Miao Mission (1937-1939)

Abstract

The Miao (Miáo Zú苗族) people are counted among the earliest tribes in China. They are different to the Han Chinese and are usually divided into four sub-groups: The Red Miao of western Hunan Province; the Black Miao of south-east Guizhou Province; the White Miao of south Sichuan, west Guizhou and south Yunnan Provinces; and the Big Flowery Miao of north-east Yunnan and north-west Guizhou Provinces. They practiced ancestor veneration, cultivated maize, sorghum, potatoes, beans, peanuts, sugar cane, and cotton on the plateaus in the mountainous regions. They wore colorfully embroidered costumes and enjoyed singing and dancing. To many people from the West, they are also known as Hmong. In reality, they are a subgroup of the Miao people who live in Southwest China and Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Loas, and Thailand). After the Vietnam war, a large number emigrated to the United States.