Geography and Language of Achang (阿昌族)
Most Achang live in Yunnan province, particularly Dehong Autonomous Prefecture, though they once lived in northwestern Yunnan. The other ten per cent live in Longling County. They have their own language but not their own written system, meaning they often use Chinese characters instead. Many Achang also speak the Dai language in order to carry out commercial transactions.
The area they live in is mountainous with a warm, fertile climate; graphite, mica, lead and iron are just a few of the natural resources here.
- Distribution: Yunnan
- Population: 33936
- Language: Achang
- Religion: Buddhism
Culture of Achang (阿昌族)
There are many folk tales, ballads and stories attached to the Achang people. Dancing is popular among this ethnic group; its people are famous for their silverware, weaving, dyeing and embroidery, among other handicrafts, which are elaborate in pattern and detail. Something the Achang excel at is engraving, and much of this can be seen on Buddhist shrines, furniture and buildings.
Their staple food is rice and their dishes mostly sour. Before 1950, farmers were so poor, their families could barely afford to eat the rice they famously cultivated. Their villages are made up of brick or stone houses with wooden beams, and their society is monogamous and patriarchal (though, according to legend, this used to be quite the reverse, and society was matriarchal and polygamous). Couples court each other according to very defined rituals. At dusk, men play the sheng in bamboo groves to win the favour of the woman they desire; in other places, young people gather round a bonfire and sing, alternating verses, and this can go on through the night.
Traditions of Achang (阿昌族)
Until 1949, marriages were arranged by the couples’ parents, and now the taboo is in marrying someone with the same surname, though intermarriage between Achangs and Dai and Han people has always been acceptable.
Religion of Achang (阿昌族)
Ancestor worship has become very important to the Achangs under the influence of the Han Chinese, and they mostly bury their dead. For those people living in Buddhist areas, funerals are held on holy days and the procession is led by monks. The dead are cremated if the person died in childbirth or from an infectious disease.
Modern Times of Achang (阿昌族)
Since 1949, Achang people have mostly lived in the newly-established autonomous district in the Fusa area of Longchuan County. Local industries now include soap production, oil pressing and ironwork.
Now, almost all Achang children have access to education in schools and several clinics and stations for epidemic prevention have been set up.
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