Mulao ethnic group: Investigation in Shimen Village, Luocheng County, Guangxi

Author: Zhang Liming / Feng Daiyu, Editors
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: The Mulao ethnic group is primarily distributed in the northern mountainous areas of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with 90% residing in Luocheng Mulao Autonomous County. The term "Mulao" in the ethnic language means "mother." The Mulao language belongs to the Zhuang-Dong branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family and is very close to Mannan and Dong languages. Due to close interactions between Mulao people and Han and Zhuang ethnic groups, the Mulao language has absorbed many Han and Zhuang vocabulary words. The vast majority are bilingual in Chinese, and some can also speak Zhuang. The Mulao ethnic group primarily engages in agriculture, with rice and corn as the main crops. Farming techniques, crop varieties, and production tools are largely the same as those of the nearby Han and Zhuang ethnic groups. The Mulao mountainous areas are renowned as the "coal country," with coal mining becoming an important part of production and daily life. The Mulao mountainous region is a picturesque landscape of mountains and rivers, with peaks like swords and waters like silk, earning it the nickname "Little Guilin."