The Miao are one of the largest ethnic groups in China. In ancient times, they lived between the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and later migrated southwestward. Nowadays, the Miao mostly live in Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Hunan provinces, as well as in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Within the Miao, there are subgroups distinguished by their differing customs.

As a brave, hardworking, and hospitable people with a long history, the Miao have developed a unique culture, and many of the old customs are still practiced today.

  The Folk Telephone - tying hearts together

The folk telephone or drangx hotngoux in the Miao tongue is a home-made telephone made of bamboo. The telephone is made up of two small bamboo tubes that are 20 or 30 cm long, linked by a cotton thread. The length of the thread is usually 20 or 30 meters long. Each tube is covered by a pig's bladder. If you speak into one tube, the sound vibrates through the thread to the other tube. People can hear each other clearly over long distances and keeps a third party from overhearing the conversation. . It's hard to know who invented the folk telephone, but it is now an important part of life for the Miao.

When Spring Festival comes, the Miao celebrate in many different ways. One of them is for young Miao men and women to climb up opposite sides of a hill and sing alternating verses of love songs to each other through the folk telephone until sunset. Beautiful songs and sincere love are passed through the cotton thread, tying the young lovers' hearts together. This lasts for three days. Weddings will follow if any are satisfied with the singing voice on the other end of the line.

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