The bird costume is the "drum-stamped clothing" of the Miao people. It is an ancient Miao costume that has been passed down as a special form in religious ceremonies. It is mainly circulated in more than 20 natural villages in Songlong, Yahui, Yanggao, Shagao, Shangcong, Pailu, Yahui Township, Danzhai County, Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, as well as Dadi in Leishan County, Xinhua in Rongjiang County, and Dujiang in Sandu County. Danzhai County borders Sandu Shui Autonomous County in the south and Leishan County in the east. It belongs to the upper source of the Duliu River in the Pearl River system, on the southern slope of Leigong Mountain. The area has high mountains and steep slopes, deep rivers, and an altitude of 465-1532 meters. The climate here is mild, with no severe cold in winter and no scorching heat in summer. The forests are lush and there are many flowers and birds. The art of bird clothing is related to the ancient bird totem of the Miao nationality. The Miao nationality living in Danzhai County calls itself "Ga Nao", which means the bird tribe. They are descendants of one of the "feather tribes" in the ancient Chiyou group that used birds as totems. The origin of "bird clothing" can be traced back to the ancient times of the Miao nationality. The Miao myth "Twelve Eggs" tells the story of a maple tree giving birth to a butterfly mother, who gave birth to twelve eggs, which were hatched by a ridge bird into all things in nature and humans. Therefore, the Miao nationality worships birds as their ancestors. In the historical legends of the Miao nationality, Lei Gong sent a flood to submerge the earth. Jiang Yang's two children, Xiang Liang and Xiang Mang, hid in a gourd and survived. After the flood receded, the gourd was stranded on a high mountain cliff. It was a rock eagle that carried the brother and sister to the flat ground. Later, the brother and sister got married, and humans were able to reproduce again. The main clothing for the Miao ancestor worship activity "Gu Zang Festival" is a hundred-bird clothing. The "flags" are made of long batik cloth and brocade, full of bird patterns, and there are sacrificial trees covered with white bird feathers. In the third year of the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, Xie Yuanchen, a member of the "Dongxie Miao", wore a "hundred-bird clothing" to visit Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The envoys he brought were covered with "flower clothing and bird patterns", which shocked Chang'an. Emperor Taizong ordered painters such as Yan Lide to copy it, and named it "Wang Huitu". The ancient clothing of the hundred-bird clothing is divided into men's clothing and women's clothing. Both are collarless clothing. In the Miao language, they are called "Ouhua Nao" (women's clothing) and "Ouhua Yong" (men's clothing). The whole piece of clothing is composed of colorful bird patterns embroidered with silk threads, and the women's clothing is composed of "bird dragons" with several strips on the front and back. Men's clothing is composed of patterns such as cow dragons or snake dragons, and bundles of bird feathers are arranged at the bottom of the clothes. The hundred-bird clothing is mainly reflected in the bird patterns and bird shapes on the clothing. The bird patterns made of large flat embroidery or silk appliqués are simple and vivid, with some standing and some flying, with rough sawtooth patterns on the edges, back feathers and tail feathers, thick heads and feet, and sleek bodies with small wings. A variety of methods are used to show the shape of a bird or a group of birds. These bird patterns are extremely abstract and have a great decorative effect. It shows that the Miao people express their aesthetic emotions through a series of patterns and colors, and based on the Miao world's concept of the same origin and equality, build the harmonious beauty of the Miao social form, culture and living background. The bird coat is a Miao long gown embroidered by more than a dozen parts, including the back, shoulders, cuffs, front chest, back, front and back hems, and feather bundles at the bottom of the clothes. The whole piece of clothing integrates hand embroidery techniques such as flat embroidery, pile embroidery, knotted embroidery, broken thread embroidery, nail thread embroidery, braid embroidery, and horsetail embroidery. It takes three to five years to make. Various silk threads such as red, yellow, blue, black, and white are used to embroider colorful patterns. Each pattern reflects one or several freehand bird patterns. The base fabric is based on earth cloth, and each section is made of cocoon pieces as a white background. There are various bird shapes in various poses, including abstract geometric patterns and exaggerated freehand shapes. The patterns of dragons vary, such as bird-dragon, "cow-dragon", "fish-dragon", etc. The colors of the patterns are harmonious, with sharp contrast and prominent theme. The whole outfit looks like a beautiful "divine bird", so it is called "Ouhuayong" in Miao language, and translated into Chinese as "Hundred Birds Clothes". Hundred Birds Clothes is a Miao long gown embroidered with clothes. Men who wear this style wrap their heads with blue cloth, and the outer layer is decorated with two rows of silver ornaments on the cloth scarf, tied behind the head, and hanging ribbons on the back straight below the hips. The top is a collarless, double-breasted loose-fitting style, with wide and straight sleeves at a 90-degree angle to the body of the clothes. The hem is sewn to the ribbon skirt and is only tied with the edge tape. The straight-breasted top has no buttons, and except for the two cuffs decorated with earth blue cloth, the whole body is embroidered, and there are also brocades. The embroiderers are fine products , the pattern structure is that there is a diamond-shaped frame in the middle of the back of the clothes, with phoenix-head dragon body patterns or special-shaped dragon patterns in the four corners, and circle dragon patterns on the sleeves. There are also various flying birds. The center of the frame may be a sun pattern or a circular circle dragon pattern, and the four corners are maple leaf patterns or butterfly patterns. There are special-shaped animal patterns outside the frame. The main representative inheritors of the inheritance pedigree of the Hundred Birds Clothes are: Great-grandmother: Shi Ermu, from Yahui Village Grandmother: Pi Apa, from Songlong Village Mother: Yang Jiunai, Shierman, from Sandu Border, from Songlong Village Daughter: Pi Shunqin, from Songlong Village, born in 1986, attending primary school; Grandmother: Li Ayuan, from Songlong Village Grandmother: Shi Erniao, from Yahui Village, Pi Ermu (myself), from Songlong Village. The Miao Hundred Birds Clothes pattern shows freedom, The concept of no hierarchy. The harmony of its form, color and living background expresses the free, harmonious and optimistic emotion towards life; the bird clothes express the spatial concept of objects through the combination of colors and typical characteristics of objects, showing a deep and vast sense of space; the use of a large number of cloud patterns, water ripples and vortex patterns in the bird clothes all show the beauty of feminine flow. In modeling, the extensive use of abstract and deformation methods shows the abstract decorative beauty. At the same time, the composition of the bird clothes is gorgeous, warm and joyful, the modeling is simple and harmonious, and the three-dimensional sense is strong. It has high aesthetic and artistic value. It carries the profound cultural heritage of the Miao history and ancient bird culture and has historical value. Hundred Birds Due to the complex production process, the inheritors are required to have high quality in all aspects, and it is very labor-intensive. Currently, there are very few people who can master the production technology. With the impact of modernization, young people's enrollment and working outside the home have brought about a situation where there is no successor to the production of the bird clothes. At the same time, with the development of the tourism industry, a large number of valuable traditional costumes have been bought by tourists or collectors, and there are very few left. The modern production of the bird clothes has gradually faded the traditional patterns, and the materials and workmanship have also changed from hand embroidery to machine weaving. The original appearance of the bird clothes has been constantly changing, and the original style and skills have been affected. Information source: Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Center (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage Center (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)