Hospitality
The Achang people are one of the ethnic minorities in China. Mainly distributed in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces in China. They mainly live in the three Achang townships of Husa, Longchuan County, and Jiubao and Nangsong Townships of Lianghe County, Dehong Prefecture. There are a small number of residents living in Gaogangtian, Yingjiang and Ruili in Jiangdong Township, Luxi County. In addition, some people live in Guiyang City, Caojian, Jiuzhou and other places in Yunlong County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, as well as Tengchong County and Longling County in Baoshan Prefecture.
The Achang language is spoken, which belongs to the Burmese branch of the Tibeto-Burman language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family. There is no written language, and Chinese and Dai characters are commonly used.
National Culture
The Achang people have very rich oral literature such as songs, stories, legends and so on. There are many beautiful legends circulated among the people, such as the long narrative epic "Zhepa Ma and Zhemima"; the long narrative poems "Cao Zha" and "The Blacksmith Fights the Dragon King"; the custom stories "Gu Ji", "Cousin Sisters", " "Hip Bone"; animal stories "Muntuntie and Leopard Swap", "Old Bear Tearing His Face", etc. These poems and legends are very simple, vivid and touching.
"Dialect singing" is an activity that young men and women love very much in their spare time. It can be roughly divided into three types. One is called "Xianleji", which is a folk song that young men and women sing in duet in the wild. It is usually a blend of folk songs. Scenes create emotions, and lyrics can be improvised. Mountains, water, clouds, trees, etc. can be included in the songs; one is called "Xiangzuo", which is a love song sung in a low voice when young men and women meet in the woods in the dead of night. The feelings are real and often Singing can last all night; there is also "Xiang Lemo", which is also a kind of antiphonal love song with elegant and friendly melody, profound lyrics and vivid metaphors.
"Achang Dance" Chen Yuxian
"Achang Dance" Chen Yuxian
The most popular dances are elephant foot dance and monkey dance. Folk sports are also rich and colorful, such as swinging, horse racing, shooting, Achang knife dance and martial arts. Arts and crafts include embroidery, painting, dyeing and weaving, carving, silverware making, etc., which are exquisitely crafted. In particular, the sculptures are of a high level, and various animals and plants can be seen carved on furniture, buildings, Buddhist niches, etc. In addition, architecture, painting, etc. also have certain national characteristics.
The mythological epic "Zhapama and Zhemima", called "the song of our national history" by the Achang people, has more than 2,000 lines, grand content, strange and vivid plot. The epic not only answers a series of major questions such as the origin of the universe, the birth of mankind, the origin of the nation, the formation of customs and the origin of culture based on the historical experience, life experience and cultural thinking of the Achang people, but also asks why men have no breasts and women have no breasts? Why do oxen plow fields? Horse carrying goods? Why is the earth convex and concave? Why do the sun and the moon rotate and other questions about human survival conditions are also answered with wisdom and interest. In Achang society, the epic "Zhapama and Zhemima" has been interpreted and passed down as a complete national and cultural history throughout the ages. [1]
Love instruments
The Achang people’s musical instruments mainly include bamboo qin, cave flute, gourd flute, three-month flute, copper mouth string, three-stringed string, elephant foot drum, gong, etc. . The gourd flute is made by connecting three bamboo tubes with a gourd. It has 7 notes. It has a small volume and a low, slow and mellow tone. It is generally used at night. The March Xiao is made of a bamboo tube and has 7 tones. It has a loud volume and a fine and bright tone. It is mostly used during the day. The gourd flute and the three-month flute are not only the beloved traditional musical instruments of the Achang people, but also a medium for young men and women to express their love.
Every year during the off-season or during various festivals and gatherings, as well as after work, it is a great time for Achang young people to fall in love and find a lifelong partner. At this time, no matter where the young men go, they must insert the March flute diagonally into the collar behind the neck or pin it on the waist. No matter whether at the edge of a village, a village, or on the way to the street, whenever he meets a girl he loves, he will play beautiful music, ask the girl to stop for a while, and then come up to chat with him and ask her her name. If the girl is still in love at this time and wants to know each other, she will respond skillfully. The young man understood the idea and offered to send the girl home. The girl replied, "If you want to send her off, you must send her to Zhaitou, and you can't send her halfway." So the young man happily played the flute, sang folk songs, and accompanied the girl home, innocently This is where the love begins.
Whenever the sun sets, the young men finish their dinner and are busy dressing up. They quietly come to the house of their beloved girl one by one, play the gourd flute, and entertain their sweethearts with beautiful tunes. Come out and meet. When the girl heard this friendly and familiar tune, she felt flustered and hurried back to her room to dress up. Then he makes an excuse to go out and have a tryst with his lover. If it is the first visit, the girl's sister-in-law or mother will open the door to welcome the young man warmly and invite the young man to sit by the firepit in the house, while the family members will avoid it. So the young man and the girl sat lovingly opposite each other by the fire pit, singing love songs to each other, or whispering love words, and they reluctantly parted ways until the rooster crowed.
Throughout the ages, countless Achang youths have used this magical gourd flute to attract beautiful girls and marry them in the Qin and Jin Dynasties.
Husada Knife
The iron tools made by the Achang people are extremely prestigious, and they are world-famous for the "Husada Knife".
Husaka knife
Husaka knife
Husaka knife, also known as "Achang knife", is produced in Longchuan County where the Achang people live. It is named after the Sa and Lhasa areas. This kind of knife is "extremely pure in making, soft enough to wrap around the fingers, and can chop iron like clay." The scabbard made of wood, leather, silver and other raw materials is also extremely exquisite.
Achang knives come in various lengths and shapes, including dozens of varieties including production knives, daily knives, long knives for hunters to protect themselves, and daggers for slaughtering livestock. There are also knives specially made for brother ethnic groups, such as Tibetan knives, Jingpo knives, etc. Due to its exquisite craftsmanship, the Achang knife is not only regarded as a treasure by its own people, but also deeply loved by nearby Han, Dai, Jingpo, Lisu, Tibetan, Bai and other ethnic groups. Today, Achang knives have also left Yunnan and are sold to Beijing, Tibet, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Heilongjiang and other places, and are even collected by foreign friends.
The reasons why Husa knives are durable are firstly the careful selection of materials, and secondly the good mastery of quenching technology. In addition, the knives they make are beautiful and beautiful in scraping, so the knives they make are extremely sharp even if they are sharpened casually. Some old craftsmen can make the knife so strong and soft that it can even be bent at will. For example, a long knife can be tied around the waist like a belt when not in use. When necessary, it can be taken off and straightened naturally immediately. This skill is truly unparalleled.
The Achang people have a history of making knives for more than 600 years. According to legend, some of the troops stationed in Hulasa during the Ming Dynasty were specialized in making weapons, and they had high forging skills. Later, these craftsmen intermarried with local people and gradually integrated into the Achang people. The Achang people inherited and developed the smelting and forging techniques of the Ming Dynasty, and produced various knives with national characteristics, and their craftsmanship became increasingly sophisticated. The division of labor between villages is relatively fine, and each village has its own brand-name products. The entire Husa area is like a handicraft processing factory, and each village is its workshop, each famous for its own product. Such as the long black knives and flower steel knives from Laifu Village, the waist knives and small pointed knives from Mangdong Village, the serrated sickles from Lajie Village, the back knives from Xinzhai, the scabbard from Mangsuo Village, etc.