A hundred kilometres northwest of Guilin the road winds steeply through some fine stands of mountain bamboo, and enters the southern limit of a fascinating ethnic autonomous region.

About the Drum Towers of Dong villages, yes, no matter which village you walk into, the first thing to meet your eye is inevitably a drum tower, resembling either a magnificent pavilion or an exquisite pagoda.

The lower part of a drum tower is a square hall of 35-80 square meters. On one side of the hall, there is always a large drum with an ox-hide surface; at the center of the hall is a fireplace with wooden planks and railings around the four sides.

During the Bamboo-pipe Festival, young people from nearby villages come to sing and dance together beside the drum tower. The drum tower is also a meeting place for young people.