1,100 meters above sea level), we had to wear lined jackets morning and evening. The popular Tujia saying "When the mountain rises one zhang, the climate is greatly different" explains the especially great climatic variation in mountainous areas. Taking Qianjiang as an example, for every 100 meters rise in elevation, the temperature drops 0.5°C and the phenological season is delayed by 4 days; the higher the elevation, the more rainfall and the fewer sunshine hours.
In the mountainous areas the annual average temperature is generally between 15°C and 17°C, the highest temperature is around 35°C, and the lowest temperature is from minus 5°C to minus 10°C. Summers are cool and winters warm, and the low mountain river valleys are even milder. The average temperature of the Qingjiang Gorge is above 5°C, so it has long been known as the "Warm Valley of the Qingjiang."
The rainfall in the stream-and-cave areas is relatively abundant, with annual average precipitation generally between 1,300 and 1,440 millimeters. Western Hubei has more autumn rain, and rainfall is uneven; sometimes there is a long clear spell without rain, while at other times 200 millimeters falls in a day, causing disastrous rainstorms and bursting mountain torrents. Western Hunan and southeastern Sichuan have relatively abundant rainfall, but it is mostly concentrated in the second quarter, and after July enters a dry period; in some places autumn rain continues for days, and the distribution of rainfall is uneven.
Mountain ridge areas have much fog, little sunshine and high humidity; low mountain areas have little wind, which is extremely favorable for the growth of mountain crops.
The "Mountain of a Hundred Treasures" Awaiting Development
Although the places where the Tujia live are mostly lofty mountains and steep ridges, because they are surrounded by many rivers and streams and have a subtropical warm and humid climate, their products are especially rich. The Tujia ancestors who first settled here long made their living by cultivating the mountains, "relying on the mountains to eat from the mountains" and "nurturing the mountains to eat from the mountains"; the mountains here are a "mountain of a hundred treasures," suitable for developing agriculture, forestry and cash crops, and the area of cultivable or cultivable-suitable mountain land is large. Grain is mainly corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes, and rice, wheat, barley, buckwheat and sorghum are also planted; beans include soybeans, broad beans, peas, mung beans, red beans and white cloud beans, with relatively high yields. There are also many edible melons and gourds. Before the founding of New China, the Tujia mostly practiced "slash-and-burn" cultivation, sowing widely and harvesting little. Now some new agricultural techniques have been promoted, such as plastic film mulching of crops, hybrid corn, cultivation of various improved varieties, rational fertilization, and new methods of pest control and weeding, and crop yields have increased compared with before. The forestry, animal husbandry and sideline resources of the mountainous areas are very rich. In particular, the conditions for timber production are exceptionally favorable.
In the vast mountain lands where the Tujia live, plant resources are very rich, with more than 1,100 species of tree and shrub species, and many timber forests and economic forests. Among them, there are more than 40 tree species of high economic value and good growth, such as masson pine, Chinese fir, cypress, paulownia, toon, camphor, nanmu, tung tree, oil tea, palm and olive. In the past, precious woods such as nanmu were even tribute items presented to the imperial court. Since the founding of New China, the Tujia areas have stored a great deal of standing timber for the country and supplied a large amount of commercial timber. The Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture alone has supplied the state with 4.15 million cubic meters of timber; the two cities and six counties of Enshi Prefecture have supplied 4 million cubic meters; and they still possess 15.1 million cubic meters of standing timber. In Shizhu, Youyang and other counties of southeastern Chongqing, masson pine has red color, thin bark, fast growth, a graceful tree shape, a straight trunk and strong resistance to pests and diseases, making it a key national seed collection base for masson pine.
In Tujia settlements such as Longshan, Yongshun, Zhangjiajie, Hefeng, Lichuan, Badong, Wufeng, Xiushan and Youyang, there are several patches of primeval forest that need stronger protection.
In Xiangtanyuan and Bengjianzi in Changyang, Hubei, each has more than 10,000 mu of ancient and rare plant communities dominated by the original species hairy-leaf dove tree, described by botanists as the "home of dove trees." In the Luota District of Longshan County in the Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture, many ancient metasequoias are preserved, one of which is 41 meters tall and 2.9 meters in diameter, its trunk entwined by two large ancient vines, which the Tujia call "two dragons embracing a pillar."
