Daolang Tribe is located in Yingairike Township, Awati County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It is a national 4A-level tourist attraction. The scenic area is built relying on Daolang culture, integrating cultural experience, folk custom display and ecological sightseeing, showing the unique lifestyle and traditional culture of Daolang people. The scenic area covers an area of about 1,300 mu, and the construction area of the core area reaches 12,000 square meters. It has traditional dwellings, folk museums, performing arts squares and other buildings, which can accommodate 5,000 visitors at the same time. Its architectural style integrates the traditional adobe houses of Daolang people with modern design, retaining the wooden structure and earth yellow tone, reflecting the strong Western Regions style.
History and Culture
The history of Daolang Tribe can be traced back to the ancient Western Regions' Daolang people, who are a branch of the Uygur people and have a long history of nomadism and farming. Daolang culture takes music, dance and folk stories as the core, among which "Daolang Muqam" has been listed in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List and is an important part of Chinese culture.
Awati County, where the scenic area is located, is one of the birthplaces of Daolang culture. In history, Daolang people have lived and multiplied here, forming a unique social structure and cultural tradition. In recent years, the scenic area has carried out living inheritance of the endangered Daolang culture by collecting and sorting out the production tools, living utensils and folk arts of Daolang people, and has become an important window for displaying the diverse culture of Xinjiang.
Main Attractions
Daolang Folk Museum
Daolang Folk Museum is the core attraction of the scenic area. The museum displays more than 400 cultural relics such as production tools, national costumes and musical instruments used by Daolang people, including ancient wooden plows, hand-woven carpets, exquisite embroidered costumes, and Daolang rawap, hand drums and other musical instruments, comprehensively showing the life scenes and cultural inheritance of Daolang people. The museum also has a multimedia exhibition area, which introduces the performance forms and historical origins of Daolang Muqam through video materials.
Daolang Ancient Village
Daolang Ancient Village restores the traditional living environment of Daolang people. There are more than 30 adobe houses in the village, built according to the old village layout of Daolang people. The houses adopt poplar wood frames and earth walls, and the roofs are covered with thatch, which has the characteristics of warm in winter and cool in summer. Visitors can enter the dwellings to visit, understand the living and cooking lifestyle of Daolang people. Some dwellings also have handicraft production experience areas, where visitors can participate in paper-cutting, embroidery and other activities.
Daolang Culture Performing Arts Square
The Performing Arts Square can accommodate 2,000 spectators and holds regular Daolang culture performances every day. The performance content includes Daolang Muqam performance, Daolang Maxirep dance, folk acrobatics, etc., among which the Daolang Muqam performance lasts about 40 minutes, and professional artists play traditional instruments and sing ancient folk songs. The square is centrally equipped with a large stage, surrounded by audience seats. The stage background is themed with the hunting scene of Daolang people, creating a strong cultural atmosphere.
Daolang Hunting Experience Area
The Hunting Experience Area covers an area of about 200 mu, simulating the ancient hunting scene of Daolang people, and is equipped with an archery range, a trap display area and a small hunting museum. Visitors can experience traditional archery under the guidance of professional coaches and use imitation ancient bows and arrows for range practice. The trap display area introduces the hunting skills and tools of Daolang people in grasslands and deserts through physical objects and picture-text explanations, allowing visitors to feel the survival wisdom of Daolang people adapting to nature.
Food
Daolang Roast Whole Lamb
Daolang Roast Whole Lamb is the signature food of the scenic area. It selects the small-tailed Han sheep local to Awati and is roasted for about 3 hours. The lamb has a crispy skin, tender and juicy meat, and is served with seasonings such as cumin and chili, with a fragrant smell. The roasting process uses a traditional naan pit and slow-roasts with fruit charcoal to maintain the original flavor of the lamb. It can be tasted in the Daolang Food Square in the scenic area, and each roast whole lamb can be eaten by 10-15 people.
Daolang Noodle
Daolang Noodle, also known as "Fried Meat Noodle", is the staple food in the daily diet of Daolang people. The noodles are hand-pulled, with uniform thickness, and are matched with toppings fried with lamb slices, green peppers, tomatoes, etc., with a chewy taste and rich flavor. The folk restaurant in the scenic area can make more than 500 portions of noodles every day. The lamb in the toppings is made of fresh lamb leg meat. Each portion of noodles is sufficient, and the price is 35 yuan per portion.
Awati Museles
Museles is a traditional fruit wine of Daolang people, which is fermented from locally grown grapes and has an alcohol content of about 8-12 degrees. The wine is dark red, with the sweetness of grapes and a light herbal flavor, rich in amino acids and vitamins. The winery in the scenic area provides Museles brewing process experience. Visitors can visit the fermentation process and taste the freshly brewed fruit wine, and can also buy 500ml bottled wine at the price of 68 yuan per bottle.
