Indigo Culture of ‘Dong’ at Chengyang Ba Zhai Village in Guangxi Region, China: Local Wisdom and Ethnicity in the Context of Minority Identity

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on the "indigo culture" of the Dong ethnic group in Chengyang Ba Zhai Village, Liu Zhou City, Guangxi Province, China. This study examines the local wisdom involved in the production of unique indigo-dyed fabrics that are dark blue with a purple-red luster. It explores the relationship between indigo fabric and the life and society of the Dong people, including daily life and rituals related to social memory. The key findings of this research, titled "Indigo Culture of Dong People at Chengyang Ba Zhai Village," highlight the inseparable relationship between "local wisdom" and "ethnic characteristics." These two components interact to form a distinct indigo culture that reflects the Dong people’s self-identity. Negotiating self-identity within the context of modernity presents an intriguing contemporary challenge. This research is valuable in both the academic study of ethnic identity and as a crucial database for informing the Chinese government's minority development policies in various ways.