The Dong are one of the few peoples in China to have developed polyphonic choral singing entirely independently of outside musical traditions — a practice known as Dong Dage, or Grand Song, that UNESCO added to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009. The music involves multiple vocal lines that interweave without a conductor or written score, learned entirely by ear from childhood. The songs imitate natural sounds — crickets, wind, running water — and the effect is unlike anything else in Chinese folk music.
Performances happen most readily during major festivals, particularly the Dong New Year (around November in the lunar calendar) and the Sisters' Meal festival. Some villages in Chengyang organize nightly performances for visitors in the evening, typically lasting 30 to 45 minutes, for a modest fee. These are genuine demonstrations rather than formal theatrical productions — if you can catch it in the context of a festival, where the singing is part of village life rather than a performance, that is the more memorable experience.