Shaozhou Yao People: A Follow-up Survey on the Social Development of Yao Ethnic Group in Northern Guangdong

Author: Li Mo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Shaozhou Yao People is a key research project under the Guangdong Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences "Nineteen Eighty-Five" Plan. It is based on the research and surveys conducted by scholars on the Yao people of northern Guangdong (Huangdong, Wukeng Yao Village) before the liberation, followed by further investigations. Guided by dialectical materialism and historical materialism, it combines theories and methods from ethnology, folkloristics, and history, incorporating the author's years of experience in collecting and organizing Yao ancient texts and historical documents. It is a result of research on the social and historical aspects of the Yao people, reflecting the tremendous changes in Shaozhou Yao Mountains over the past 50 years since the founding of the People's Republic of China: continuous improvements in the Yao people's production and living standards, advancements in cultural, educational, and health levels, and the development of the socio-economy. It demonstrates the brilliance of the Party's ethnic policies and the superiority of the socialist path. The book is divided into 11 chapters and includes illustrations to achieve a visual and textual balance. It explores the social and historical aspects, religious beliefs, and traditional culture of the Yao people, introducing theoretical innovations. (1) The data is rich and detailed. (2) It proposes the idea of multiple origins for the Yao people. (3) The origin of the Yao ethnic name (Yao name). (4) Research on Yao soldiers, Yao farmland, and Yao households is a topic never explored by scholars before, and this book provides pioneering insights. (5) Yao religious beliefs are sometimes referred to as "Daoist-influenced religion." (6) It offers a comprehensive and systematic exposition of Yao traditional culture, filling the gap in the study of folk literature among Guangdong's ethnic minorities. Additionally, the systematic elaboration on Yao traditional culture provides clues for exploring ancient Lingnan folklore.