Minority Ethnic Clothing

Zhuang

Population: 18 million, the 2^nd largest ethnic minority in China after the Han

Distribution: Most Zhuang live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a mountainous border between southern China and Vietnam characterized by warm winters and hot summers.⁴⁵

Economy: This area supports agriculture as well as industry. Hot summers and plentiful rivers allow this sub tropic region to bear many crops such as bananas, corn, longan, lychee, mango, mushrooms, pineapple, rice, shaddock, sugar cane, tea, and yams .⁴⁵

Language: Over 80% of the Zhuang people speak the Zhuang language. The remaining speak either Mandarin Chinese or Pinghua Chinese, a trade language mainly spoken in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.⁴⁵

Traditions:  As the second largest ethnic group of China, maintaining cultural heritage is important to the Zhuang. Along with the preservation of the culture, ancient relics from this society have been found over the years. The unearthing of ancient bronze drums has been most impressive in Guangxi.⁴⁵ 500 of the 1,300 uncovered in the whole country were found in this region. These artifacts are still used today during festivals and other important activities.

To add to this musical pastime, the Zhuang are well renowned signers.²³ The Singing Festival is held every year on the 3^rd day of the 3^rd month of the lunar year. It was originally observed as the day to visit the graves of loved ones and pay respects to the dead. Nowadays, it is also held in honor of Liu San Jie (the Third Sister Liu), a great singer from the Tang dynasty remembered not only for her wonderful singing but also for her opposition to local tyrants in her lyrics. The days preceding the festival are spent making food for the picnic and silk balls to be given away by young girls. Families gather together so that the elderly can tell the family history to the younger generations and to mourn the dead. After this, the people engage in song and dance for the rest of the day. They enter into a singing game of cunning and wit by improvising lyrics and challenging others to respond. The younger people see this as a good opportunity to find a date. If a young girl is open to being courted by a man, she will present him with the silk ball that she made for this occasion. This is a great time of celebration with family and friends and has also been seen as the Zhuang’s Valentine’s Day. 

Like many other minority groups, the Zhuang hand make their clothes by weaving homegrown materials and using plants to dye the fabric. Due to the warm and even extreme hot climate in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, most of the clothing is light weight and comfortable. The main colors used are blue, black, and brown due to the availability of dying materials.⁴⁵ Men wear loose pants and short jackets with no shoes during the hot summer. Women have traditionally worn knee length skirts, an apron, and a light weight jacket but have recently adopted pants. Festival attire is much more elaborate and colorful than every day wear, especially for the young people hoping to meet someone of the opposite sex. Shorter skirts, short sleeved or sleeveless shirts, elaborate hats, and bright colors such as pink and red are the norm (especially for unmarried women) during this time.

This work by China Learning Library @ George Mason University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.