Zhaoxing Dong Nationality Village is one of the largest Dong villages in southeast Guizhou. Known as No 1 Dong Village in Liping, Zhaoxing has an area of 180,000 square meters, the over 800 households and more than 4,000 inhabitants. It lies in a basin surrounded by mountains and has one small river passing through. The serried stilted houses built on the hillside lay out in a pleasing configuration. They are all built of Chinese fir with blue tile roofs. The village has a theater stage, singing platforms and grain barns. Drum towers are the village’s special feature. There are five of them here, looking like five lotus flowers scattered in five naturally formed villages called Ren (benevolence), Yi (righteousness), Li (courtesy), Zhi (wisdom) and Xin (faith)-----named after the five traditional virtues.

The drum towers provide venues for the whole village to discuss and settle important matters, hold important festivals or entertainments such as singing and the playing wind instruments. A leather drum is placed in the drum tower. When there are important things to talk about, the drum is beaten by a respected village to summon the villagers. There is a fire on the ground where a fire burns almost all year round.