The Four Seals Miao is one of the tribes in the Miao minority group who reside in the mountainous region of southwestern China. Without silver jewelry like other Miao tribes, the Four Seals Miao attract the world with their unique and interesting culture. Their name Four Seals comes from their women’s garments featuring four colorful square patterns embroidered on the sleeves, front, and back, which look like four big seals.

Their beautiful hometown, a village called Maige, has many thrushes that are famous for their beautiful, intoxicating sounds. Every morning you can hear the birds singing loudly like a concert held in the forest. Thus the village got a nickname home of thrushes.

Most thrushes are characterized by their yellow or brown plumage and brightly spotted breasts. The rest have pure white, silvery, or red plumage. Singing lovely songs, the birds also imitate the sounds of other animals and birds. While you walk in the forest, you may here the sound of a hen, a goose, or a dog. These interesting sounds are all made by a thrush.

Thrushes like to fight. In the mountains, they have their own territories. If one thrushs territory is invaded by another thrush, a fight will ensue.

The local people like to raise thrushes. Wherever they go, a market, a friend’s home, they always carry their birds with them in a cage, so that they can enjoy listening to the birds singing, and watching them fighting.

Thrush fighting competition is often held. After several month’s good care, a thrush can be trained into a brave fighter and sell for a good price. Bird trade flourishes in the Miao area with more and more people from other parts of China and overseas coming to select birds. A few years ago, a thrush raised by a person in Maige was sold to a businessman from Hong Kong at the price of RMB 280,000.

Artists get inspiration from the thrush, and have created lots of beautiful songs and dances about the bird.

Why do the local Miao people like to raise thrushes? And why do thrushes like to fight with each other? Here is an interesting story:

A long time ago, an old couple lived peacefully in a village with their ten sons. When they grew up, all ten of them were married. With ten more women in the family, the peaceful life of the old couple was ruined. Everyday the women quarreled with one another, which ultimately destroyed the good relationships among the sons. After deciding to break up with the big family and live apart from one another, the sons divided the land and property given to them by the old couple, who chose to live with their youngest son and his wife.

Of the ten daughters-in-law, nine were foolish and lazy. Only the youngest one was clever and diligent. She and her husband worked hard on their farmland, and started to live a good life. But the other sons and wives became hopelessly poor, and had to borrow money from the youngest son. Year by year, the youngest couple couldn’t afford to lend money anymore, and finally they went bankrupt. The old couple had no choice but went to mountains to gather wild fruits to live.

One day when the old couple were seeking for wild fruits in the mountain, an elderly man came to them and asked why they had to feed on wild fruits. The couple told the man their miserable experience. The man said, “Don’t worry. Just return home, and you will have food.”

When the old couple got home, they found many birds chirming around their house. Nine sons and their wives disappeared. Only the youngest couple were cooking in the kitchen.

The elderly man that they saw in the mountain was the Bodhisattva, who made their nine sons and daughters-in-law into eighteen thrushes.

From then on, the 18 thrushes lived around the house, singing and fighting everyday. Feeling sorry for them, the old couple built bird cages for them to stay. This was how the Miao peoples tradition of keeping thrushes started.

When you are in Maige, it will be very convenient for you to go to other Miao tribes to see beautiful silver jewelry.