Miao people is a trans-boundary ethnic group with long history, mainly distributed in Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Lao, Thailand and Cambodia. Some Miao people dwell in USA, France and Guyana. China is the birthplace of Miao people and the Leigong Mountain in southwest China's Guizhou Province is the largest habitat of Miao ethnic group. In ancient times, ancestors of Miao people left their homeland to escape wars and found shelters in the Leigong Mountain.

The Leigong Mountain enjoys plenty of rainfall and lush vegetations, with 48 species of plants unique to China and 519 species of wild animals, among which 26 plant species and 23 animal species are under the state-level protection. Over hundreds of years, ancestors of Miao people have built hundreds of mountain villages with stilted houses. So far, seven well-preserved old Miao villages in the Leigong Mountain have been included on the candidate list for World Cultural Heritage.

Miao people are widely distributed throughout the whole province of Guizhou. There are numerous Miao branches speaking different dialects and wearing different costumes. Villages in the Leigong Mountain are considered the most typical Miao villages. There are streams and rivers winding around those villages and bridges in diverse styles are built, including stone pier bridges, single-plank bridges and stool-shaped bridges. Water ditches, waterwheels and water mills are available along those rivers and streams. Mountains lie behind these villages, which are covered with dense forests.

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