Colorful Yi Nationality in E’shan County

The Yi people living in E’shan are passionate and hospitable. They are good at singing and dancing and they love the nature. Their culture is splendid.

Their costumes are predominated by black, white, red, and blue and the major fabrics are seen in black, indigo and blue. Their costumes are all handmade. Bright colors such as ink, yellow and green are seen in patterns and diagrams of flowers and birds.

The Yi people are very hospitable and all visitors are welcome in the village. Hostess of the house will cook delicious meals to treat visitors. They like to eat big pieces of meat and drink with big bowls and sing toast songs to show hospitality to guests.

Their houses are special in that the houses are usually built with clay which are cool in summer and warm in winter with sufficient light. Their houses are usually built in two floors with the upper floor for drying and storing grains and the lower floor for living. They are industrious and skillful in farming and therefore they obtain harvest almost every year. Their houses are usually built beside mountains and rivers and houses are close to one another.

The important holidays of the Yi include the Torch Festival and the Dragon Worship Festival. During the Torch Festival, people go to the Daxi Mountains for the Flower Street Market. The purpose is not to visit the market but for commemorating a couple of lovers and expressing their wish for a better life.

The Dragon Worship Festival is also an important holiday to the Yi. The worship is actually performed to trees. Trees can absorb the water underground which then evaporates into the air, enhancing the circulation of water, which is beneficial to farming. The Yi shows much respect to trees and big ones are chosen as subject for worship and they are called the Dragon Tree.