Tujia art troupe brings village light relief

As her colorfully clad students sing folk songs and offer tourists homemade rice wine, 83-year-old Gong Guimei enjoys watching and humming along.

Gong, a member of the Tujia ethnic group, lives in Matouxi village in the mountainous northwest of Hunan province. One of the few village elders who can perform traditional Tujia dances and songs, she established a village art troupe seven years ago.

While Gong's homeland is rich in natural beauty, the rugged terrain means the poverty-stricken village suffers from a lack of transportation and arable land.