Primary Factors of Site Selection of Traditional Wa Villages

Natural Geographic Environment Factors in the Distribution of Ethnic Minorities in Yunnan

Abstract: Yunnan is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in China, and of the 56 ethnic groups in the whole country, 52 are found in Yunnan, of which there are 26 ethnic groups with populations of 5,000 or more, and in addition to the Han Chinese, there are 25 ethnic minorities. The total population of the province is about 41.92 million (1999), among which the minority population is more than 13 million, accounting for 1/3 of the total population of the province. The reason why there are so many minorities in Yunnan is related to the natural geographical environment, historical and cultural factors, political factors and many other factors. Among these many factors, the most fundamental role in the diversity of ethnic minorities in Yunnan is played by the special natural geographic environment of Yunnan, such as geomorphology, rivers, climate and other factors. In particular, the complex topographic environment is almost the basis of the complex distribution pattern of ethnic groups in Yunnan.

Keywords: ethnic minority, distribution, geographic environment

Overview of the distribution of ethnic groups in Yunnan

Magical, rich and beautiful Yunnan is located in the southwestern frontier of the motherland; it is 864.9 kilometers across from east to west and 990 kilometers long from north to south. Land area of 394,000 square kilometers (1995 statistics); total population of 41.92 million people (1999). It is bordered by Guizhou Province and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the east; Sichuan Province in the northeast by the Jinsha River; the Tibet Autonomous Region in the northwest; Myanmar in the west; and Laos and Vietnam in the south. With a national border of 4,061 kilometers, it is one of the provinces with the longest land border in China.

Yunnan, snowy plateau and tropical rain forest **** exist, high mountains and deep valleys and broad dams and flat lakes between the collection of one-half of the country's flora and fauna species, witnessed the survival of 26 nationalities in the development of the course. Yunnan Province is the province with the largest number of ethnic minorities in China. In addition to the Han Chinese, there are 25 ethnic minorities with a population of more than 4,000***, namely: Yi, Bai, Hani, Zhuang, Dai, Miao, Lisu, Hui, Lahu, Wa, Naxi, Yao, Tibetan, Jingpo, Buyei, Pumi, Nu, Achang, De'ang, Geno, Shu, Mongolia, Brown, Dulong, and Manchurian, which account for nearly one-third of the total population of the province. In addition, there are 15 ethnic groups, such as the Nu, Dulong, Dai and other unique ethnic groups in Yunnan Province, the people of various ethnic groups in the long history, creating a colorful national culture.

As early as in the clan society, Yunnan on the life of the "Qiang, Pu, Yue" three major groups, they are the earliest ancestors of Yunnan, the Qin and Han Dynasties, known as the "Southwest Barbarians". After generations of continuous migration, differentiation, evolution, integration, to the Ming and Qing Dynasties, the distribution and characteristics of the various ethnic groups tend to stabilize. The Yi ethnic group is mainly distributed in the northeast, central and north Yunnan; the Bai ethnic group is mainly distributed around the Erhai Sea and the neighboring areas; the Zhuang and Miao ethnic groups are mainly distributed in the east and south-east Yunnan; the Lisu, Nu, Dulong, Hani, Dai, Lahu, Wa, Jingpo, Brown, Naxi, Tibetan, Achang and De'ang ethnic groups are mainly distributed in the west, south and north-west Yunnan. In addition, the three-dimensional distribution of the ethnic groups' dwellings is also obvious. The Bai, Zhuang, Hui and Naxi live in the flat dams; the Dai and Achang live in the low-heat river valleys; the Yi, Hani, Lahu, Wa, Jingpo, Brown, Yao and De'ang live in the semi-mountainous areas; the Miao live in the high and cold mountainous areas; the Tibetans and the Pumi live in the plateau of northwestern Yunnan; and the Lisu, Nu and Dulong are distributed in the mountainous areas on the two sides of Nu and Dulong Rivers, which shows a distribution pattern of large mixed dwellings and small settlements. People of all nationalities in the long history, mutual integration, and independent development, creating a colorful national culture.

