Bai

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For other uses, see BAI.

Bai
Alternative names: Minjia

Total population
1,858,063
Regions with significant populations
China, mostly in the Yunnan province (Dali area), Guizhou province (Bijie area) and Hunan province (Sangzhi area)
Language(s)
Bai, Chinese
Religion(s)
Buddhists, with a strong belief in local deities; In Dali itself there is a strong protestant and catholic community, too.

The Bai (Chinese: 白族; pinyin: Báizú; endonym pronounced [pɛ̀tsī]) are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They numbered 1,858,063 as of 2000.

The Bai People hold the white colour in high esteem and call themselves "Baizi", "Baini" or "Baihuo", which means white people. In 1956, of their own will they were named the Bai Nationality by Chinese Authorities.

Image:Lago-erhai-casa-bai-c03.jpg

Bai Architecture

Image:Bai Tea Serving Ceremonial Ground.JPG

A tea-serving ceremonial ground.

Image:Bai female costumes.JPG

Ladies decked out in Bai costumes.

1 Location
2 Language
3 Notes
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Location

Bai people live mostly in the provinces of Yunnan (Dali area), and in neighboring Guizhou (Bijie area) and Hunan (Sangzhi area) provinces. Of the 2 million Bai people, eighty percent live in concentrated communities in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province.^[1]

[edit] Language

An estimated 1,240,000 (as of 2003) of the Bai speak the Bai language in all its varieties. The tongue is either a member of the Sinitic branch or the Tibeto-Burman branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family or possibly part of an independent branch of this family.