Positioned in China’s southwest corner, near the border with Vietnam, the Guangxi region is famed for its picturesqueness, most notably its hillside Longji Rice Terraces, named ‘the dragon’s backbone’, in reference to their jagged, lofty form.
The local population are an ethnic minority known as Yao who mostly live in a smattering of 13 villages, and are renowned for their ancient culture. Their nickname is Hong Yao, which translates as Red Yao, in honour of their vibrant clothing, created using weaving and dyeing techniques that date back centuries. Iconic items include turbans and tunics and embroidered skull caps, and both men’s and women’s clothing are equally dazzling and ornate. Though, contrary to traditions in much of China, parents rarely arrange or intervene in marriage proposals, but it is unusual for the Yao folk to marry into another group.
Visit the verve website to get tips on how to make your own magical shampoo at home
Yao’s impressive heritage stretches more than 2,000 years, all the way back to the Qin dynasty. Equally impressive is the length of the women’s hair—so long, in fact, that it’s in the Guinness Book of World Records (a woman made history in 2004 for her near-seven-metre locks) and attracts tourists from far and wide.
The legend goes that centuries ago, a local girl used her lengthy locks to fend off an unwelcome suitor, and since then, many of the women cut their hair only once, in a coming-of-age public ceremony when they are 18 years old. After that, the hair is left forever, with tradition dictating single women to tuck it into a headscarf while their married counterparts wrap it into a massive bun (husbands also receive those shorn locks as a wedding gift). The people believe the hair to bring good luck—though it wasn’t always so lucky for the men. A man who gazed upon the un-scarfed hair of a woman that was not his wife would have to serve her family for three years. Though that law has long since been scrapped, it’s still tradition that once married, couples live with the parents of the wife.
The legend goes that centuries ago, a local girl used her lengthy locks to fend off an unwelcome suitor, and since then, many of the women cut their hair only once, in a coming-of-age public ceremony when they are 18 years old.
The region’s Huangluo village has been capitalising on the interest in this most unusual of hirsute traditions, along with their other customs. The 400-strong village population is famous for its dancing and folk songs, and they’ve even built a theatre to accommodate their cultural performances, but most come for the locks. Thirty-minute hair shows, including haircare tutorials, allow visitors to get up close and personal with the tantalising tresses, and there’s even the chance to purchase the local legendary rice water shampoo. Does it work? Apparently, it sure does—word is the women don’t go grey until they’re into their 80s—which doesn’t just imply luxurious locks, but a long, long life, to boot.
