Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

Long Dragon Banquet Festival of Hani Ethnic Group

The Hani ethnic group (哈尼族) is one of the ancient mountain peoples of Southwest China, originating from the ancient Qiang tribes. As of 2020, the total population reached 1.63 million, making the Hani the second-largest ethnic minority in Yunnan (云南).

The Hani primarily inhabit the prefectures of Honghe (红河), Pu’er (普洱), Xishuangbanna (西双版纳), and Yuxi (玉溪), with cross-border communities in Vietnam, Laos, and Myanmar, where they are known as Akha people.

The Hani language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan family, with dialects including Hani, Kadu, Yani, Haoni, Biyo, and Baihong. The Hani have no independent script and use Chinese characters (汉文) for writing.

Cultural highlights include millennia-old terraced rice farming, mushroom-shaped houses, polyphonic folk songs, Lezuo dance, and Long Street Banquets (长街宴). The Honghe Hani Terraces are a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, showcasing Hani agricultural and cultural ingenuity.

Population Distribution

Core Prefectures (2020 Census)

• Honghe Hani & Yi Autonomous Prefecture (红河哈尼族彝族自治州): 911,900 Hani, 20.4% of the prefecture’s population (densest Hani settlement).
• Pu’er City (普洱市): 454,700 Hani, 17.2% of the city population (Mojiang County, core area).
• Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture (西双版纳傣族自治州): 120,000 Hani, 11.5% of prefecture population (Menghai, Jinghong).
• Yuxi City (玉溪市): 100,000 Hani, 4.8% of city population (Yuanjiang, Xinping).

Core Counties

• Honghe County (红河县): 286,200 Hani, 80.58% of county population.
• Yuanyang County (元阳县): 206,300 Hani, 85% (Hani Terrace core).
• Lvchun County (绿春县): 196,000 Hani, 98% (pure Hani settlement).
• Mojiang Hani Autonomous County (墨江哈尼族自治县): 222,000 Hani, 72%.
• Jiangcheng County (江城县): 57,400 Hani, 68%.
• Yuanjiang County (元江县): 45,000 Hani, 22%.

Core Townships (>60% Hani Population)

• Xinjie Town, Yuanyang (新街镇, 元阳县): 42,000 Hani, 92% (Azeka, Qingkou Villages).
• Baohua Town, Honghe (宝华镇, 红河县): 31,000 Hani, 95% (Samaba Terraces).
• Daxing Town, Lvchun (大兴镇, 绿春县): 28,000 Hani, 97% (county seat).
• Lianzhu Town, Mojiang (联珠镇, 墨江县): 35,000 Hani, 78% (county seat).
• Gelanghe Township, Menghai (格朗和乡, 勐海县): 18,000 Hani, 85% (Xishuangbanna Hani core).

Traditional Culture

Traditional Clothing

• Colors: Dark blue, black, simple yet thick fabrics; elaborate embroidery.
• Women: Indigo short jackets, pleated skirts, silver-capped or embroidered headscarves, large earrings, silver neck rings, silver bracelets.
• Men: Collarless short jackets, wide pants, black headwrap, waist knife, silver ornaments.

Traditional Houses (Mushroom-Shaped Houses)

• Structure: Mudwood-straw construction, mushroom-shaped roof, suited for rainy mountainous areas.
• Layout: Ground floor for livestock and storage, middle floor for living with hearth, top floor for grain and drying.
• Village Ecology: Built along hills; ecological layout “forest–village–terraces–water system”; central village features grinding yard, sacred tree, and well.

Marriage Customs

• Monogamous; combination of free love and arranged marriage.
• Proposal: Male brings wine, meat, glutinous rice to family.
• Engagement: Silver ornaments, native cloth, glutinous rice cakes.
• Wedding: Village grinding yard; Lezuo dance, polyphonic singing, Long Street Banquet.
• Newlyweds may live separately from husband’s family 1–2 years.

