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Ma Tang village

(Ma tang village is within the Kaili City area, Guizhou Province, south-west China. It is a Gejia village. The Chinese authorities classify the Gejia as a Miao sub-group but they like to think of themselves as a separate group.)

This Gejia village is frequently visited by tourists as it is close to the centre of the city of Kaili. This was reflected in the well-made public area for dancing and public address system. However, the welcome from the villagers was warm despite the numbing coldness of the morning. A dance troupe gave us a wholehearted music, dance and singing performance and a few young men played on lusheng pipes. A Gejia woman gave us an excellent demonstration of wax resist and, around the edge of the performance area, some women demonstrated embroidery, braid weaving and needle knitting of nets to cover the women's hair buns. The women had laid out for us both modern textiles designed for the tourist trade and pieces of traditional clothing.

all text & images © Pamela A Cross

see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
click on thumbnail to go to enlargement - click on enlargement to return to photogallery
 to Jpeg 51K 0111F25tNovember 2001 in the Geijia village of Ma Tang, Kaili City, Guizhou province
 to Jpeg 49K 0111F26 November 2001 in the Geijia village of Ma Tang, Kaili City, Guizhou province
to Jpeg 51K 0111H01 November 2001 in the Geijia village of Ma Tang, Kaili City, Guizhou province  
 to Jpeg 53K 0111G28 A Gejia couple loving their baby which is wrapped in a winter wax resist baby carrier. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 41K 0111F28 Back of a Gejia woman showing her red-tassled headdress - Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province
 to Jpeg 57K 0100F27 Gejia woman, Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
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 to Jpeg 46K 0100F30 Gejia woman showing her headdress. The fabric is a machine printed reproduction of a traditional Gejia wax resist design. All the women in this village seemed to be wearing the commercially printed fabric and we did not see any original wax resist being worn on headdresses. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 38K 0111F31 Gejia woman carrying her baby on her back and showing her headdress. The fabric is a machine printed reproduction of a traditional Gejia wax resist design. All the women in this village seemed to be wearing the commercially printed fabric and we did not see any original wax resist being worn on headdresses. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 58K 0100F29 Gejia woman showing her headdress. The fabric is a machine printed reproduction of a traditional Gejia wax resist design. All the women in this village seemed to be wearing the commercially printed fabric and we did not see any original wax resist being worn on headdresses. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 56K 0100F33 Gejia woman dressed in full festival finery about to fix a piece of cotton fabric to a board before starting to wax a design. The design on her own costume - the black on white - is probably all made from a commercially printed fabric and is not made from traditional wax resist. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 60K 0100F32 Gejia woman dressed in full festival finery demonstrating wax resist. The design on her own costume - her headdress and jacket at least (the black on white) - is probably all made from a commercially printed fabric and is not made from traditional wax resist. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 58K 0100F34 Gejia woman dressed in full festival finery demonstrating wax resist. The design on her own costume - her headdress and jacket at least (the black on white) - is probably all made from a commercially printed fabric and is not made from traditional wax resist. She has heated the wax in a metal dish on hot ashes. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 36K 0111F35 Gejia woman starting a wax resist design. Note that she has fixed her cotton fabric to her waxing board by making outlines of wax around the edge of the fabric which then dries fixed onto the board. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 57K 0111 A Gejia woman showing her headdress and part of her jewlery. The fabric is commercially printed to imitate the traditional wax resist designs of the Gejia. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province
 to Jpeg 59K 0111G01 Gejia woman in full festival finery demonstrating wax resist. The fabric on her own costume is commercially printed with traditional Gejia designs and not waxed. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
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 to Jpeg 60K 0111G02 Gejia woman in full festival finery demonstating wax resist. Ironically all the apparently waxed material on her costum machine-made commercial fabric based on traditional Gejia wax resist designs. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 45K 0111G03 Gejia woman in full festival finery demonstating wax resist. Ironically all the apparently waxed material on her costum machine-made commercial fabric based on traditional Gejia wax resist designs. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 49K 0111G04 Gejia woman in full festival finery demonstating wax resist. Ironically all the apparently waxed material on her costum machine-made commercial fabric based on traditional Gejia wax resist designs. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpge 54K 0111G06 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 55K 0111G05 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 58K 0111G07 Boys in Gejia dance troupe performing on lusheng pipes in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costumes - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse of the women - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 57K 0111G09 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
to Jpeg 56K 0111G17 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.  
to Jpeg 57K 0111G10 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs. 
see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
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 to Jpeg 56K 0111G12 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 56K 0111G14 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 58K 0111G15A Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 60K 0111G16 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 62K 0111G13 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs.
 to Jpeg 52K 0111G18 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs
 to Jpeg 59K 0111G22 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs
 to Jpeg 56K 0111G20 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs
to Jpeg 55K 0111G19 Gejia dance troupe performing in Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province in November 2001. The apparently wax resist fabric in their costume - at least the headdress, apron and sleeves of the blouse - are now generally made from commercially printed fabric which imitates the Gejia traditional wax resist designs  
see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
top
 to Jpeg 58K 0111G35 Gejia women weaving braids, knitting hairnets and sewing by a heap of wax resist clothing. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 58K 0111G25 Gejia woman weaving a braid by a heap of embroidered clothing, woven braids and also some bags from a local Miao (not Gejia) group. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 58K 0111G26 Gejia woman weaving a braid. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 60K 0111G21 Two Gejia women with their modern wax resist for sale to the tourists. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 59K 0111G33 Gejia women working on needle knitting the small net which is used to enclose the Gejia women's hair buns - a key part of their identifying headdress still being worn currently even when much of the rest of the costume has been exchange for western clothing. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 to Jpeg 59K 0111G34 Gejia women working on needle knitting the small net which is used to enclose the Gejia women's hair buns - a key part of their identifying headdress still being worn currently even when much of the rest of the costume has been exchange for western clothing. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou province.
 
to Jpeg 57K 0111G30 Gejia woman sitting amongs her modern wax resist work made to sell to the tourists. Note her embroidered apron which is edged with some original wax resist. Her headdress is, however, made from a commercially manufactred fabric using traditional Gejia designs. Ma Tang village, Kaili City, Guizhou 
 
see photogallery of Ge Jia textiles: baby carriers
click on thumbnail to go to enlargement - click on enlargement to return to photogallery
top
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Copyright © 2012 Pamela A Cross. The contents of this site, including all images and text, are for personal, educational, non-commercial use only and may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Pamela A Cross.
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this page last updated 29 December, 2004