What is Yang Lou Dong (羊樓洞) named after? There is no record about the origin of this name. But the place was originally named as Yang Lou Dong (羊樓峒). Although those two names share same pronunciation, but their Chinese characters are different. The Chinese character “峒” means flat land in valley. It’s a collective name for the places where minorities live, such as Miao Dong of Miao people, Shi Dong of Dong people, and Huang Dong of Zhuang people.

In accordance with historical records and expert analysis, the area where the ancient town of Yang Lou Dong is located and neighboring mountainous areas were populated by both Han people and Yao people. But later due to eruption of wars, Yao people gradually moved to Hunan and Guangxi. In 2017, Xianning was officially named as the “hometown to Chinese ancient Yao culture” by China Society for the Study of Folk Literature and Art. Yang Lou Dong is located at the very center of this area. It also proves the traceability of the name Yang Lou Dong to the ancient Yao Culture.