The Hmong is an ancient nation scattered throughout the world, mainly distributed in China's Yunnan, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Qiong and other provinces with its own language, literal and specific culture. Hmong Ethnic Minority is both mysterious and exciting. The Hmong people are identified by their dialect and costumes.
Clothes
Miao costumes are numerous and colorful. Its women's clothing has more than 100 styles. The most representative traditional clothing “Shengzhuang” which has dozens of headwear. Miao women usually wear Narrow sleeved short coat, short skirts or pleated skirts. The dress may be long enough to the feet or short to the knees. In the case of casual clothes, the head is covered with a hood, the upper body is with short sleeve short coat, the lower body is with trousers which are embroidered by lace. And they normally decorate themselves with some silverware. The Miao men's costumes are relatively simple. The tops are mostly short-sleeved or right-sleeved gowns, the shoulders are woven with a geometric pattern of wool felt, the head is wrapped in a blue cloth, and the calves are wrapped around the leggings.
Miao Shengzhaung
Miao Embroidery
Miao embroidery is a long-established art of the Miao ethnic group. It is the main decorative method of Miao costumes. The theme is rich, there are dragons, birds, fish, bronze drums, flowers, butterflies, and pictures reflecting the history of the Miao. There are many kinds of Miao embroidery, which can be divided into two types: monochrome embroidery and color embroidery. Monochrome embroidery is mainly composed of blue lines. Color embroidery is embroidered with colorful silk threads. This kind of embroidery technique is more complicated.
Miao Embroidery
Miao Embroidery
Miao Embroiery
Miao Batik
According to Miao customs, all women are obliged to pass on batik skills, and each mother must teach her daughter to make batik. Miao batik is an art created for the producers' own needs. The products are mainly daily necessities, including women's clothing, bed sheets, quilts, crepe, hoods, backpacks, bags, straps, etc.
Miao Batik
Miao Batik
Language
According to the different pronunciation characteristics, the Miao language is divided into three dialects: eastern dialect, central dialect and western dialect. The western dialects are mainly used in the central Guizhou, southern Sichuan and whole Yunnan provinces. Although there are some differences in the dialect of Miao language, the communication part still accounts for more than 60%. In addition to , some Miao people also use languages of other ethnic group, such as Dong, Yao, Buyi, Zhuang, etc.
Gastronomy
Hot and sour are two indispensable flavors in the life of the Miao people. In the past, due to the lack of salt in the mountains, many Hmong people only can season with sour and spicy. It’s been a habit after a long time. The Miao people especially like to eat sour. Almost every household has homemade sour soup, sauerkraut, marinated fish and so on. Among them, Miao sour soup fish is one of the most delicious food.
Miao sour soup
The Miao sour soup is made from rice soup or tofu water and fermented in a jar for 3-5 days. It can be used to cook meat, fish and vegetables. The food preservation of the Miao is generally carried out by pickling. Vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish and meat all like to be salted and sour.
Festival
The Miao ethnic group is a group rich in ancient civilization and ceremonial.Its festival is unique and distinct. Due to different branches and regional cultural differences, there are also some unique festivals of the local branch, such as Dragon Boat Festival(Zhenyuan) and Sisters’ Meal Festival.
Architecture
In terms of ethnic architecture, the Miao people form their own unique architectural styles in building materials and building.They normally like wooden buildings, generally built in three layers. The first floor is generally used to solve the problem of uneven slopes. Therefore, it is usually a half-side house, stacking sundries or captive livestock, the second floor is the main house, and the third floor is the granary. Stilted building( Diaojiaolou) is a special form of housing for the Miao people.
