Miao Ethnic Minority Image Library

Author: Editorial Committee of "Yunnan Ethnic Minority Album"
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: This book is one of the series of "Yunnan Ethnic Minority Album." The series consists of twelve volumes, each being a large 48-page hardcover book with full-color printing. The price per volume is 24 yuan, and the set is priced at 144 yuan. It provides detailed introductions to the ethnic landscapes, historical sites, religions, festivals, clothing, arts, lifestyles, labor, customs, and more of over ten ethnic minorities, including the Lisu, (), Dai, (), Lahu, Miao, Naxi, Yao, and Jingpo. The beautiful images will satisfy your visual appetite!
The Miao are one of the most populous ethnic minorities in southern China, with a total population of 7.4 million nationwide. Yunnan is the primary settlement area for the Miao. The 2000 population statistics of Yunnan showed 1.044 million Miao people. Their distribution is characterized by being widely scattered yet densely populated, with almost every city and county in the province having a presence. There are 123 counties with a Miao population exceeding 5,000. The Wenshan and Honghe Autonomous Prefectures in southern Yunnan, as well as the northern and central regions of the province, are relatively concentrated areas of Miao settlement.
The Miao language belongs to the Hani-Tibetan language family, Miao-Yao branch, Miao sub-branch. In Yunnan, the Miao language falls under the Sichuan-Yunnan-Guizhou dialect, but there are certain differences between the southern dialects (e.g., in Wenshan and Honghe) and the northern dialects (e.g., in Zhaotong and Qujing). Due to long-term interactions with neighboring ethnic groups such as the Han, Zhuang, Yao, and Yi, many Miao people are bilingual, speaking the languages of adjacent ethnic groups. Historically, the Miao did not have their own script. In the 1820s, British missionary Augustus Peteri created a Latin-alphabet-based Miao script primarily for religious purposes in the Zhaotong region. In the 1950s, this script was further refined and standardized, forming the Miao script used today.