The Buyi people (布依族), largely based in southern Guizhou province but also present in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guangxi and Vietnam, face a dilemma. On the one hand, they work hard to maintain their culture — both out of pride and to attract visitors to their region. On the other, they want to maintain the government and … Continue reading New Book: Ethnic Branding in Contemporary China
Category: China’s Ethnic-themed Writing from the Southwest (华南民族题材文学)
The Yi (彝族) of Southwest China: Transmission of their Written and Performed Literature, Old and New
Professor Mark Bender has brought to my attention the recent launch of the 422-page A World of Chinese Literature, which contains his short but fascinating article entitled Yi Literature: Traditional and Contemporary. It is an introduction to the "history, content and transmission of traditional and contemporary Yi traditions of written and performed literature." The Yi … Continue reading The Yi (彝族) of Southwest China: Transmission of their Written and Performed Literature, Old and New
A New Work on Matriarchy in China
Pedro Ceinos, a long-time resident of Kunming, Yunnan, informs me that his work on matriarchy in China has just been published in Italian, Il Matriarcato in Cina: Madri, Regine, Dee e Sciamane. Topics include matriarchy in ancient China, matriarchy among the Tibeto-Burman peoples, and matriarchy among the Turkic and Mongolic peoples. Ceinos is also a … Continue reading A New Work on Matriarchy in China
Under Threat: ‘Meige’ (梅葛), Creation Epic of the Yi People of Southwest China
In Fading Tones: The Slow Demise of Yunnan's Epic Songs, Matthew Walsh does a fine job of introducing meige (梅葛), the creation tale of Yunnan's Yi people (彝族), via on-the-ground research in Mayou village in Yao'an (姚安马游), interviews with master storytellers, and several short but moving audio clips of the saga as it is still sung: … Continue reading Under Threat: ‘Meige’ (梅葛), Creation Epic of the Yi People of Southwest China
Documenting Folk Songs of Yunnan’s Bai People in Multilingual Format
Chinese Ethnic Minority Oral Traditions: A Recovered Text of Bai Folk Songs, a new work in the Cambria Sinophone World Series, was published recently. A brief backgrounder on how it came into being: In 1958 while conducting fieldwork in Yunnan, a professor came across a rice paper booklet with strange script created from Chinese characters. … Continue reading Documenting Folk Songs of Yunnan’s Bai People in Multilingual Format
“Customs of Zhuang People”
The book “Customs of Zhuang People” describes a remote village where people feel more comfortable singing to stranger than talking to them. So if you got lost in the mountains, you are better off singing your inquiries if you want to get directions from the locals. 『壯族風情錄』裡說，在壯山裡問路，要用唱的人家才回答你。 這不是為難人嗎？ 我好不容易背了簡單的句子問路。這麼看來，練說的不夠，要練唱！ 所以，我寫了首相見歌，等我壯文再多學點，可以用壯文來唱。 Visit Song of Reunion 相见歌 for full text by Chilin … Continue reading “Customs of Zhuang People”
Ethnic Literature in China: A Primer for the Uninitiated
A while back I came upon what seems to be a fairly comprehensive look at novels by non-Han writers published since 1949 that deal directly with issues of culture and identity. Entitled Ethnic Minority Novels (少数民族小说), the Chinese-language article is unfortunately not signed, but it appears to have been written by a scholar and published … Continue reading Ethnic Literature in China: A Primer for the Uninitiated
“The Creation Story”: An Excerpt from “Canticle to the Land,” the Third Novel in Fan Wen’s Yunnan-Tibet Trilogy
The Story of Creation Long, long ago Sky and earth not yet distinct Water and soil not yet formed Darkness shrouding all. No sun, ho! No moon, Neither flower nor beast, ho! And no love. No Tashi Gyatso, Tibetan minstrel, For his wings of passion had yet to unfurl. --- Tashi Gyatso’s Creation Ballad The … Continue reading “The Creation Story”: An Excerpt from “Canticle to the Land,” the Third Novel in Fan Wen’s Yunnan-Tibet Trilogy
“King Yalu”: Miao Oral Epic Published in Chinese
For the first time ever, the Miao historical epic King Yalu (亚鲁王), has been rendered in a written form: Chinese. The first part, consisting of 1,089 lines, has been published by Zhonghua Book Company (中华书局). Traditionally sung over several days at a funeral, King Yalu is the epic story of war, defeat and migration of … Continue reading “King Yalu”: Miao Oral Epic Published in Chinese
“Sons of Heaven, Brothers of Nature: The Naxi of Southwest China”
Writes author Pedro Ceinos Arcones in his introduction to this new work on the Naxi, renowned for their Dongba pictographic language: Every year thousands of travelers from all around the world visit the Naxi region [of Yunnan], turning their former isolation into a permanent exhibition of their land and homes. During their stay in Lijiang … Continue reading “Sons of Heaven, Brothers of Nature: The Naxi of Southwest China”
Ethnic ChinaLit 