Introduction

The Hani have a population of 1,660,932 people according to the census of the year 2010. Hani people mainly live between the Yuanjiang River and the Mekong River in the Province ofYunnan in Southern China. Some live in the northern mountainous regions of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Vietnam.

The Hani people are good farmersand have a long history of tea cultivation. Nannuo Mountain in Xishuangbanna where the Hani reside is an important area ofproducing Pu’er tea. The tea output in the Hani area accounts for one-third ofthe total in Yunnan Province.The Hani are polytheists and they hold the faith of ancestor-worship. They believe such powerful gods as the Heavenly God, the Earth God, the Dragon-tree God can protect their houses and villages, who deserve the regular worship with ceremonies.