The Tujia areas have many mountain forests and produce large quantities of timber and forest by-products. Some are not only best-sellers in China but have also become famous brand products on the international market. The "Xiuyou" produced in the Xiushan-Youyang area of southeastern Sichuan, the "golden tung oil" produced in western Hunan and the "golden-silk tung oil" produced in western Hubei are all world-famous. Hunan has altogether 6 counties producing more than ten thousand dan of tung oil annually, and 4 of them are counties where the Tujia live in concentrated communities in western Hunan.
More than two hundred years ago, the Tujia of Xiushan had already mastered a complete set of unique techniques for processing tung seeds and refining tung oil. The tung oil they produced had high viscosity — when pulled by hand, the oil thread could stretch up to one meter without breaking — and also strong adhesion. Besides resisting acid, alkali, salt and high temperature, it could also prevent schistosomiasis snails, moss and insect damage. Therefore, tung seeds and tung oil are traditional commodities in the trade between the Tujia and domestic and foreign markets.
In addition, in the low mountain and semi-high mountain areas of the Tujia regions at elevations between 500 and 1,500 meters, lacquer trees of various sizes grow everywhere. The Tujia are experts at planting lacquer trees and at tapping and processing lacquer. The lacquer trees they plant can generally be tapped for lacquer after about 7 years. Some old lacquer trees can yield 2.7 kilograms of lacquer sap in a year. The "Maoba lacquer," known as the "king of coatings," is produced in the Maoba and Xiaocun area on the border of Lichuan and Xianfeng in Enshi Prefecture. Its lacquer quality is thick, with little natural moisture, high lacquer content, strong grip on wood and good gloss, and it is well received at home and abroad. The five counties of southeastern Chongqing where the Tujia live in concentrated communities are the center of fine raw lacquer variety resources in Sichuan. The "Wanzu" raw lacquer of Pengshui is even exported abroad. The Tujia areas are rich in raw lacquer and have long been famous for it. The lacquer quality is excellent, just as the Song people praised: "Good lacquer is clear as a mirror, hanging threads like fishing hooks. Shake it and it shows tiger-stripe colors, strike it and there are floating bubbles."
This area also has many oil-bearing plants. The oil content of camellia seeds and qizi seeds is extremely high. In 1982, Xiangxi produced 650,000 tons of camellia seed oil, and Xiushan produced 1.9 million jin of camellia seeds. Pengshui produced an average of about 15,000 dan of qizi oil annually. Youyang's average annual output of Chinese tallow was 39,000 dan, ranking among the top in the country.
Because the rainy and hot seasons in the mountainous areas last a long time, with much cloud and mist and high humidity, the area is suitable for developing forestry and planting various neutral, shade-tolerant, moisture-loving cash crops, and the potential for diversified operations is great. The output of mountain products such as tobacco, tea, fruit, and medicinal herbs is large and of high quality. The tobacco leaves produced in western Hubei are of relatively high quality and have long been exported to more than ten countries including Italy and Indonesia.
The Wuling Mountain area where the four provinces and municipalities meet has especially much cloud and mist and is suitable for growing tea, making it one of China's famous tea-producing areas. The tea produced there is of excellent quality. "Yihong tea" is not only a fine tea in the tea markets of Hankou, Shanghai, and other places, but has also long entered the international market. Enshi's "Yuyuan" (or "Yulu"), Xuan'en's "Wujiatai tribute tea," the green tea of Qianjiang and Pengshui, and the black tea of Sangzhi are all famous domestic teas. Guzhang's "Baimaojian" was once exhibited at an international exposition and was praised by visitors. Walking into villages where the Tujia people live, tea gardens can be seen everywhere. Western Hubei is one of the country's production bases for tea for foreign trade export. In 1982, Xiangxi planted more than 63,000 mu of tea and produced 8,947 dan of tea leaves.
Among the fruits produced here, citrus oranges, Chinese chestnuts, walnuts, kiwifruit, hawthorn, bayberry, and pears are relatively abundant. Shizhu Tujia Autonomous County produces 88 varieties of fruit. Badong and other places near the Three Gorges have long enjoyed the elegant title of "Land of Golden Oranges." Laifeng, Xuan'en, Changyang, Longshan, Sangzhi, Dayong, Luxi, Pengshui, and other counties produce large quantities of summer oranges, red tangerines, and seedless honey tangerines. Pengshui, Shizhu, Xianfeng, Xuan'en, Jianshi, and other counties all produce large quantities of high-quality Chinese kiwifruit. Pengshui's annual output of kiwifruit reaches more than 6 million jin. In areas where Tujia people live in concentrated communities, wild kiwifruit trees have now been domesticated, with artificial cultivation and planting of seedlings, and they are used to make wine, canned goods, preserved fruits, and so on. Jianshi Jingyang River's honey pears, Changyang's walnuts and hovenia fruits, and Longshan and other places' oil chestnuts are all fruits produced in relatively large quantities.
