The Miao people in South China

One of the most ancient ethnic minorities in South China, the Miao people have undergone severalmajor migrations in history. Today, among the 8.94 million people, most live in Guizhou, Hunan, Yunnan and Guangxi. The Miaoling and Wuling Mountains, where many of them live, have a mild climate, green hills and rapid rivers and yield many crops, such as rice, corn, millet, wheat, cotton, tobacco, canola and tung trees. In addition, these areas have much mineral and forest resources.

What makes the Miao people known is their handicraft works: silver ornaments, wax printing and woven brocade. Among them the silver ornaments, of many varieties, best demonstrate the Miao people’s personality. In addition to the silver headwear, they have silver pins, bracelets, combs and small but equally exquisite plates to wear on their chests. Their largest silver horn may be 85 cm wide and 80cm tall, over half of the height of its wearer. The Miao girls will decorate these silver horns with beautiful white feathers. Their silver headwear has many kinds of patterns, all elaborately wrought. When wearing such an ornament, the woman appears elegantly regal.

The making of silver ornaments is done by hand, following an elaborate design by an artist. It takes over 30 steps from designing, carving, welding, inlaying and polishing before a piece is finished Their wax printing is also famous. First,a piece of white cloth is placed on a table and wax is put inside a small pot to be heated until it melts. The melted wax is applied to the cloth, following no design but only imagination and birds, flowers, insects or fish are painted. After the painting is complete, the cloth is dyed and rinsed clean. Plants are the source of their dye: blue, yellow, red and black. The blue and white are major tones.A finished piece may have patterns as fresh as the azure sky, as white as the clouds, and as lively as the water running down a mountain, exhibiting a simple, elegant and national style.

The Miao people have woven brocade of their own features, called Miao brocade. Most of their pat-terns have geometrical shapes, animals, plants, nature or images from ancient tales. The Miao women use bright color threads for a strong contrast.A finished piece, though just about 30 cm wide, is highly decorative, and is often chosen as skirt material.

All silver decorative objects are hand-made, taking much skill and high in artistic value Intelligent Miao women are working on waxprinting patterns.

Silver ornaments，wax printing and Miao brocade make their clothing special.As their clothes possess a strong sense of history and express their feelings，their clothes are called”history books worn on body”or”clothing totems.”

hancheng

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