It is overland tour to Mt. Wudangshan in Hubei province from Xian. Hubei province is located in mid China connecting many provinces in China by convenient transportation of railway, cruise, and flights......
History and Folklore of Yi People
Yi people is the sixth largest ethnic minority in China, who speak the Yi language. 
Yi people are mainly distributed between the highlands and coastal hills of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces (regions). They are primarily concentrated in Chuxiong, Honghe, Liangshan, Bijie, Liupanshui, and Anshun, with the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture being the largest Yi settlement area in the country. The population is about 10 million in 2025.
Yi people are mainly distributed between the highlands and coastal hills of Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Guangxi provinces (regions). They are primarily concentrated in Chuxiong, Honghe, Liangshan, Bijie, Liupanshui, and Anshun, with the Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture being the largest Yi settlement area in the country. The population is about 10 million in 2025.History of Yi people
The Yi people are mainly derived from the ancient Qiang people in China. From the 2nd century BC to the early AD, the Yi ancestors were active in the two regions of Dianchi Lake and Qiongdu (now in the southeast of Xichang, Sichuan).
Political system of Yi people
The social and political system was slavery before 1949 AD, which was managed by official Tusi. The local land, mountains and forests were all owned by Tusi.
Before the liberation of the Republic of China, the Liangshan Yi ethnic region was still in a rigid slave society. The class relations between slave owners, slaves, and ordinary laborers were manifested through a strict hierarchical system. All members of society were divided into five classes— "Zimo," "Nuohé," "Quenuo," "Agia," and "Giaxi" —based on their possession of means of production and strict hierarchical and kinship ties.
"Zimo", which means " power" in Yi language, is called "Tusi" in Chinese. It was the highest ruling class in the Liangshan Yi area in history.
"Nuohé", meaning "common people", is the owner, the master, the black, called "Black Yi people" in Chinese, is the actually highest ruling class in Liangshan Yi society, enjoys all kinds of political and economic privileges, is the main owner of the means of production, land, "A Jia", "Xia Xi", and has an insurmountable gap with other classes.
The Qu Nuo, meaning 'white,' were historically referred to as 'White Yi people ' during the Han Dynasty. They constituted the highest social class among the ruled, positioned between the Black Yi and the 'A' and 'Xia' groups. Comprising about 50% of the population, they were physically subordinated to the Black Yi slave owners, residing within the masters 'jurisdictions without freedom of movement. Each year, they were required to perform unpaid labor for their masters. While most Qu Nuo owned limited land and basic necessities, a few affluent Qu Nuo also possessed portions of the' A 'and' Xia' territories.
The term 'Agia' means the children of the household. These people deprived of freedom to migrate, were forced to perform unpaid labor for their masters for most of the year. Masters could sell 'A' either as a whole household or individually. Their offspring might be conscripted by masters as 'Xiaxi' (a form of forced labor), typically retaining only minimal land and basic means of subsistence.
"Gia Xi", meaning "slave". This lowest social class, comprising about 10% of the population, held no property or personal freedom, being subject to arbitrary purchase, sale, and brutal treatment by their masters. Once married off by their masters, they became "A Jia". All members of the ruled class were called "Jie Huo" by the rulers. The term "Jie Huo" carries connotations of being under domination.
In the Yi region of Liangshan, there is no unified political organization. Except for a few areas ruled by Zimo (Tusi), the rule of Nuohe family branches serves as the political organization. These family branches exhibit characteristics of primitive clan organizations, being based on patrilineal blood relations and connected by genealogical ties of father-son joint names. Each family branch shares common ancestors and surnames.
In 1956, responding to the aspirations of the Yi ethnic slave population and impoverished laborers, the Chinese government, after thorough deliberation and consultation with local elites of Yi people, initiated democratic reforms in the Yi regions of Sichuan and Ninglang, Yunnan. By spring 1958, the democratic reform movement had been successfully completed in the Yi areas of the Greater and Lesser Liangshan regions of Sichuan and Yunnan. This movement completely abolished the slave system, stripped slave owners of all privileges, and confiscated their land, oxen, farming tools, houses, and grain, which were then distributed to the enslaved masses and impoverished laborers.
Culture of Yi people 
The Yi people's religious beliefs remain largely at a primitive stage, with nature worship, totem worship, ancestor worship, and animism being prevalent in their society. Their traditional priests, known as "Bimo," and shamans called "Sunni" hold significant influence in Yi regions, while Taoism and Buddhism also thrive in some areas. In modern times, Christianity and Catholicism have been introduced to certain Yi communities.
The Yi people believe that ancestral soul remain active after death, capable of bestowing blessings or misfortunes upon the living. This belief drives their practice of ancestor worship, where they pray for descendants to receive divine favor. According to Yi tradition, there are three souls after death: one guards tombs, another returns to the ancestral realm to reunite with forebears, and the third resides in family homes where ancestral tablets are venerated. The well-being of these souls directly determines the prosperity or adversity of future generations, making ancestral protection a vital part of their spiritual practices.
