Tapping its cultural diversity

Preserved meat, chicken, rice and a jar of Miao liquor are placed on a long table, and people stand around it chanting.

"It (the ceremony) is called Gabaifu. It's folk storytelling through singing and chanting," says 54-year-old Zhang Benyun, "It comprises our history and our prayers for harvest."

Inside the park, there is a museum dedicated to the display of cultural heritage.

Sitting at different stands in the museum hall are local artists and craftsmen. Among them is Wu Shuigen, 50, a Miao silversmith from Shidong town, Taijiang, who is recognized as a national-level intangible cultural heritage inheritor.

"Silver accessories are very important in Miao culture," says Wu. "The designs all mean something in Miao mythology."

Wu started learning the art of making silver jewelry when he was 8, and now his daughter Wu Chunxiu, who has also become a silversmith, teaches tourists how to make silver bracelets and rings in the museum.

"The skill used to be passed on within the family only," says Wu Chunxiu.

"But father wants more people to learn it so that the art isn't lost."

Long Tonghua, 54, from Laotun village in Taijiang does Miao embroidery.

Long started learning traditional embroidery from her mother at seven. Her skill was recognized as province-level intangible cultural heritage in 2015.

With the help of an apprentice, Long gives a introductory lesson about the intricate designs to a group of students visiting the museum.

"This is the first time I am teaching in Mandarin," says Long who typically speaks in Miao with her apprentices.

"I am happy to spread the knowledge of Miao embroidery," she says.