The Tujia areas have long been known as a "natural medicinal treasury." Western Hubei alone has 2,088 kinds of natural plant medicinal materials, 480 commonly used among the people, and more than 200 purchased by the state. In the 1950s, Chinese herbal medicines could be found everywhere in Xiangxi. Schoolchildren on their way to school could pick a basketful of medicinal herbs, enough to exchange for a semester's tuition, which shows how large the reserves of Chinese herbal medicines were. Therefore, the border area where the four provinces and municipalities meet is also an important producing area of Chinese medicinal materials in our country. Chinese herbal medicines have become one of the ways for Tujia people to become prosperous. Shizhu and Lichuan have long been called the "Land of Coptis chinensis," and Pengshui's Coptis chinensis is also quite famous. It is not only sold well domestically, but also sold to Southeast Asia, Europe, and America.
There are many five-bell fruit trees in the mountainous areas. Tannic acid extracted from five-bell fruit has extremely great uses and high economic value. There are also many wild and cultivated palms, and a large amount of palm fiber can be peeled each year. It is an important mountain product exchanged with the plains areas, so among the Tujia people there is the proverb, "A thousand palms and ten thousand tung trees, descendants will not be poor." Palms can be seen everywhere in western Hunan and Hubei and southeastern Chongqing.
Under the cover of vast forests grow many edible fungi such as lingzhi mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, and large-foot mushrooms. Lichuan and Shizhu produce weicai and fiddlehead ferns, and Lichuan, Changyang, Badong, Wufeng, and other counties also produce a great deal of wood ear fungus and shiitake mushrooms.
In the forests, many wild animals live and reproduce. The golden monkeys, flying squirrels, and white bears, white river deer, white musk deer, white deer, white monkeys, and white snakes produced in Badong's Shennongjia; Wufeng's musk deer, flying squirrels, mink, goral, and orioles; and Xiangxi's golden monkeys and macaques are all rare birds and animals under state protection. Historically, tiger skins, musk, and white wax were all famous "tribute items" of this region. The giant salamander produced here (commonly known as the "baby fish") has delicious meat and is a nutritious treasure, and it has now been listed as an animal under state protection.
The Tujia people live by the mountains and streams, and the abundant fish and shrimp are their main objects of fishing and hunting, as well as a source of hides and meat. The sparse woodlands and grassy hills among the streams and caves are vast in area, and the climate is mild, making them suitable for developing animal husbandry. Historically, the Tujia areas were one of the regions that presented fine horses as tribute to the Central Plains dynasties. The Wuling Mountains not only have broad pastures, but also nearly 300 kinds of excellent and luxuriant forage grasses such as red clover, white clover, and ryegrass. Longshan's Bamian Mountain and Enshi's Dashengding are both pilot areas for state animal husbandry in the mountainous areas of the south. In 1982, Bamianshan Township in Longshan had a per capita agricultural income of only 34 yuan. Starting in 1983, pastures were established to develop animal husbandry. In 1985, per capita agricultural income was 271 yuan, of which animal husbandry income was 230 yuan, accounting for 85% of total agricultural income. This shows that developing mountain animal husbandry is also one of the ways for Tujia farmers to become prosperous.
The livestock currently raised in the border area of the four provinces and municipalities mainly include pigs, goats, cattle, and rabbits. Qianjiang was once an advanced county in developing pig raising. Pengshui County raises relatively many pigs and cattle. The beef jerky of Qianjiang and Pengshui is so thin as to be transparent, bright in color, and especially fresh in taste. Badong's goats are hornless and are called "dog-head goats." They are gentle in temperament, have a high meat yield, little mutton odor, and their hides are of excellent quality. The goat hides produced in western Hubei have long entered the international market and enjoy a high reputation. Shizhu is suitable for raising Angora rabbits and has long obtained relatively great economic benefits.
The underground resources of the Tujia areas are very rich. The cinnabar and sulfur produced there were once tribute items presented to the Central Plains dynasties. There are also metallic minerals, nonmetallic minerals, and fuel minerals, such as coal, iron, phosphorus, manganese, copper, and dozens of other kinds. Among them, quite a few mineral types have large reserves and high grade, but most mineral deposits have basically not yet been developed.
Now, the Tujia, Miao, and Han peoples living in the border area of the four provinces and municipalities are striving forward energetically to prosper the local economy and ethnic culture!