The Buyei are widely distributed in the semi-tropical, high-altitude forests of Guizhou Province and some in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces. Their total population is 2.9 million.

The Buyeis call themselves the Puyi, Puzhong, Burao, Puman, etc. In historical record they were called the Southwest Aborigines among other things. The modern Buyei are descended from a branch of the ancient Baiyue. As recently as 1500 years ago they and the Zhuang were considered one ethnic group.

The Buyei language, belongs to the Tai-Kadai language family. It’s closely related to Zhuang and is written using the Roman alphabet with many similarities with Chinese Pinyin.

The Buyei continue to practice their ancient animistic religion.

The Buyei mostly engage in agriculture; paddy rice is their staple crop.

Technorati Tags: Burao Chinese Guizhou Minorities Pumanm Tai-Kadai Puyi Puzhong The Buyei Yunnan