Bimo Culture of Yi people
Bimo has a wide and profound influence on the production and life of Yi people. Bimo is a priest in the traditional religion of Yi people, which has a long history. The main religious activities of Bimo are making spirit plates, chanting sutras, presiding over alliance ceremonies and presiding over divine judgment ceremonies in disputes.
Dress and personal adornment of Yi people
The Yi people have many branches, live in scattered areas, the natural environment is complex, the social and economic development is unbalanced, and their costumes have formed obvious regional characteristics in the aspects of texture, style and pattern.
Building of Yi people
The Liangshan Yi people live in the "tile house", the Guizhou and the north and the middle of Yunnan live in the "earth house", the square watchtower, the "wood house" and the "shapian house", the Guangxi and the east of Yunnan live in the "stilt house".
The Yi ethnic villages typically form clan-based settlements, often situated on slopes that offer ideal conditions for farming and military defense—nestled among mountains and waterways, sheltered from the wind, surrounded by lush vegetation, and blessed with fertile soil and open terrain. While scattered settlements prevail in high-altitude areas, more concentrated communities thrive in mid-mountain zones and river valleys. Each blood-related clan clusters together to form natural villages, ranging from a few to dozens of households, with closely related branches living in adjacent clusters.
Food and drink
The Yi people primarily consume staple foods such as potatoes, corn, buckwheat, and rice. Their supplementary diet includes meat, legumes, vegetables, seasonings, and beverages. The meat diet mainly consists of beef, mutton, pork, and chicken. When entertaining guests, they slaughter animals, with beef being the most prized, followed by mutton and pork. Legumes commonly include soybeans, broad beans, and cowpeas. A traditional preparation of soybeans is called "dulaba" by the Yi people, where the beans are ground into a paste and cooked with fermented soybean curd and pickled vegetables.
The main collection of spices is three kinds of wild plants, one of which is the leaves of "Hala Gu".
Language of Yi people
Yi language belongs to the Yi branch of the Tibetan-Burman language family in the Sino-Tibetan language family.
Festival of Yi people
Festivals are a vibrant showcase of the Yi ethnic group's diverse lifestyles and traditions. These celebrations include agricultural festivals centered on farming, ritual festivals honoring deities and ancestors, commemorative festivals commemorating heroes and significant events, celebratory festivals marking harvests and victories, and social entertainment festivals featuring music, dance, and opera performances.
The most notable festivals include:
New Year of Yi People:
The celebration dates vary across regions, typically falling in mid-to-late October or November of the lunar calendar. Families prepare traditional dishes like stewed pork and lamb, while giving out thousands of dollars in lucky money (red envelopes).
The celebration dates vary across regions, typically falling in mid-to-late October or November of the lunar calendar. Families prepare traditional dishes like stewed pork and lamb, while giving out thousands of dollars in lucky money (red envelopes).
The Torch Festival:
The Torch Festival is a traditional celebration of the Yi ethnic group, takes place on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month and lasts for three days. During this vibrant festival, people dress in their finest attire and gather on flatland or gentle slopes near their villages. They engage in a variety of activities, including singing, dancing, horse racing, bullfighting, sheep fighting, wrestling, and beauty pageants, creating a lively and festive atmosphere. In the morning, they slaughter animals to honor their ancestors. At night, they carry torches through the fields, symbolizing the burning of pests and praying for a bountiful harvest.
Love and marriage of Yi people
Monogamy is the basic form of marriage among the Yi people. The characteristics of marriage include intra-clan marriage, intra-class marriage, priority marriage between maternal and paternal uncles, and forbidden marriage between cousins. Traditional Yi marriage includes the custom of transferring property. When a woman of childbearing age passes away and her children are still minors, the property must be transferred to the deceased's brother or close relative, such as a uncle or nephew. If there are no children in a Yi family, the family branch has the right to distribute the property. After the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the restrictions on intra-clan and intra-class marriage have been broken, and Yi young men and women freely fall in love based on affection, leading to inter-ethnic, inter-class, and cross-border marriages.
The Yi ethnic group's wedding traditions preserve many ancient customs, including water splashing, black face painting, crying at the wedding, the bride's pre-wedding fast, and the post-wedding "sitting at home" ritual. Before marriage, Yi men and women must undergo an engagement ceremony, during which auspicious signs are first sought to ensure compatibility. The ideal marriage age is 17 or 19. If a woman has not married by the age of 17, she must undergo another coming-of-age ceremony.
Burial Folklore of Yi people
In most regions, the Yi people practice earth burial
The ancestral shrine is the most sacred space in the household, forbidden to be defiled. The parents '"Ma Du" (ancestral tablets) are typically enshrined in the youngest child's home. During festivals, family members offer wine and meat as sacrifices to honor the departed. After three years of mourning, a solemn ritual is held to transport the "Ma Du" to a remote mountain cave.
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