Tujia mountains: hand-waving dances and crying brides

土家风情 · tǔ jiā

Daughters' Fair: August

Enshi's Tujia people (土家族) have their own language, wooden stilt houses, a hand-waving dance (摆手舞) for every occasion, and the custom of brides singing weeping songs for weeks before the wedding.

The Tujia descend from the ancient Ba people of the Three Gorges. Their 吊脚楼 stilt houses cling to hillsides; their 西兰卡普 brocade in red, black and white is a national-heritage craft.

On the 12th day of the 7th lunar month (August), Enshi holds the 女儿会 'Daughters' Fair' — a mountain market where young people once chose partners by singing to each other. It is now a big folk festival.

Tea is central: Enshi Yulu (恩施玉露) is China's only surviving steamed green tea, a method the Tang dynasty gave to Japan. Sip it with 炕土豆 potatoes on a stilt-house balcony.

Try itJoin the nightly hand-waving dance in Enshi's Nü'er Cheng square — locals pull visitors in; the steps are four moves and a shrug.

Checked by GoHubei local editors · September 2026. Spotted a change? Tell us.