Naan Pit Barbecue
Naan pit barbecue is a unique cooking method of the Daolang people. Lamb cubes are skewered with iron sticks and baked in a naan pit for 20-30 minutes. The roasted lamb is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a rich aroma of grease, usually served with naan bread and lettuce. The snack street in the scenic area has more than 10 naan pit barbecue stalls, which can roast 200 kilograms of lamb daily. Each skewer of barbecue weighs about 100 grams and is priced at 15 yuan per skewer.
Tickets
The ticket price is 45 yuan per person. The Daolang culture performance in the scenic area needs to purchase tickets separately, and the performance tickets can be purchased at the ticket window at the entrance of the scenic area.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "刀郞部落" in WeChat to get the latest news or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours
It is open all year round, and the daily opening hours are 10:00-19:00 (extended to 20:00 in summer). The performance time of Daolang Culture Performing Arts Square is 12:00 and 16:00 every day, and each performance lasts about 1 hour; the explanation service time of the Folk Museum is once every hour, and each explanation lasts about 30 minutes. In winter (December to February of the following year), the opening hours of some outdoor projects may be adjusted due to weather reasons.
Tour Route
Recommended one-day tour route: After arriving at the scenic area at 10 am, first visit the Daolang Folk Museum to understand the historical origin of Daolang culture; go to the Daolang Ancient Village at 11:30 to experience traditional dwellings and handicraft production; have lunch at the Daolang Food Square to taste roast whole lamb and noodles; watch the Muqam performance at the Daolang Culture Performing Arts Square at 14:00; go to the Daolang Hunting Experience Area at 15:30 to participate in archery and other activities; go to the snack street at 17:00 to taste naan pit barbecue and Museles; buy handicrafts at the souvenir shops around the performing arts square at 18:00 to end the day's journey.
Transportation
- Bus: Take Bus No. 1 in Awati County and get off at Daolang Tribe Station. The whole journey is about 5 kilometers, the journey is 15 minutes, and the fare is 2 yuan per person.
- Taxi: Take a taxi from Awati County to the scenic area. The journey is about 5 kilometers, the journey is 10 minutes, and the cost is about 15 yuan.
- Self-driving: Navigate to "Daolang Tribe, Awati County", drive west along Tuanjie Road in Awati County, turn into the road of Yingairike Township, and the scenic area parking lot can accommodate 300 vehicles. The parking fee is 5 yuan per hour.
Must-visit Attractions
- Daolang Folk Museum: It displays more than 400 cultural relics, comprehensively showing the life culture of Daolang people. It is recommended to visit for 1 hour and follow the docent to understand the stories behind the exhibits.
- Daolang Culture Performing Arts Square: Two Daolang Muqam performances are held every day. Watch the 40-minute intangible cultural heritage performance and feel the unique charm of Daolang music. It is recommended to buy tickets and choose seats 30 minutes in advance.
- Daolang Ancient Village: More than 30 traditional adobe houses restore the old village, and you can participate in paper-cutting and embroidery experiences. The experience time is about 1.5 hours. Some dwellings provide national costume rental services.
- Daolang Hunting Experience Area: 200 mu of simulated hunting scenes, experience traditional archery. Each person can get 10 arrows, and the coach's guidance time is about 20 minutes, which is suitable for parent-child interaction.
Tour Tips
- It is recommended to play for 4-5 hours. If you watch the performance and participate in the experience project, you can arrange a whole day. Summer (June-August) is cool and is the best tourist season.
- The scenic area is sunny, so please bring sunscreen, hat and sunglasses. You can prepare mosquito repellent in summer; the temperature is low in winter, so you need to wear down jackets and other warm clothes.
- When participating in handicraft production experience, you can consult the staff in advance about the material cost. For example, the embroidery experience needs to pay an additional 20 yuan for materials to avoid affecting the play arrangement.
- Respect the cultural customs of Daolang people, keep quiet when watching the performance, and do not enter the stage area at will before taking photos to avoid disturbing the actors' performance.
- The scenic area is equipped with a tourist center and a medical station. The tourist center provides free drinking water and a rest area, and the medical station can handle simple injuries. You can contact the staff at any time if necessary.
Notes
- Carrying inflammable and explosive items is prohibited in the scenic area. Smoking is strictly prohibited in wooden building areas such as Daolang Ancient Village, and violators will be fined 50-200 yuan.
- VIP seats for Daolang culture performances require additional payment. Please confirm the seat type when purchasing tickets to avoid disputes due to seat problems.
- The bows and arrows in the hunting experience area are imitation tools. When using them, you must strictly follow the coach's guidance. It is forbidden to shoot at others or animals, and children need to participate under the supervision of adults.
- When purchasing wine products such as Museles, pay attention to checking the shelf life. The unopened wine can be stored for 1 year, and it needs to be consumed within 30 days after opening. It is recommended to purchase from the regular channels of the winery in the scenic area.
- The parking lot in the scenic area implements time-based charging. If it exceeds 30 minutes, it will be calculated as 1 hour. Please scan the code to pay at the exit before leaving to avoid congestion.
- In case of bad weather (such as sandstorms, heavy rain), some outdoor projects may be temporarily closed. The scenic area will notify visitors through broadcast and announcement, and you can switch to indoor venues for visits.