Ethnic Groups in China 2012 Spring 2A Instructor: Yan laoshi
Ethnic Groups in China By Justin Lumetta
Qiang - Qiāng Zú 羌族 – Most live in the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan, but Maowen Qiang Autonomous County is the largest area they live in. Population is about 300,000. Zang - Zàng Zú 藏族 – The Tibetan Autonomous Region on the Tibetan Plateau is where most of the 5,400,000 people of the Zang minority live. Oroqen - Èlúnchūn Zú 鄂伦春族 – The 8,000 people live primarily in mountanous regions of the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region and Heilongjiang Province. Yugur - Yùgù Zú 裕固族 - About 14,000, and 90 percent living in the four areas of Sunan Yugur Autonomous County. Yugur means wealth and solidity in Chinese. Uygur - Wéiwú‘ěr Zú 维吾尔族 – The 8,400,000 mainly live in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomus Regions, especially to the south of Mount Tianshan. Uygur means alliance or assistance. Lahu - Lāhù Zú 拉祜族 – Population of 450,000 scattered throughout many different counties. Lahu means to roast the meat of the tiger in their language, which is an indicator that they were good at hunting.
Ethnic groups, locations, and population
Qiang – They have 2 dialects of their spoken language, but they do not have their own writing system. Zang – Three dialects with both spoken and written forms. Oroqen – No written language, so some use Mongolian, and some use Chinese. Yugur – Three languages used, but they don’t have their own written characters. Uygur – Own language and alphabet. Lahu – Written characters, based on early ones unified in 1957
Language
Qiang – Many staple foods, including corn, wheat, potatoes, beef, mutton, pork, chicken, fish. They also make wine and are good at preparing medicine. Zang – May eat 4 or more meals a day during the harvest season. Staple foods are tsamba, yak butter tea, mutton, and beef. Some will carry tsamba bags to eat some whenever they want. Wine is also made from tsamba. Oroqen – Meat from a variety of animals in the area, but they refuse to eat horse or dog meat because they are helpful. They have only recently started to grow their vegetables. Yugur – Eat rice, wheat, mixed grain, a few vegetables such as shallots, leek, and mushrooms, as well as meat from livestock. Uygur – Staple foods are Nang, noodles, and Zhuafan. Popular foods include tea, certain fruits, mutton, and beef. Lahu – Cook in bamboo containers and make tea.
Food
Qiang – Their shoes are made by local women and look similar to boats. Zang – All wear gowns with long sleeves, men wear plaits on their head, while women wear them on their shoulders. Monks also wear cassocks that vary in color according to their sect of Buddism.
Oroqen – Clothes made of leather and other parts of animals. Yugur – High-collared gowns with decorations on left side, waistbands, and women wear hats and jewelery. Uygur – Cotton clothing, colored and embroidered caps are and important part of what they wear. Lahu – Consider black to be beautiful.
Clothing
Qiang – Known for their embroidery, carpet weaving, and artistic values. Many musical instruments and folk stories expressed in music. Zang – Famous for expressing their feelings through song and dance and also artistic buildings and pictures. Oroqen – Good at storytelling, and also have themes based on hunters. Yugur – They live in tents like other nomadic people and focus on furniture and things like carpets. Marriage among kin or people of the same surname is prohibited. Anything other than monogamy is not allowed. Uygur – Enjoy dancing and singing, and are also good craftsmen and traders. Lahu -
Culture
Qiang – Believe everything in nature has a spirit. White quartz represents the gods, black quartz represents evil (colors alone might represent same things as well). Zang – Forms of Buddhism, either Indian Mahayana or Tibetan form also known as Lamaism. Oroqen – Worship gods that relate to nature, as well as ancestors and totems. They practice a kind of Shamanism. Yugur – Also believe in Lamaism and other forms of spirit worship. Uygur – They have gradually turned to Islam, but they practiced many other religions in the past. Lahu – Mainly Mahayana Buddhism, but some are of their original religion, and a few are Christian
Religion/Beliefs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_China http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/qiang/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/tibetan/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/oroqen/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/yugur/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/uigur/ http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/nationality/lahu/
Sources
2A Cal Waldie Russian-Éluósī Zú Mongols-Měnggǔ Zú Tibetan-Zàng Zú Qiang-Qiāng Zú Kazakh-Hāsàkè Zú
Russian Ethnic Minority Today’s Russian minority group are descendants of Russian immigrants from the 18th century. Even today, they still have family relations in Russia. They live on a diet of mainly bread, but also fried dishes such as noodles. Most of the Russians follow the Orthodox Church, and many of their festivals stem from this religion. In the winter, Russians will go skiing and skating, as well as wrestling and football. In the summer, fishing becomes very popular.
