Tusi Culture of Shuidong

The Song family’s Tusi?in Shuidong shared the same title with the An family, Tian family, and Yang family in ancient Guizhou. Tusi is a title for tribal leaders recognized as imperial officials?during the?Yuan, Ming, and?Qing?dynasties.

In Shuidong, the Song family sprang up from the last years of the Sui Dynasty and was abolished at the end of the Ming Dynasty. During their 1000-year control over Shuidong, they held influence in Guizhou in politics, economy, and culture, inheriting the rich Tusi culture of Shuidong.

During the Song family’s 1,000-year control in Shuidong, centered on Guiyang, they left a rich historical and cultural heritage, among which those with the highest values of history and culture are Ma Tou Zhai of Kaiyang, the Song Family’s Lodge (Song Qin Tomb), Song Bin Tomb and the epitaph in Wudang, Song Family’s A Zhong Tomb and Wan Hua Tomb in Kaiyang, and so on.

Ma Tou Zhai (an ancient architectual complex), located in Hefeng township, Kaiyang county, has been the site of the Diwo Explorer House of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. It is a key cultural relic under state protection, and also has historical value reflecting the culture of the Song family in Shuidong. This complex was once the site for the Tusi of Guizhou, the Explorer House of the Yuan dynasty and Ming Dynasties. It is an ethnic minority living area mostly for Buyi people. Ma Tou Zhai is not only the epitome of Tusi culture in Shuidong but also a model of cultural integration between the Buyi and Han nationalities.