Survey of Yunnan Ethnic Villages -

Author: Gao Fayan, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-06-01
Features: The () primarily inhabit areas in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, including Menghai, Jinghong, and Shuangjiang, Yongde, Yun County, Gengma, and Lancang, Mojiang, and other counties in Simao Prefecture. According to the fifth national census in 2000, the population of the was 91,882. They speak, which belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family, with two dialects: and . Some are also proficient in Dai, Wa, or Chinese. They do not have their own written script, but some can read and write Chinese or Dai. Some identify themselves as or , while others call themselves , , , Wa, or. The Han or Dai people refer to them as , , or . Historical records indicate that the area around Yongchang was once inhabited by ancient , who were numerous and widely distributed, active in the Lancang and Nujiang river basins as early as ancient times. One branch of the was likely the ancestors of the present-day. Since the Western Han Dynasty established the Yizhou Commandery in Yunnan, governing counties such as Xitang (Baoshan) and Bwei (south of Baoshan), the areas inhabited by the came under the jurisdiction of the Western Han Dynasty. During the Western Jin Dynasty, some of the Yongchang migrated southward to Zhenkang, Fengqing, and Linlang. After the Sui and Tang dynasties, historical records mention names such as , , , , , and , with their distribution becoming even broader. During the Tang and Song dynasties, the were ruled by the Nanzhao and Dali regimes. In the Ming Dynasty, Shunning Prefecture was established, with appointed as local officials. Later, some of the who originally lived in southern Yunnan evolved into the present-day.