Mongolian Ethnic Minority Mongols in China today are mostly in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region. They have their own language, which has three different dialects. Because they mostly live in grasslands, agriculture and stockbreeding are their main source of income. Milk and meat are their staple foods. The biggest Mongolian festival is the Nadam Fair. Lasting about a week, this festival includes competitions such as wrestling, horse riding, and shooting. During this festival, people traditionally wear new clothes.
Tibetan Ethnic Minority Most of the Tibetan people live in the Tibetan autonomous region. The Tibetan language is divided into three dialects, and is both spoken and written. Tibetans are strong believers in Tibetan Buddhism. Buddhism influences their festivals, art, and overall culture. Their staple foods include yak tea, mutton, and beef. Tsamba, a homemade bread, is also popular. Both men and women wear a type of gown with long sleeves.
The most popular Tibetan festival is the Tibetan New Year. Other festivals include the Butter Lamp Festival, Saka Dawa Festival, Shoton Festival, the Great Prayer Festival, and the Bathing Festival.
Qiang Ethnic Minority The Qiang ethnic group lives mainly in the Tibet autonomous region. In addition, the Qiang language is in the same category as the Tibetan’s. The Qiang staple foods include corn, wheat, potatoes, beef, mutton, pork, chicken, and fish. The Qiang embroideries are very famous in China. The major Qiang festival is the Qiang New Year. The Qiang people take flour and meat to sacrifice
Chinese Ethnic Groups By: Jude Kitane
Costumes- When it comes to clothing, the Qiang make their own clothing. Their clothing are made up of flax, furs of ox or sheep and fabric. Festivals -The Qiang have a festival called “Qian Nian Festival”. This is usually held in spring and fall. They pray to have good weather in spring and thank god for the harvest in fall. Ceremony - When a man because 15 years old people sit around a fire, the man wearing new clothes will bow to the picture of the ancestor. The wizard then presents him with an amulet.
Qiang Minority 羌族
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Costumes - Tibetan people have very colorful clothes. They wear a short upper garment made of silk or cloth with long sleeves inside, wide and loose robe outside and long boots of cattle hide. When it comes to work thy usually expose their right shoulder or both arms by tying the pair of sleeves around their waist. Walking Around a Pagoda - Pagodas are very important symbols of Buddhism. Buddhism scriptures are placed inside the pagodas and statues of Buddha are carved on the exterior. Buddhist regard pagodas highly.
Zhang Minority
Number of Chinese with Manchu history- 10.68 million. Fashion – Traditionally they coiled their hair in high tufts on top of their heads and wore earrings, long gowns and embroidered shoes. The women with higher power wore silk and satin clothing while cotton clothing was wor by women of lower power. Facts – The Manchu people are good at singing and dancing. They love sports such as wrestling, horsemanship, and ice skating. Men and women are not allowed to find marriage partners of the same surname and both of the partners must be banner men and banner woman.
Manchu people 满族
Culture – The housing of the Yao are rectangular and they have structures made of wood and bamboo. It usually has three rooms: a room and two dormitories in the lateral side. Each room has their own small oven.
Religion - The Yao believe in Buddhism and Christianity. Some converted to others these 2 religions are the basic religions of the Yao. Marriage – Traditionally arranged by go betweens who represent the boy’s family to the girl’s parents If the union is acceptable , a bride price is figured out usually ranging from 3 to ten silver bars which equals $100 U.S Dollars. The wedding takes place in two installments, first at the bride’s house, followed by a procession to the groom’s house where a second ceremony occurs.