The distribution of ethnic groups in Yunnan and geographic factors

There are many geographic factors that have a great influence on the distribution of ethnic groups in Yunnan, such as topography, rivers, climate, soil, water, light conditions and so on. In this paper, we will only analyze the two factors that have a more obvious influence: topographic factors and climatic factors.

2.1 The influence of topographic conditions

The distribution of the various ethnic groups in Yunnan Province is very clearly affected by the topographic conditions, such as: 10 ethnic groups - Hui, Bai, Naxi, Mongolian, Zhuang, Manchu, Dai, Achang, Buyi and Shui, are distributed in the river valleys and dams, *** There are about 4.5 million people in Yunnan Province; the Yi, Hani, Yao, Lahu, Wa, Jingpo, Brown and Jinuo ethnic groups in the lower mountainous areas, with a population of about 5 million; and the Miao, Lisu, Tibetan, Pumi, Nu and Dulong ethnic groups in the alpine mountains, with a population of about 4 million people***. Thus, the distribution pattern of the various ethnic groups in Yunnan Province is full of the atmosphere of the complex and diverse topographical environment of Yunnan.

Yunnan Province is located in the southwest of China. The entire province is situated on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, the Hengduan Mountains and other highland mountainous areas with great topographic relief. Tall mountains, rugged mountain roads and intertwined rivers divide Yunnan Province into many relatively isolated geographical units. For example, in the Hengduan Mountain Area, or the Three Parallel Rivers area, the high mountains run north-south, east-west, and are difficult to access, which puts the people living in this area in a relatively isolated "paradise". Historically, this area has been economically backward, and the economic ties between various ethnic groups and even tribes within the same ethnic group have been in a state of isolation, thus limiting economic and cultural exchanges between the various ethnic groups. This has led to the development of each ethnic group in a separate space, which has resulted in a relatively independent ethnic culture, forming a variety of ethnic groups and colorful ethnic cultures. For example, according to the statistics of the fifth population census of Yunnan Province in 2000, there are 383,023 Wa people, mainly distributed in the southern section of the Nushan Mountain Range between the Lancang River and the Salween River. Since most of Wa villages are situated in the mid-slope of the mountains, their houses are "dry-fence" bamboo buildings with thatched roofs, with the upper floors occupied by people and the lower floors being cattle pens. Another example: one of the unique ethnic groups in Yunnan, the Lisu generally live in the high mountains and semi-mountainous areas, only a small number of people live in the dam area. In the past, the bamboo and wood structure, the earth and wood structure is mainly, now there are brick and wood, brick mixed structure. The division of labor and organization of their production is relatively simple, generally women are engaged in gathering, weaving, doing housework, etc.; men are engaged in hunting, fishing and other agricultural work. Nowadays, there is also a form of "wabu" (hired labor) farming to cope with the highly seasonal agricultural work. The bloodline clans are the main nucleus of the villages.

The development of Yunnan's ethnic minorities in a relatively independent space due to topographical constraints also resulted in the backwardness of the economic, cultural and social systems of the ethnic areas. Before the founding of new China, Yunnan's various ethnic groups were still in different stages of social development, such as the end of primitive society, slave society, feudal lord system, feudal landlord system, and so on, and the popularity of primitive and ancient ethnic customs. For example, the Nu, one of the unique ethnic minorities in Yunnan, do not have their own writing, and their poems, tunes, legends and stories are inherited from generation to generation by word of mouth. In the past, people used to record their daily lives and important events in a primitive way by carving wood and knotting ropes.

Since the founding of New China, along with the implementation of the national policy of equality of nationalities and the gradual development of the economy of ethnic minority areas, so that the terrain conditions in the economic and cultural exchanges of the various ethnic groups in the hindering role of gradually weakened, and then in the past between the various ethnic groups due to the geographical conditions of the geospatial isolation caused by the relative state has also been gradually broken, and the economic and cultural exchanges between the various ethnic groups to gradually strengthen. Minority people are gradually moving out of the mountains and valleys to participate in the socialist modernization of the motherland, thus promoting the integration of the various ethnic groups. But at the same time, the independent national culture of each minority also appeared to varying degrees of loss.

