Women in traditional Han dress pour wine for guests. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]

Representing the vast majority of Chinese people, the roots of Han ethnicity are often overlooked in favor of today’s modern lifestyle. However, in the Guizhou city of Anshun, more than 200,000 Han people still live according to the 600-year-old ways of their ancestors.

The people are the descendants of some 300,000 soldiers from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644) who fought on behalf of Zhu Yuanzhang defending his regime from rebellion and foreign invasion.

After which, the soldiers took their families to settle in Southwest China, whose culture was considered inferior at the time, and so they kept their own unique ways, customs, and traditional lifestyle.

As time passed, a new form of culture – Tunpu – developed based in part on traditional Ming culture.

Ming-style stone buildings can still be found in the Tunpu villages where the soldiers and their families lived. Tunpu still wear traditional Han dress, as well as preserving traditions such as ancestor worship.

As Guizhou develops its tourism industry, Tunpu culture has grown into somewhat of a niche market for travellers, wishing to experience something a little different from the norm. As such, activities are being frequently organized, featuring classic elements of Tunpu culture, such as the restoration of artifacts, the establishment of a food culture, and historical looks at the role of the troops during the Ming Dynasty.

The study of Tunpu culture is also being encouraged by the government. On Nov 12, the city of Anshun, a hotbed for Tunpu, arranged an international seminar on the culture, attracting more than 120 experts from around the world, including the US, and South Korea, as well as well-known Chinese universities, such as Tsinghua and Fudan.

Dixi Opera is unique to Anshun’s Tunpu. [Photo/xinhuanet.com]