Each year, TBC would take students to two Excursion Trips, one in Yunnan, and one in Silk Road, to explore China deeply. For students of Spring 2024 this time, after three weeks of arriving in China, they went on the excursion trip to Yunnan province in Southwest China. As China’s most ecologically and culturally diverse province, Yunnan offered the students an opportunity to delve into the rich tapestry of minority cultures, notably the Yi, Dai, Naxi, and Bai peoples. This expedition provided an in-depth look into the region’s history, culture, and ecology.
Our narrative begins with an exploration of the Huayao branch of the Yi people and the Dai people, highlighting their unique customs and traditions.
Yi People – Mushan Village
Nestled in the Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Mushan Village is home to the Huayao branch of the Yi ethnic group. This branch of Yi people here is named “Huayao” (花腰) because of their iconic flowery belts. These colorful garments are handmade by local Huayao Yi women, and each piece is distinct. They take inspiration from nature and skillfully embroider all kinds of flowers, plants, and trees on their costumes. Among those, the most common embroidery pattern for the most characteristic belt is a unique local flower of Yunnan. It usually takes 3 to 4 years to complete a set of costumes. Local girls are taught embroidery skills by their mothers from the age of 8 or 9, and by 14 or 15, they can generally make flower-waisted garments independently.
The Huayao Yi people dressed in traditional costumes
Our visit coincided with the lunar Year of the Dragon, and the villagers greeted us with an exhilarating Huayao dragon dance. Unique to this tradition, the dance was performed by women, symbolizing the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs and the 12-year cycle. The villagers crafted two new dragons for the occasion, hoping to usher in a year of prosperity and good luck.
The Huayao Yi people welcome students with a dragon dance
Instead of merely watching, students learned how to perform the marvelous dragon dance. The practice took place at the Dragon-Black Lake near Mushan Village, which was once the setting for the movie “Huayao Bride in Shangrila.” Besides, the students also learned the unique song and dance of Huayao Yi culture. The singing style is called “seaweed accent,” a metaphor for its melodic going up and down as the seaweed that dances up and down in the waves of the sea. The dance is called “cigarette case,” a kind of dance with a round cigarette case made of bamboo and wood as props. The dancers hold the box with both hands and play with the lid regularly with their fingers. This cigarette case dance not only shows rich characters and plots but also demonstrates the Huayao Yi people’s profound observation of life and expressive power by imitating various animals.
Students practice the cigarette case dance
In the evening, the villagers held a special party for the students, inviting us to a rich display of their songs and dances. The most exciting part of the evening was the “Three dragons dance,” in which the three dragons circled or ran wildly in a lively performance. To return a salute to the villagers, our students also actively demonstrated American songs and dances. Everyone danced around the bonfire, experiencing and sharing pure happiness.
Bonfire evening party
Mushan Village preserves the traditional cultural heritage of the Huayao Yi people, covering language, songs and dances, and handicrafts. Students not only had the opportunity to participate in traditional handicraft activities such as making tofu and dried radish but also appreciated the exquisite craftsmanship of the third generation of the Huayao Yi embroidery technique.
The third-generation inheritor of the Huayao Yi people’s embroidery skills (first on the right)
Mushan Village, as an important stop on the Yunnan excursion trip, has had a deep connection with TBC for many years. Photos of TBC students and faculty who came to Mushan Village more than a decade ago are well preserved in the grand temple of Mushan Village, an ancestral hall built during the Republican era (1912-1949).
The old photos of TBC in Mushan Village
During the two short days, by living under the same roof and eating at the same table with the villagers, the students deeply experienced the culture of the Huayao Yi, which enhanced their understanding of this unique ethnic culture.
Students with host families
Dai People – Mengjinglai Village
In Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Mengjinglai Village, an ancient village with a rich history, is the best place for students to explore Dai ethnic culture. The name “Mengjinglai” comes from the Dai language, with “Meng” meaning village and “Jinglai” signifying the shadow of a dragon. The village is located across the river from Myanmar, with Boundary Monument No. 229 marking the border between the two countries. Mengjinglai Village is known as “the first village on the China-Myanmar border,” the Dai people here frequently interact with the Shan people (the biggest minority of Myanmar) on the other side of the river, and the two ethnic groups have close relations and are free to marry as one family.
The first village on the China-Myanmar border——Mengjinglai Village
More than a hundred Dai families still live in Mengjinglai Village, retaining the traditional lifestyle. The bamboo buildings, as their unique landmark, have gradually changed to wooden structures over time. However, the design concept of functional zoning remains unchanged: the ground floor is used for raising livestock, while the upper floors are living spaces. This chic architectural style is perfectly adapted to the humid climate of Xishuangbanna, preventing moisture and snakes from intruding. To better preserve the Dai ethnic culture, parents talk with their children in the Dai language only before they start kindergarten, helping them to master the Dai language.
Bamboo buildings in Mengjinglai Village
To gain a deeper understanding of the essence of Dai ethnic culture, the students visited the Pattra-leaf Buddhist Academy to learn meditation and the Dai language from Master Buddha and the young monks. Pattra-leaf Buddhist Academy, a Buddhist temple and a public welfare school for Dai culture, plays a vital role in the Dai ethnic culture inheritance. Since the age of 8 or 9, Dai men shave their heads and become monks in Pattra-leaf Buddhist Academy, learning the Dai language and Buddhist scriptures, and regulating their behavior.
Master Buddha (fifth from the left) and young monk (fourth from the Lleft)
During this visit, an 18-year-old young monk introduced Theravada and taught students some basic Dai language. Master Buddha also showed the students how to write their names in Dai, which stimulated their great interest in Dai ethnic culture.
Learning Dai language with the young monk
Our journey through Yunnan has only just begun. In the next article, we will venture to Baisha Village at the base of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, decode the Dongba script of the Naxi ethnic group, and explore the Bai ethnic culture in Dali. Stay tuned for more tales from our travels through Yunnan’s enchanting landscapes and cultures.
By Fiona Fu, TBC Media and Communications Intern
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