There are more than ten types of Dong songs, sung at different occasions - dating, spinning, sitting in a group, drinking, inviting people to drink, all have different song types. The list is long but the Dong dage a chorus style song sung by a group of villagers is regarded as the best. The Chinese government has applied for dage music to be listed as a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Dage can be sung by as little as three or as many as dozens and even hundreds of singers without musical accompaniment. These large chorus groups are able to sing without a conductor.

The songs are natural and moving, they reach out directly to your heart. The Dong people have an innate ability to express themselves in music and singing is their way of getting close to people quickly. It's common for boys and girls to visit other villages as chorus groups.

After a day's work in the fields, villagers generally head home and sit together in groups. Women continue doing things around the house like spinning or embroidering - traditional women's work singing as they go while the men play traditional instruments. The rhythm of their songs seems to keep pace with the speed of their busy hands and feet. Monotonous work may seem less tiring this way and it's become a romantic way to pass time.

 Zhaoxing Drum Tower Cluster

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