17-23 May, 2025, Guizhou, China

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Hi Firends:

This is our first trip in 2025, we invite you to join us on a 7-day journey into the heart of the Dong villages in Southeast Guizhou, where we’ll reconnect with both nature and ourselves. This is a chance to reflect deeply on our relationship with the natural world and each other.

As we immerse ourselves in the unique ecological systems of the Dong people – like the rice-duck-fish model, the art of indigo dyeing, and the powerful Dong folk songs – we’ll experience firsthand the harmony between the land, community, and tradition, as well as their pain. These experiences will guide us in reflecting on our own lives, learning to understand and transform pain into positive action, and discovering new perspectives on how we can live in balance with nature and ourselves.

Each day, we’ll have the opportunity to engage in a workshop, where we’ll explore what it means to be truly connected to the world around us. With half-day sessions, this workshop will offer us space to reflect, share, and grow together in a way that enhances our experience and deepens our understanding of ecological harmony.

The Dong people, who call the mountains of Southeast Guizhou home, live in a way that’s beautifully integrated with the land. Known for their remarkable wooden drum towers and traditional architecture, their culture is shaped by a deep respect for nature and the environment. The rice-duck-fish system is just one example of their sustainable farming practices, where everything in the ecosystem works together in perfect balance.

At the heart of their culture is music – their Dong Folk Songs (侗族大歌) carry stories of history, community, and connection to the earth. These songs are much more than art; they are an expression of the Dong people’s belief in living in harmony with the natural world. They used to say: Food nourishes the body, while song nourishes the soul.

During our time together, we’ll dive into these traditions, learning not just about the culture, but about how the Dong people’s relationship with nature offers us all valuable lessons in sustainability and transformation.

The Dong village we are visiting is an ordinary rural village in China. Like many other villages, most of the young people have left to work in big cities, leaving the elderly and children as the primary residents. A Dong couple, who returned from working outside the village, has been accompanying the children for the past ten years. They have been seeking ways to bring parents back to the village while exploring a sustainable path that focuses on education, food, culture, and nature.

Day 1

Arriving，Opening Ceremony

Day 2

Morning Meditation, Village Walk. Learning about the story of the children's choir and the significance of Dong Grand Songs in Dong culture, Storytelling by the fire with elders.

Day3

Morning Meditation, Deep Ecology Workshop. Learning about the Dong “Rice-Duck-Fish” farming system, and the story of seeds.

Day4

Morning Meditation, Deep Ecology Workshop. Learning about Dong indigo dyeing culture,Foraging for indigo plants in the wild, dye fabrics, create blessing charms.

Day5

Morning Meditation, Deep Ecology Workshop. Learn about innovative projects in the Dong villages

Day6

Morning Meditation. Visiting villagers' homes to exchange food ingredients using talents or labor, cooking in the forest.

Day7

Silence in the nature, Closing Ceremony.

Food ：The food is primarily based on traditional Dong flavors, characterized by sour, spicy, and light tastes. Special dietary requirements can be raised in advance

Accommodation: Accommodation is in traditional Dong wooden houses, with twin rooms and shared bathrooms and showers.

Cost Prcie: 

5850 RMB/person     810 USD /person

This covers all expenses incurred by the journey initiator during the initial scouting trip, all accommodation, food, transportation, and experience-related costs during the journey, as well as a basic stipend for the journey leader (500 RMB/day). Additionally, it includes essential operational costs for the platform (such as website maintenance, auditing, and taxes)

Market Price:

7850 RMB/person      1100USD/person

This includes a reasonable profit margin, which is generally understood as the "market price." The additional funds help sustain the platform by supporting designers, marketers, product developers, and administrative staff.

Contribution Price:

7850 RMB or 1100 USD and above, variable amount 

The part exceeding 7850 RMB/1100 USD will enter a fund pool, used to support companions who have economic difficulties or even cannot afford the cost. 

Includes: Insurance, Local transportation from the high-speed rail station to visiting points, and between visiting points. 6 nights accommodation, 18 meals (dinner on the 17th to lunch on the 23th). All experiences, visits, workshops, courses, instructor fees, etc.