2.2 Influence of climatic conditions

As the saying goes, "One side of the water and soil nurtures one side of the people. The distribution of many ethnic minorities in Yunnan is not only related to specific topographic conditions, but also has a great relationship with specific climatic conditions. The warm and humid river valleys and the high and cold mountain plateaus often form different ethnic groups and cultures, and the tropical monsoon climate of southern Yunnan and the cooler climate of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau often form ethnic cultures that are very different from each other. Yunnan is a highland, mountainous region. Especially in the area of the three rivers and streams, high mountains, deep valleys, mountain climate vertical geographic differentiation is more obvious, so in this area in the valley, mountainside, mountain tops and other parts of the distribution of a large number of ethnic groups, and the culture of the various ethnic groups there are also huge differences between them.

The climate in the southern Yunnan region is a tropical monsoon climate with year-round heat and rainy summers. People who live in this region for a long time apply appropriate measures to combat heat and moisture in their daily lives to ensure their normal production and living. At the same time, their ethnic cultures also highlight the hot and humid climate environment. For example, the Dai people, one of the unique ethnic groups in Yunnan. The Dai people live all year round in the tropical area of southern Yunnan, which makes their culture very different from that of the northern Yunnan alpine region. The Dai villages are located in the flat dam near the water, on both sides of the river by the stream, around the lakes and marshes, wherever the bamboo is surrounded by green trees, there must be Dai villages. The famous "Dai Bamboo House" is distributed in these dams. Due to the hot and humid weather, most of the bamboo buildings are leaning on the mountains and surrounded by water; outside the villages, banyan trees cover the sky with low hanging roots. The shape of Dai Family Bamboo Buildings is a dry-rail building, and its roof is in the shape of "human", because these areas have a tropical monsoon climate with heavy rainfall, and the "human" roof is easy to drain water, which will not cause water stagnation. General Daijia bamboo building for the upper and lower two-storey high-footed building, high foot is to prevent the ground moisture, play a role in ventilation, air, moisture and heat insulation. The bottom floor of the bamboo house is a place for keeping poultry, while the upper floor is a place for people to live. The whole bamboo building is very spacious, large space, but also less shelter, excellent ventilation, very suitable for the Xishuangbanna region's humid and rainy weather conditions.

It is worth mentioning that, with the gradual progress of human civilization, people's ability to adapt to the natural environment has gradually increased, making the influence of climatic factors on the distribution of ethnic groups increasingly weakened. This also makes the various ethnic groups in Yunnan have interlocking distribution conditions.

Contemporary Distribution and Development Forecast of the Ethnic Groups in Yunnan

A variety of geographic factors have played a great role in the emergence and development of the ethnic groups in Yunnan, as well as in the present distribution pattern. However, with the rapid economic development of the ethnic areas since the founding of New China, especially since the reform and opening up, the exchanges between the ethnic groups have gradually increased, which has led to the gradual movement of people from the ethnic minority areas to go out and carry out normal production and life in other areas. As a result, the influence of natural geographical factors such as topography and climate on the distribution of ethnic groups has gradually diminished. As a result, the distribution pattern of Yunnan's ethnic minorities, which used to be relatively centralized, has been broken, and has gradually evolved into a distribution pattern of large mixed settlements, small clusters, and staggered distribution.

Modern interactions among ethnic groups have become increasingly close, which is conducive to the promotion of ethnic integration, enhancement of the sense of national identity and consolidation of national unity. However, at the same time, this has led to the gradual loss of the cultural independence of the peoples. The gradual convergence of the production and living customs of the various ethnic groups has also posed a great threat to the diversity of our national cultures. Therefore, while enjoying the fruits of reform and opening up, the people of all ethnic groups must also take up the important task of passing on the richness and diversity of their national cultures. The country needs to develop and people's living standards need to be raised, but the excellent culture left behind by our ancestors should not be abandoned. This is a question that deserves deep thinking by modern people. Here, we have to learn from Japan's modernization in the development of traditional culture protection measures.