Yao People 瑶族
Chosen=Descendents of Korean Immigrants with citizenship of the People’s Republic of China, as well as smaller groups of South and North Korean expatriates. Chaoxianzu or Joseonjok (Korean: 조선족), are know as Chinese peole of Korean descendent. Culture – Most ethnic Koreans speak Mandarin Chinese and many also speak Korean. Most of the ethnic Koreans in China are Buddhists, but some are a large proportion of Christianity. Clothing – Women wore garments called jeogori in Hanbok (South Korea). Art- The Mid-Joseon dynasty painting styles moved towards increased realism. A national painting style of landscapes called "true view" began - moving from the traditional Chinese style of idealized general landscapes to particular locations exactly rendered.
Chosen 朝鲜族
Chinese Ethnic Groups 2A Matthew Scheffler
Qiang
• The Qiang people originate from around Tibet. They are known for their extensive history which dates back over 3,000 years ago. • The Qiang people are a unique ethnic group demonstrated by their architecture and religious believes. • On New Years Qiang people would throw white quartz crystals on their roofs as a tribute to the gods. They thought every creature contained its own spirit.
Zang • The Zang people are also know as Tibetans. They have strong religious ties to a form of Indian Buddhism called Lamaism. These people are known for their skill in calligraphy and arts related back to Buddhism. • Zang are also know for expressing themselves in song and dance
Dong 侗族
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The Dong ethnic minority is known for their forestry and industrial arts. Men and women practice embroidering patters and engraving arts. The religion of the Dong people is similar to that of the Qiang in the sense that Dong believe all creature to have spirits. They also implement wizards to ward of devils Each year an assortment of different festivals are celebrated, ranging from New Years to the Sisters Festival.
Shui 水族
• The Shui ethnic minority speaks in their own unique language but lack a formal writing system. • Shui people held religious believes in spirits and gods who would help guide their lives. • The art work of Shui people includes paper cutting, stone carving, and other sorts of jewelry making. • The Shui calendar follows a lunar calendar which lays out specific days for certain holidays to be celebrated.
Miao 苗
• The Miao people are one of the largest ethnic minorities in China. The language spoken by Miao people is unique to their group but most can also converse in Chinese. • From a religious stand point most the ethnic groups are very similar. They all believe in natural spirits. The Miao people also worship their ancestors. • The staple food for the Miao minority is rice.
Daisy Laureano
Qiang Ethnic Minority • There clothes are made by themselves and there usually made of flax, furs of ox, sheep or fabric. Now they wear Han fashions • They are monogamous and after you get married and have a baby there's usually a celebration • They still follow original religion and believe in Anima
Zang Ethnic Minority • The Zang wear clothes of Silk and silk is used in other things such as Hada as a greeting gift • The Zang people wear short upper garments which is made of silk and they have boots made of cattle hide. • They have very ornate ornaments and hair décor • They have castle like houses and there usually two stories high
Nu Ethnic Minority
Yi Ethnic Minority • Yi people usually live in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous region. • There ancestors are known as Kunming people • They speak 6 dialects and they use the earliest from of Chinese pinyn writing. They used about 1000 characters widely
Yi cont… • They are very good at crafts like carving , embroidery, and painting. • A popular civil dance for them is called Tiaoye. They depend on agriculture with husbandry as their assistant industry.
Tiaoye Dance
CHINESE MINORITIES By: Samuel! Melendez!
ZANG The Zang minority has its own writing system and language The Zang people lived during the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220). They were a part of the Xiqiang group. The Zang developed their own form of Buddhism called Lamaism. Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple are two great examples of their great architecture.
QIANG The Qiang people do not have their own writing system. They can all mostly write Chinese. They are from the Tibetan-Burman group. They believe that nature has its own spirit. White quartz stone are symbols of rightness. They mostly eat meats, corn, wheat's, and potatoes. The inception of the 10th lunar month is the day that they celebrate their new Years.
MIAO This minority group is one of the largest out of all of them. 8,940,116 people are in this one, which kind of makes it a majority group! Haha! The Miao’s have their own language, it belongs to the Miao-Yao group of SinoTibetan. They also believe that nature has its own spirit. When natural disasters occur, they send their wizards to perform ritual to drive out all of the evil spirits. They also have very wonderful clothing!
SHUI 406,902 people are a member of this group. They speak their own language which belongs to the Zhuang-Dong group. They have customs to respect all of the elders. On an elders birthday, they make him/her a long white gown. They are very hospitable people to anyone that goes to visit them! They will share their food and resources.
