Puer Ethnic Minorities and Customs

Puer is originally named Simao. It is the most important producing area of Puer tea, and one of the largest. The whole city covers an area of 44221.34 square meters, bounded by Laos and Vietnam on the southeast, neighboring Burma to the southwest, with a borderline of 486 kilometers. It is an important gateway of southwest China, with 18 land boarder crossing, and three water pass-Lancang River, Hong River and Nankang River to abroad. Puer city has a population of 2370,000, among which 1440,000 are minorities. There are 36 minorities, Hani, Yi, Dai, Lagu, Wa, Bulang, Yao are the main ones.

The Lahu Ethnic Group 

Calabash  is  worshiped  by  the  Lahus.  There  was  a  myth  that  “man comes from calabash”  in  the epic Mupamipa of  the Lahus. The Lahus dance  Lusheng  (a  reed-pipe wind  instrument)  dance  at  the  festivals while  the  Lahus  in  Lancang  County  have  “Calabash  Festival”.  The design composed of calabash and lace trimmings of blouse represents the origin of human and of  the Lahus’ ancestors,  and  symbolizes  the
beauty of females, the prosperity in population and a happy life.
 
The environment and the population
 
The Lahus have a population of 453 705, who are mainly distributed in the Lancang River Valley and the mountain areas in the lower reaches of the Yuanjiang River, namely the counties of Lancang, Menglian, Shuangjiang and others in the five prefectures of Simao, Lincang, Xishuangbanna, Honghe and Yuxi.
 
The  Lahus  live  under  subtropical area,  where  there  stand  many mountains  and  rivers  run  through this area. The climate  friendly,  this area  has  plenty  of  rainfall  and  a rich  storage  of  animals  and  plant lives.  The  Lahus  used  to  live  by collecting and hunting, later on they transformed  to  flash-and-burn agriculture  in mountain areas. The staple  crops  include:  rice,  maize,  wheat,  buckwheat,  and  millet.  Collecting  and  hunting  are  also important complementary sources of income.