Introduction
According to the sixth national census in 2010, there were 119,639 Blang people. The Blang ethnic group is unique in Yunnan, mainly living in the Blang ethnic township and the mountainous areas of Xiding, Bada and Daluo in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna,Yunnan Province, with some scattered and mixed populations in Zhenkang, Shuangjiang,Lincang, Jingdong, Lancang and Mojiang counties. The Blang people live in subtropical mountainous areas at an altitude of 1,500 to 2,300 meters, where the mountains are steep and the primeval forests shade the sky. With abundant rainfall and frost-free seasons, the area is rich in tung oil, camphor trees and other commercial trees.
Due to the different areas they lived in, the Blang people in the past had different selfnames. After the founding of the People’ Republic, they were generally termed the Blang people based on people’s willingness. The Blang do not have a written language, but they do have their own language, which belongs to the Deangic branch of the Mon-Khmer language group of the South Asian language family[22]. The religion of the Blang is divided into two forms: one is ancestor worship, and the other is Hinayana Buddhism under the influence ofthe Dai. The Blang women dye their teeth black as a sign ofbeauty. In addition,the Blang men in Xishuangbanna have the custom oftattooing.
The Blang people are mainly engaged in mountain farming and produce cash crops such as cotton, lac and tea in addition to upland rice. Their settlement is one ofthe famous sources of raw materials for Pu’ er tea, and is an important source ofYunnan’s large-leaf tea. The products are sold in the mainland and overseas, and enjoy a high reputation in the Chinese and foreign tea markets. Tea income is the first necessity of the contemporary Blang people.
The Blang people are fond of singing and dancing, and at festivals they sing and dance late into the night. Young Blang people learn to play musical instruments and sing tunes since their childhood. The songs of the Blang people are closely matched with the diverse dances. And they prefer to invites excellent dancers from outside the village to participate in their dancing party. After the dance, a singing competition is held and the folk songs echo in the night sky ofthe village.