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The Miao Ethnic Minority

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There are 56 recognized ethnic groups in China, this article is about one of those groups, the Miao people. There is a worldwide population of Miao of 11-12 million people with about 9.5 million living in the south of China. Around 1.5 million live in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.

 

The Miao people live mostly in mountainous regions of southern China in Giuzhou, Yunnan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guangxi, Hunan and Guangdong provinces. Although they are classified as one ethnic group, their language family has six different languages with 35 dialects. About half of the entire Miao population in China lived in Guizhou province in 1990, with 98% living across the provinces listed at the top of this paragraph.

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History of the Miao

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According to ancient Chinese legends, the Miao were descendants of the Jiuli tribe that were defeated at the Battle of Zhuolu (on the borders of the present day provinces of Liaoning and Hebei) in the 26th century BC as the leaders of two tribes struggled to gain the supremacy of the Yellow River valley in what is today north eastern China. The Miao were amongst the first people to settle in what would become China and were some of the first to grow rice in the Far East.

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The term Miao has been in existence since at least 221BC, during the dynasties of the Ming and Qing from 1368 until 1911 they were known as both Miao and Man. The rulers of the two dynasties were unable to control or assimilate the indigenous tribes of the Miao. In the 14th and 15th centuries there were Miao rebellions. Thousands of Miao were killed by troops loyal to the Ming dynasty.

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Miao boys were captured and castrated in an attempt to control the population.

There were further rebellions in 1735-8, then an eleven year revolt in Guizhou from 1795 until 1806. The final major revolt occurred from 1854 until 1873, it affected more than one million people in Guizhou and the surrounding provinces.

 

Many of those that survived the battles fled south out of China, an estimated number of just 30% of the Miao population remained in their home regions.

Newly formed military garrisons were established in the region, Han Chinese soldiers married Miao women and their children were brought up as Miao. In the 20th century and the founding of the PRC, the Miao played an important role in aiding the escape of Mao Zedong (Chairman Mao) from the Kuomintang during the Long March, supplying him and his supporters with supplies and a safe passage through their territory.

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The Miao of Today

 

 

Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village is about 35 kilometres or 22 miles from Kaili City in the east of Guizhou province, about260 kilometres to the east of the provincial capital, Guiyang. It is the largest gathering of the Miao people in China, also making it the world’s largest gathering of Miao culture. There are around 1,300 families with a population of around 6,000 people in Xijiang town, with 99.5% of the population in that area being Miao.

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The village has closely connected wooden stilt houses that are built into the contours of the hillside, right down to the Baishui River that passes through the bottom of the mountain. The Miao Nationality Museum is made up of eleven exhibition halls showing different aspects of Miao life. Such as clothes, culture, living conditions, art and crafts, construction projects and customs.

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There are shows of singing and dancing held twice daily by the villages senior members, once just before noon and then repeated at around 5pm at the square, you will also find performances close to the entrance to the village. The village has two main streets, an ancient one and a modern one. They both have unique shops, selling Miao crafts, snack stores, restaurants and stores selling handmade silver products.

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The best way to appreciate what the village has to offer is to walk around the streets and twisting lanes of the village and absorb the culture and local life of the Miao. It can be a bit of a trek up to the viewing terrace, but worth it just for the panoramic views and photo opportunities. You can also have your picture taken in traditional Miao costume, or just with some of the local people. Some people choose to make more than one day for their visit and there are several houses that rent rooms to visitors. There are however no western hotels, only traditional houses to stay in.

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When I visited this village in December 2013, I travelled by private car from Guiyang with some friends that were descended from the Miao ethnic minority. Another teacher I knew in Guiyang was also from the Maio and at any social event he would normally start singing some traditional songs. These friends were keen to show me their traditional lifestyle. In one store we visited, there was a sign in several languages, stating that no Japanese were allowed, the Miao people were particularly persecuted by the Japanese invaders before and during WW2.

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No vehicles are allowed into the village itself, at the entrance is a large parking area. Once inside the entrance buses will take you to the village which is about 2 km away. The entrance fee is CNY100. There are lots of festivals celebrated throughout the year, the liveliest, but also busiest is the New Year Festival in January or February. May to July is said to be the best time to see the village in its beautiful colours.