Bulang Ethnic Minority: The Old Tea Farmer at Mount Blang
The Blang people, numbering approximately 82,400, primarily reside in various regions of Yunnan Province, including Mt. Blang, Bada, Xiding, Mengman, and Daluo in Menghai County, as well as Xiaomengyang and Damenglong in Jinghong County. They are also found in Mengpeng Town and Mango Village within the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture. Additionally, there are scattered Blang communities in neighboring areas such as Simao, Lincang, and Baoshan.
The Blang people are known by various names, both self-identified and assigned by other ethnic groups. The names they use can vary by region: those in Xishuangbanna refer to themselves as “Blang,” while those in Simao use “Benzu.” Other names include “Lawa,” “Wu,” “Wuren,” and “Awa.” Historically, the Han people called them “Puman,” the Bai referred to them as “Buen,” the Lahu called them “Kapu,” and the Dai named them “La.” Following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), they adopted the collective name “Blang.”
Language and Culture
The Blangs speak their own language, which belongs to the Menggaomian Blang branch of the South Asian language family. Their language has two dialects: the Blang dialect and the Awa dialect. Although it does not have a written form, many Blangs are fluent in Dai, Va, and Han languages, with some also able to read and write in Han or Dai script, often using it for their historical and classical works.
Agriculture and Economy
Agriculture serves as the economic foundation of Blang society, with dry rice and paddy rice as the primary crops, followed by corn, sesame, melons, fruits, beans, and potatoes. They also cultivate economic crops such as tea, cotton, palms, and hemp. The Blangs are among the earliest and most skilled growers of the world-renowned Pu’er tea. Their diet mainly consists of dry rice, supplemented with corn, buckwheat, soybean, peas, and red millet. They have a preference for sour foods and enjoy chewing betel nuts. Homemade “sour tea” is a popular beverage among the Blangs, often served to guests or gifted to others.
Clothing and Living Conditions
The traditional clothing of the Blang people is similar across regions. Men typically wear collarless jackets with buttons down the front, loose black trousers, and head wrappings made of black or white cloth. Tattooing was a common practice among them in the past. Women wear tight-fitting short black shirts and narrow black skirts, and they consider black-dyed teeth to be beautiful. The Blangs reside in wood-and-brick cottages or two-story bamboo houses with railings.
Beliefs
The Blangs practice a blend of primitive religion and Hinayana Buddhism (a branch of Buddhism).