China has 55 recognized “ethnic minorities.” 25 of them are found in Yunnan province. So this Puer Festival was also a festival of the various ethnic minorities of Yunnan, many who have been making puer teas of their own traditions for hundreds of years.
We were treated to performances, exhibitions, and meetings with members of many of these ethnic groups.
One night, at an outside banquet, members of these different ethnic groups were performing. This video shows a group of young folks from the “Bai” people (excuse me if I make an error, we met a lot of folks from different ethnic groups over a short period, and I am afraid I may make a mistake on one of the group’s names).
One of the wonderful things about these people is that singing (along with tea) is one of the most important activities in their culture: for them singing is a social bond, it builds community, they sing all day and evening as they work, visit, etc. It is almost impossible to overstate how vital singing is to their lives. There will be some more videos of these folks later one. These people touched my heart as much as anything did this entire trip. -Bill
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ta_q3oBeLj8&feature=youtu.be