YI The Yi group consists of 7,762,286 different people, it also has many branches off of it. They have six different dialects because of the many branches The Yi people are very talented people. Their talents consist of painting, sculptures, embroidery, and drawing with lacquer. Their women’s skill is the embroidering. Their reputations are based on their skill!
GIN This minority is a branch off a Yue, from Vietnam. The language is similar to Vietnamese. They believe in a mix of Taoism, wizardry, and Buddhism. They may have very simple clothing but it is simply beautiful. Some Taboo from them is, if there is a fishnet upon the shore. No man can walk upon it. When they cut wood, they must be accompanied by rice!
Chinese Ethnic Groups Hezhen – Qiang – Zang – Zhung - Miao
By: James O’Donnell
Hezhen Ethnic Minority
Hezhen Ethnic Minority With a population of 4,640, the Hezhen ethnic minority is one of the smallest minorities of China. From generation to generation, they lived in the reaches of Amur River (Heilongjiang River), Songhua River, and Ussuri River (Wusuli River) and appropriately named themselves 'Hezhen', meaning people of the eastern lower reaches. They are descendants of Heshui Tribe which reigned during the Sui (581 - 618) and Tang (618 - 907) Dynasties. The Hezhen language belongs to the Altaic phylum. They do not have their own characters, so most write in Chinese. They believe in Shamanism, believing all have spirits and worship as many gods are there as varieties of animals and plants. The rivers provide the Hezhen people with rich sources of fish and other wild animals. Intelligent people do quite well in making use of those gifts. They live on fishing and hunting, travel by snow dog sleds, and wear clothes of fish and deer skin, since fish skin is light, soft, and water-proof and non-abrasive. The clothes are also visually very distinctive with fasteners made of fish bone and the women's coats look like cheongsam. The Hezhen customs related to food are unique. Before drinking wine, they must dip chopsticks in the wine, cast it to the sky and sprinkle it on the land. This is an expression of respect for both the gods and their ancestors. They do not care for drinking tea, except the tea flavored with wild rose. Instead they prefer unboiled cold water. The Wurigong Festival began in 1985 and has been held once every two years since. Held during the fifth or sixth lunar month, the
Hezhen celebrate by playing traditional sports, feasting on traditional foods, and throughout the festival singing the folklore which praises the history of their tribe. The Wurigong Festival lasts for several days. The clothes of the Hezhens were either mostly made of fish skin or deer skin in which the fish skin dresses were most unique for the
Hezhen people. These fish skin dresses were considered to be national dresses worn by the Hezhens.
Qiang Ethnic Minority
Qiang Ethnic Minority The Qiang ethnic minority lives mainly in the counties of the Aba Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan; Maowen Qiang Autonomous County is the largest area that is home to the Qiang. The Qiangs dress themselves simply but beautifully. Men and women alike wear gowns made of gunny cloth, cotton and silk with sleeveless sheep's wool jackets. They like to bind their hair and legs. Women's clothing is laced and the collars are decorated with plumshaped silver ornaments. They wear sharp-pointed and embroidered shoes, embroidered girdles and earrings, neck rings, hairpins and silver badges. They live in blockhouses made of piled up stones of different sizes. Unique in style, solid and practical, these houses are two or three stories high. The Qiang people have created a unique culture and arts and crafts. The clever and deft Qiang women can do embroidery and drawnwork extemporaneously without designs. The Qiangs are good singers and dancers. Staple foods include corn, wheat, potatoes, beef, mutton, pork, chicken and fish. The Qiang ferment and drink wine. Children and women prefer to drink wine with honey; men tend to have a great capacity for liquor. They are also expert at preparing medicinal dishes. The first day of the tenth lunar month is the Qiang New Year's Day when natives take flour food and meat to sacrifice to ancestors and gods. The other grandest day is on the sixth day of the sixth lunar month. All except married women join in the worship activities. The Qiang people believe that everything in nature has a spirit. They especially consider white quartz stone as the symbol of rightness having the power of gods, while the black quartz represents evil. Every third day of a New Year, the Qiang go to white stones on their roofs to worship gods, such as the god of the mountain, the god of the stone king, the god of the ox king, etc.