Etiquette & Taboos

• Serve glutinous rice, bamboo tube wine, roasted tea to guests; guests sit on the hearth; remove shoes indoors; avoid stepping on door threshold or hearth tripod.
• Forbidden: cutting sacred village or dragon trees, making noise in sacred woods, urinating near trees, trampling terraces or irrigation channels.
• In temples: dress neatly, avoid touching statues/instruments; during rituals, outsiders prohibited; women cannot join dragon or village god rituals.

Religion

• Animism: Worship of village, mountain, water, tree, sun, and moon spirits; nature and ancestors are interlinked; annual rituals for harvest and protection.
• Ancestor Worship: Ancestors’ spirits protect families; ancestral tablets at home; offerings during festivals.
• Theravada Buddhism: Some Hani (Akha) in Xishuangbanna and Pu’er practice Buddhism; boys study scriptures and Dai language; adulthood may return to secular life.

Traditional Festivals

1. October Year (Zalet, 扎勒特) – Lunar October, 5–15 days.
   • Celebrate new year, ancestor worship, harvest.
   • Activities: pig & cow slaughter, glutinous rice pounding, visiting relatives, engagements, Lezuo dance, Long Street Banquet.
2. June Year (Kuzaza, 苦扎扎) – Lunar June, 4–6 days.
   • End of spring plowing; worship sky, earth, village gods.
   • Activities: cow sacrifice, grinding, Mang Drum dance, Palm Fan dance, village feasts.
3. Long Street Banquet – Core of October Year.
   • Collective banquet, hundreds of meters of tables; dishes shared by households; polyphonic singing & Lezuo dance.
4. New Rice Festival – Lunar August.
   • Celebrate first harvest; offerings to ancestors and grain gods; family tasting of new rice.
5. Angma Tu (昂玛突) – Lunar January, 3–5 days.
   • Village god sacrifice; ensure safety, abundance.
   • Activities: cow sacrifice, shaman chanting, god dance, communal feast.

Cultural Arts

1. Hani Polyphonic Singing (国家级非遗) – A cappella, multiple voices; lyrics include creation epics, farming history, love stories; core areas: Honghe, Yuanyang.
2. Lezuo Dance (国家级非遗) – Circle dance, all ages, coarse but lively, fast rhythm; ceremonial and festival performance; originated in Honghe.
3. Mang Drum Dance / Palm Fan Dance (省级非遗) – Mang Drum: men’s collective dance with drums; Palm Fan: women’s dance, blessing rituals.
4. Terraced Farming Techniques (UNESCO World Cultural Heritage) – Millennia-old irrigation, “wood-engraved water allocation,” forest–village–terrace–water ecological wisdom.
5. Folk Literature – Creation epic Aosemise (奥色密色), terrace songs, Tea Ancestor hymns, myths, proverbs, oral transmission focused on terraces, nature, and ancestors.

Signature Cuisine

• Flavors: Sour, spicy, fragrant, fresh, wild; staple: glutinous rice.
• Signature Dishes: Hani fermented soybeans, bamboo tube chicken, lemongrass grilled fish, banana leaf-wrapped pork, sour bamboo shoot chicken, terrace fish, bee pupae sauce.
• Staple Foods / Snacks: Purple glutinous rice, rice cakes, pounded glutinous rice cakes, buckwheat cakes, roasted pork belly, fried bamboo worms.
• Drinks: Bamboo tube wine, roasted tea, sour tea, glutinous rice wine.

Cultural & Tourism Attractions

Museums & Cultural Centers

• Yuanyang Hani Terrace Cultural Museum (元阳哈尼梯田文化博物馆, Xinjie Town, Yuanyang): White pheasant-shaped building, exhibits terrace history, farming culture, intangible heritage, “wood-engraved water allocation.”
• Hani Museum (昆明 / 红河): Reconstructed Hani village with mushroom houses, storage, milling area; displays tools, clothing, instruments from Qing Dynasty to modern era.
• Mojiang Hani Cultural Museum (墨江县联珠镇): Showcases history, subgroups, costumes, farming tools, intangible heritage (embroidery, weaving).

