Dong People - Agriculture and Economy

Agriculture and Economy

The Dong people cultivate dozens of varieties of glutinous rice (known locally as "Kam" or "good" rice). The Han Chinese cultivate non-glutinous rice, which is called "Han (Chinese) rice" by the Dong (Geary 2003:114). Supplementary foods inclusive maize, millet, various vegetables, plums, peaches, pears, mushrooms, mandarin oranges, pomelos, and watermelons. Cotton is also cultivated for textile production. Generally the Dong occupy lower-lying land than the Miao, and are thus wealthier than them.

Animals frequently raised by the Dong people include (Geary 2003):

• Water buffaloes: 1-3 per household
• Pigs: 1-3 per household
• Dog: not very popular, but sometimes used to clean up excrement and rubbish. In some areas, however, hunting dogs are raised.
• Chickens: 2-20 per household. Hens raised by the Dong generally lay around 100 eggs per year.
• Ducks: 2-4 per household (about half of all households). Ducks tend to destroy rice seedlings, and are thus less preferable than chickens.
• Geese: 2-4 per household (about one-tenth of all households). They are recent introductions from the Han Chinese.
• Fish: raised in fish-ponds, and sometimes hunted

The "four pillars" of Dong cuisine are glutinous rice, sour (pickled) food, hot pepper, and rice wine (Geary 2003). Other popular local dishes and condiments include barbecued fish, intestines sauce, purple blood pork, chicken-blood sauce, oil tea, gongguo (glutinous rice snack sweetened with liana) and bianmi (another glutinous rice snack). Also, the giant salamander is a rare local specialty. Two hot meals (breakfast and dinner) and one cold meal (lunch) are served everyday.

The Dong-speaking area is famous for its fir wood. Fir wood from the Dong area has been used to build the ships of 15th-century explorer Zheng He and the Great Hall of the People. Major economic activities include carpentry and the manufacture of silverwork and wickerwork. Baskets and other wickerwork are usually made by men. Baskets can be made from five types of plant materials, namely glutinous rice straw, cogongrass, Guangxi grass, bamboo, and rattan (Geary 2003:146-147).

In recent years, tourism has also become a major source of income for the Dong people (Geary 2003).