Zang Ethnic Minority
Zang Ethnic Minority The Zang ethnic minority (also known as Tibetan) mainly live in the Tibetan Autonomous Region on the Tibetan Plateau, with some groupings in Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan and Yunnan Provinces. The Zang people believe in the Indian Mahayana form of Buddhism but have gradually developed a distinctive Tibetan Buddhism which is also called Lamaism. The Zang people eat three meals a day, but during the busy harvest season they will have four, five and often more. Their staple foods are tsamba, yak butter tea, mutton, and beef. Tsamba, made of highland wheat (Qingke) is convenient to carry around and eat whenever you want. The most important festival in the calendar is the first day of the Tibetan New Year. They clean their rooms in preparation for that day, paint symbols of auspice, and warmly greet each other in the morning. On the fifteenth day, they attend the Butter Lamp Festival. The Great Prayer Festival and The Bathing Festival are also important festivals. The Zang men wear plaits on the head and women wear them on the shoulders. They all wear gowns with long sleeves. When they are dancing, their sleeves look wings flapping in the air. The monks wear cassocks whose colors vary according to their particular sect of Tibetan Buddhism. In the field of the arts, Tibetan calligraphy values strictness and delicateness.
Zhuang Ethnic Minority
Zhuang Ethnic Minority The Zhuang ethnic minority has a language of its own that belongs to the Zhuang-Dai branch of Zhuang-Dong Austronesian. The Zhuang believe in the propagation, the totem, and their ancestors. Now, most of them are polytheists, believing the power of many inanimate things in nature, such as giant trees, high mountains, cavity, the earth, the sun, water and so on. Sacrifice activities are usually held because of their beliefs of being blessed by the divinity and to prevent all kinds of disasters. The Zhuang people's primary products are tropical and subtropical crops such as rice and corn due to the mild climate and abundant rainfall. The people eat all kinds of meat, including beef, mutton, pork and chicken, etc. The vegetables of their daily life are of various kinds. The women living in the northwest Guangxi usually wear the collarless, embroidered jackets buttoned to the left along with loose and wide trousers, or pleated skirts and embroidered belts. The women from the southwest Guangxi prefer collarless jackets buttoned to the left with black square headbands on the head and loose trousers. Most of them complement their outfits with silver ornaments. The Zhuang women are skilled at weaving and embroidering. These women have a great reputation for the distinctive designs of cotton woven yarn brocade they make in colorful velour. The Devil Festival is held on July 14th of the lunar month. The day before the Devil Festival, every family does a thorough house cleaning and makes special preparations of outfits used in the sacrifice. On that day, duck, pork and good wines along with some candies and fruits must be offered in order to show great respect to their ancestors. The Singing Festival is a traditional occasion which was held before 1940 to visit graves of the ancestors. The Zhuang people will sing to each other to challenge each other not only the song itself but also wit. Lyrics are usually improvisational and humorous that makes everyone burst into laughter. It is also a perfect day for the young men to express their love to the girls by singing, so it is also reputed as the Valentine's Day of the Zhuang ethnic minority.
Miao Ethnic Minority
Miao Ethnic Minority The Miao ethnic minority has a population of 8,940,116 which is larger than most of minority groups in China. The Miao language, which belongs to the Miao-Yao group of the Sino-Tibetan phylum, has developed into three dialects: the dialect of western Hunan Province, the one of eastern Guizhou Province and the one of ChuanQianDian. The Miao people believe that everything in nature has a spirit, which in combination are mighty enough to control their lives. Every time there are disasters, they will invite a wizard to perform ceremonies designed to drive out the devil ghost. The staple food of the Miao ethnic minority is rice. Other dishes are meat and acidic soups. Pickled vegetables, hot seasonings and homemade wine are common at the table. Glutinous rice becomes a must during festivals and celebrations. Clothes of the Miao ethnic minority are diverse across regions. Men wear short coats and trousers, while women decorate themselves with very dainty and dazzling skirts and jewels. On their skirts, there are many patterns taking themes from life such as flowers, birds. The Lusheng dance is a unique musical performance of the Miao ethnic minority during nearly every celebration. While playing the Lusheng, a kind of wind instrument, they dance in demanding patterns, and sing to each other. The New Rice Tasting Festival is when the Miao people express their gratitude for the harvest. They will stream the newly ripe rice, brew wine with new rice, cook dishes with newly-picked vegetables and freshly caught fish.
