Buyi Nationality: A Happy And Vivacious Ethnic Group

With a population of 54,700 and with only an oral language, Buyis in Yunnan are mainly living along Duoyi River of Luoping County. Buyis, called “Liao” in ancient times, have lived on this land since their immigration from Guizhou and Guangxi in the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

March 3rd Festival: The Traditional Buyi Song Festival

March 3rd Festival is a grand traditional festival of Buyis. On this occasion, they will gather together to celebrate it. Singing in an antiphonal style is one important activity. The unmarried Buyi youth like singing folk songs in an antiphonal style to express their love.

The Cooked Colored Rice: An Unpolluted Buyi Food

Buyi Nationality has a charming ethnic culture. After each autumn harvest, Buyis will pick out the best glutinous rice for storage. When the next March 3rd Festival has arrived, they will dye the glutinous rice with the five colors extracted from several edible wild plants. After having been washed in Duoyi River, the delicious five-color rice is ready. Besides its deliciousness, its processing always carries with itself a poetic quality flowing with the running river.

The "Dangling-foot" House: The Typical Buyi Bamboo House on Poles

Buyis live in compact communities in Luoping County and most of their three-storied tile-roofed houses are made of bamboo and wood and based on wood-poles and planks. Because the main poles of the lower part are separated from the main poles of the upper part, thus the name of “The Dangling-foot House”.