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The Shui ethnic minority
There are in China 286,500 Shuis, the majority of whom
dwell on the upper reaches of the Longjiang and Duliu rivers that
meander across plains and rolling land interspersed with vast expanses
of forests in southern Guizhou Province. They live in compact
communities in the Sandu Shui Autonomous County and in Libo, Dushan
and other counties. Some Shuis have their homes in the northwestern
part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The areas in which the Shuis live are a land of plenty, abounding in
fish and rice. Wheat, rape, ramie are also grown besides a great
variety of citrus and other fruits. The forests are a ource of timber
and medicinal herbs. The Duliu and other rivers teem with fish.
The Shui language belongs to the Zhuang-Dong branch of the
Chinese-Tibetan language family. The Shuis used to have an archaic
writing script. Some of their words were pictographs, while others
resembled Chinese characters written upside down. Except for scores of
these ancient words that are still used for religious purposes, the
Shuis use Chinese in their daily lives.
The Shuis boast a treasure house of colorful oral literature and art.
Their literature includes poetry, legends, fairy tales and fables.
Among the various forms, poetry, which consists of long narrative
poems and extemporaneous ballads, are generally considered the most
prominent.
Stories and fables in prose style praise the diligence, bravery,
wisdom and love of the Shui ethnic group and satirize the stupidity of
feudal rulers. With rich content and vivid plots Shui tales are
usually highly romantic.
Their songs, which are usually sung without the accompaniment of
musical instruments, fall into two categories. The "grand songs" are
sung while they work, whereas the "wine songs" are meant for wedding
feasts or funerals.
The Shui people are good dancers. "Lusheng Dance" and "Copper Drum
Dance" are the most popular dances enjoyed by all on festive
occasions. Traditional musical instruments include gongs, drums,
lusheng, huqin and suona horns. The Shui people make beautiful
handicrafts -- embroideries, batiks, paper cuts and woodcarvings.
History
The Shuis are probably the descendants of the
Luoyues, one of the early tribes that lived along China's southeastern
coast before the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-A.D. 24). They adopted their
present name at the end of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
In the Song Dynasty (960-1279) villages were formed and rice growing
began. By the end of the Song, the Shuis had entered the early stage
of feudalism. The nobles bearing the surname of Meng initiated in the
upper reaches of the Longjiang River a feudal system which bore the
distinctive vestiges of the communal village. The Yuan rulers
(1271-1368) established local governments at the prefectural level in
an attempt to appease the ethnic groups. The Ming period witnessed a
marked economic growth in Shui communities. The introduction of
improved farm tools made it possible for farmers to open up paddy
fields on flatland and terraced fields on mountain slopes. The
primitive "slash and burn" farming gave way to more advanced
agriculture characterized by the use of irrigation and draught
animals. As a result, grain output increased remarkably.
The Ming imperial court followed the preceding dynasty's practice of
appointing hereditary Shui headmen. Under this system, the Shuis had
to pay taxes to and do corvee for these court-appointed headmen as
well as for the imperial court.
During the two centuries between 1640 and 1840 the Shui economy
continued to develop. Farm production registered a marked increase,
with per hectare yield of rice on flatland reaching 2,250 kilograms.
Some quit farming and became handicraftsmen. |
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