Expressing Affection with Things in Ethnic Minorities

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: The people of the Naxi ethnic minority mostly live in the Naxi Autonomous County in Lijiang,...

: Chinese ethnic minorities, except the Muslem that practice Islam, all believe "there is no...

: Each ethnic minority has its own unique culture that spawned its own folk arts against different...

It has existed since ancient times for young men and women in love to express their yearning for each other with food. In the Book of Songs, there are records like “throw plum” and “throw papaya”. In ancient times, when fruits were ripe in summer, young men and women would gather in the forest, throwing plums and papayas at each other to choose a lover. In the poem Lovesickness by Wang Wei of the Tang Dynasty, red bean was the pledge of love for men and women of the Han Chinese. Today, a lot of people still express love with food but cannot equal their ancestors. In some ethnic minorities, however, such practices still hold particular flavors of the ancient times.

Some Examples

Glutinous Rice of the Miao Minority

Glutinous Rice of the Miao Minority

Presenting glutinous rice is a popular way to express love among the Miao people in Yunnan Province.
Dagong of the Dulong Minority

Dagong of the Dulong Minority

Dagong is a pledge of love woven with vines and bamboo splits by young men of the Dulong ethnic group in Nujiang, Yunnan Province.
Blank Love Letters of the Yi Minority

Blank Love Letters of the Yi Minority

For Xiangtang people, a branch of the Yi minority in Wenpa Village, Zhenyuan County, Yunnan Province, men and women would start expressing their affections via things, such as blank love letters,...
Jingpo Minority Expressing Love via Grass

Jingpo Minority Expressing Love via Grass

The Jingpo Minority in Yunnan Province has a tradition of expressing love through leaf letters.