Dehang Miao Village

Dehang Miao Village is located at Aizhai Town, Jishou City, Hunan Province. Dehang is about 3hrs away from Zhangjiajie by car. The indigenous name “deut hangd” means "beautiful canyon". Due to the ups and downs of the mountains, towering cliffs, stone walls, peaks, creeks, waterfalls, and primitive forests have been formed here. The natural scenery is very beautiful and charming. Dehang Miao Village is covering an area of 580 square kilometers. Besides the natural scenery, the culture of Miao ethnic is very charming and attractive, worth for a visit. Dehang village is inhabited by a group of Miao people, whose folk customs are ancient and simple. Women here like to wear silver jewelry and collarless embroidered clothes; men like to tie leggings. They raise silkworms, weave cloth, and sometimes make clothes on their own. People here use ancient methods to extract cooking oil, make paper, mill rice, and use water wheels to lift water to fill the fields.


Dehang Miao Village Facts

Chinese Name: 德夯苗寨

Location: Dehang Village, Aizhai County, Jishou City, Hunan Province, China. 湖南市湘西州吉首市矮寨镇德夯村

Entrance Fee/ticket of the Dehang Miao Village: RMB100.

Opening Time: 8.30-17.30

Feature: Miao Population

What to see at Dehang Miao Village

Miao Village

More than 80 Miao families live in the village. Their houses are distributed closely intertwined in the green valley. Look at their houses what are built by wood and have a gray and large tile. With the mountains as background, the whole village looks comfortable and quiet.
Dehang Miao Village also has the reputation of "The Best Drums in the World". So here, Drum dance is very popular and local people are really good at it. A very young little girl may be able to perform an amazing drum dance. Miao drums are divided into two types. One is for celebrating the New Year and another is for blessing of the gods. When welcoming guests, the performance is the celebration of the New Year. In Dehang Miao Village, there have been 5 generations of Miao Drum Kings. Pick Dehang village for your Zhangjiajie tour plan. It will be a surprise to you.


Jie Long Bridge

There is a bridge Named “Jie Long Bridge” in Dehang Village, which is so simple and elegant. The bridge is actually a semi-circular stone arch, which can be found in historic villages. The bridge and its bluestone slab roads at each end, connect the Miao Village on both sides of the Hangxia River. The stream under the bridge is clear, rushing continuously throughout the year. You may encounter several Miao women dressed in red clothes washing clothes on bank of the river. The Jie Long Bridge got its name from Jie Long activity. Jie Long means getting the blessing of dragon. On the “Jie Long” day, colorful flags were planted on both sides of the bridge and the connecting stone road. The villages in parade are dressing up in colorful costumes, followed by a team of music player. Traditional instruments can be found at that time, such as gongs, drums, trombone, and suona. Jie Long Bridge is the main place for the Jie Long activity. This kind of Miao style scene attracts thousands of Chinese and foreign tourists.

Tian Wen Tai Platform

The 15,000-meter-long bluestone road leads to various scenic spots. A very good viewing platform can be reached by one hour hiking from the village. Due to its high and central location, surrounding by mountains and cliffs, the platform got its name “Tian Wen Tai”, which means that you can ask the heaven questions here and they will hear you. There are so many sights in the eyes when standing here, feeling like you are in a scenery painting picture.


Dehang Grand Canyon

The Dehang Grand Canyon Scenic Area is in the middle of the Wuling Grand Canyon formed by the intersection of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and the Wuling Mountains. The protected area is 108 square kilometers and Dehang Canyon is the most exciting part. In the area, there are towering cliffs, overlapping peaks and forests, crisscrossing streams and rivers, and the average temperature is between 16° and 18°. The climate is pleasant and dynamic all year round. The plant resources are very rich and the natural scenery is very beautiful.

Ai’zhai Bridge

On the way to the Dehang village, you may have a chance to appreciate the most breathtaking bridge in the world. The Aizhai Super Suspension Bridge is a single-span suspension bridge, and both ends of the bridge are directly connected to the tunnel. The width of the roadbed is 24.5m, the length of the bridge is about 1779m, and the main span of the suspension bridge is 1414m. The height difference between the bridge deck and the bottom of the canyon is 355 meters, which makes the bridge look like a permanent rainbow over the Dehang Canyon. You may not believe that in such a mountainous area, there is a huge modern bridge here, presenting China’s progress.


How to get to the Dehang Miao village

From Zhangjiajie: If you are travelling in Zhangjiajie and want to do a Dehang tour, you can take train from Zhangjiajie to Jishou(2-3hrs), and then take bus from Jishou rail station to Dehang village (40mins).

From Fenghuang Ancient Town: If you are travelling in Fenghuang Ancient Town and want to do a Dehang tour, you can take bus from Fenghuang to Jishou (around 1 hour), and then bus again to Denghuang village (40mins).

Travel Tips

When travelling in Dehang Miao Village, you may need to pay attention to Miao custom and try not to offend them. 1. Don’t step on the doorsill but just cross over it. 2. Don’t open the umbrella inside the house. 3. Don't sit in the main seat of the main hall, which is prepared for the host. 4. Don't whistle casually in Miao Village and Tujia Village especially at night. They believe that whistle will attract ghosts.


More attractions in Zhangjiajie

  • Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park
  • Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
  • Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon
  • China Southern Great Wall