五个民族
Five different ethnic minorities in China 2A Bingru Wang
Qiang minority •
The qiang have two dialects, one in the north and one in the south.Qiang people have its own writing, they only speak a little mandarin . The Qiang people make their own cloth ,they are usually made out of flax, furs of ox or sheep and fabric. In Qiang history the wizard are not allow to eat garlic and Chinese onions for 49 days. They have a festival called "Qiang nian festival". It is a festival for praying good weather for their crops. It's held by wizards one the lunar of October 1st .it lasts about 3/5 days.Qiang people live the upper reach of Minjiang river .Qiang people have a ceremony for when a kid turns 15 ,he wears new clothes and he kowtow to his ancestors. Also they have kids marriage which is the kids are engaged when the mother is pregnant with the baby. also they have different kinds of funeral .they have interment, sky burial and cliff burial.
Zang Minority –
Tibetan clothes are very different, mostly wearing short upper garments made of silk or cloth with long sleeve inside. For convenience of working labor they show their right arm or both and tie the sleeve to their waist. Also men and women have pigtails but the women have either two or most beautiful pigtails. in the pasturing area they have house that is yak hair house which they spin and wrap in like a strap of yak hair. If ancient time in Tibet it said that if the guest is man he would seat in the first seat on the right which is guest. In the forest they gather raw materials to build their wooden houses. Those homes are located halve way up the hill. In the north people's house are more like tent and in the south their house are more like castle .also they have cave dwelling in Ali ,some of the cave have 2 stories which in the summer they live in the second floor ,in the winter they live in the first floor.zang people they present a present called hada ,it is used for greeting ,wedding and funeral. Also they have express different meanings in different circumstances .in Tibet they have pagodas which they build scriptures of Buddha .they also believe in Lamaism which is recite and chant Buddhism scriptures often.
汉族 Han Minority •
Han minority is 99% of china’s ethnic group. They mainly live at the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River ,Yangtze River, and Pearl River, also at northeast plain (songliao plain). Their language are divided into seven different dialects .They are Mandarin,Wu, Xiang,Gan,Min ,Cantonese and Hakka ,but mandarin have traditional and simplify version. Mandarin is designated language in Chinese mainland and in Taiwan. Cantonese is spoken in Hong Kong. The religion they believe in are Confucianism ,Taoism and Buddhism. Their main staple food is rice and wheat .Also tea and alcohol are traditional drinks and serve to entertain the guests at their house. In north the houses are made of bricks more like courtyard style and facing south for sunlight. In south the house are more likely to be built of timber. The Han festivals are very rich and colorful. They have spring,lantern,dragon boat and mid-autumn festivals.
Zhuang Minority •
The Zhuang minority mostly live at southern part of China. Their religion are more based on ancestors worships. Also they follow traditional practices known as Mo or Shigong.The staple food for Zhuangs’ are rice and corn.Zhuang people also like sour and salty dishes. They like to live on valleys surrounded by mountains and water. The houses are usually two story high and made from wood and the roof made from tile. Usually the girls wear a blue-and-black collarless jacket with bright furbelow, baggy trousers or Batik skirt, and a apron is tied on the waist. For boys, they dressed in black front-opening coat with cloth-wrapped buttons, and wear a belt on the waist .Zhuang people have two kinds of marriage ,one is free love and the other is arranged by their parents. They have a ghost festival and singing festival also sharing festivals of Han minority.
Shui minority •
Shui minority people live in the south of Guizhou province and lived around the rivers and streams. They have it’s own language ,it’s 2000 years old made out of 400 word and in Sino-Tibetan language system. The Shui people are the descendants of the Luoyue people, one of the ancient tribes living along China’s southeastern coast. Their staple food is rice ,they are not good in growing vegetables ,so they do more fishing and livestock breeding for meat. The traditional houses of the Shui people are of "pile dwelling" it is constructed from fir ,pine wood and covered by fir bark or tiles. They usually are two or three stories. Men mostly wear blue or green clothes, with cloth-wrapped buttons down the front . Women usually arrange their long hair in a bun, and insert a comb in it. They wear a collarless gown reaching to the knees, with colors of blue, green and gray. They also a long embroidered apron. When they hold weddings and funerals support by other members of the clan. When someone wants to marry someone the male family will send someone to the female house and ask for their parents permission.Duan festival is the grandest festival of all the festivals they have.