Study of the relations between Miao and Yi in Southwest China and Vietnam (completed)

Jili Zhu


In Southwest China, Miao and Yi, two of the most important ethnic minorities, have been living side by side for centuries. Most members of the two ethnic groups live in the same areas in Yunnan, Guizhou, and Vietnam. Miao and Yi both migrated from the North to the South, where they met and have been living together ever since. How did they go on migrating from China to Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries? And what are the relations between Miao and Yi like in different areas?

I have selected some important areas where these two ethnic minorities live as my fieldwork site. I will be focusing on studying the relations between them from ancient times to the present, and will analyze the nature of these relations, in the contexts of both inside China and in Southeast Asian countries, where Miao and Yi live and have established a close relationship ever since the ancient times. My focus will be on their complicated and subtle relationships and how they adapt to the social changes that are happening.

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