Core Scenic Areas

• Honghe Hani Terraces (元阳 / 红河 / 绿春, UNESCO): Largest and most intact Hani terraces; Yuanyang core: Duoyishu, Bada, Laohuzui; Honghe Samaba terraces largest contiguous terraces in China.
• Azeka Village (阿者科村, Xinjie, Yuanyang): World Heritage core; 20+ mushroom houses; intact forest–village–terrace–water system; live Hani cultural experiences.
• Qingkou Hani Folk Village (箐口村, Xinjie, Yuanyang): Mushroom houses, cultural square, Hani museum; weaving, embroidery, rice cake pounding, Lezuo dance experiences.
• Mojiang Twin Culture Park (墨江双胞胎文化园, Lianzhu, Mojiang): Twin culture theme park; twin square, twin star sculpture; Mojiang known as “China’s Twin Town.”
• Yuanyang Hani Town (元阳哈尼小镇): Yunnan provincial特色小镇, combining Hani architecture with modern design; panoramic terrace views.

Traditional Hani Villages

• Honghe Prefecture: Azeka, Dayutang, Pugao Old Village, Duoyishu, Zuofu, Longjia.
• Lvchun County: Niukong Village.
• Mojiang: Guineng Village, Bixi Village.
• Yuxi: Take Village.

Hani Ancient Towns

• Bixi Ancient Town (碧溪古镇, Mojiang): Tea Horse Road town; Hani culture hub; Ming & Qing architecture.
• Nakeli Ancient Town (那柯里古镇, Ning’er): Tea Horse Road station; Hani-Dai cultural fusion; wooden stilt houses.
• Yisa Ancient Town (迤萨古镇, Honghe): Hani-Han cultural fusion; Qing-era architecture, horse caravan relics.
• Yuanyang Hani Town: Modern Hani town, terrace viewing hub.

Travel Tips & Itinerary

Best Travel Time

• April: Spring tea season + Water-Splashing Festival; terraces mirror-filled, tea picking & rituals.
• October–November: Autumn harvest + October Year; golden terraces, Long Street Banquet, Lezuo dance, ancestor worship.
• December–February: Cool, dry season; frequent cloud seas; ideal for temple visits, terrace photography, ancient village tours.

Classic 5-Day Deep Route (Honghe + Pu’er)

Day 1: Arrive Mengzi → Qingkou Folk Village (mushroom houses, weaving) → Azeka Village (World Heritage, hearth roasted tea) → Stay Azeka.
Day 2: Azeka → Duoyishu Terraces (sunrise) → Pugao Old Village (terrace trekking) → Laohuzui Terraces (sunset) → Stay Yuanyang.
Day 3: Yuanyang → Samaba Terraces (largest contiguous terraces) → Zuofu Village (Yiche branch folk culture, Long Street Banquet) → Stay Honghe.
Day 4: Honghe → Mojiang Bixi Ancient Town (Tea Horse Road, Hani museum) → Twin Culture Park → Stay Mojiang.
Day 5: Mojiang → Nakeli Ancient Town (Tea Horse Road station) → Departure.

Cultural Experiences

• Intangible Heritage Workshops: Hani weaving, embroidery, bamboo wine, terrace fish catching, purple rice cakes.
• Dance & Singing: Lezuo dance, Mang drum dance, Palm fan dance, polyphonic folk singing.
• Festival Participation: October Year Long Street Banquet, June Year Grinding, Angma Tu sacrifice, New Rice Festival.
• Religious Experiences: Temple chanting, water blessing, dragon rituals.
• Agricultural Experiences: Terrace planting, harvesting, tea picking & making, learn water management from “Gangou people.”

Travel Notes

• Religious Etiquette: Remove shoes, dress modestly, no touching Buddha statues or instruments; ask before photographing monks; do not cut sacred trees or ancient tea trees.
• Respect Local Customs: Ask before photographing villagers; do not enter houses without invitation; avoid stepping on hearths, village centers, wells; women cannot participate in dragon rituals.
• Clothing: Lightweight breathable clothing for tropical mountains; sun protection; long pants/skirts for temples; non-slip shoes for trekking.
• Food: Hani cuisine is sour-spicy; sensitive stomachs should sample insects or wild mushrooms cautiously.
• Environmental Care: Protect terraces and heritage structures; do not litter or damage water systems; follow “leave the terraces intact” principle.