A collection of photographs from field surveys and data collection in Yunnan, Hainan, and Guizhou provinces of the People’s Republic of China from 1998 to 2005
In 1999–2000, Sumit Pitiphat and Samerchai Poolsuwan traveled to survey the Tai and Zhuang peoples in southeastern Yunnan province. Their initial data collection was in February 1997, and they later conducted additional fieldwork in January 1999 in the Zhuang and Miao Autonomous District, Wenshan Prefecture.
The study of the Tai and Zhuang ethnic groups in southeastern Yunnan province in 2000 was a continuation of the research on the Tai people and their relatives in Guizhou and Hainan provinces in 1999. Both of these projects covered topics such as religious beliefs and rituals, origin myths, marriage systems, and governance systems. The data was collected through interviews with individuals knowledgeable in cultural traditions and with ritual practitioners from each ethnic group. This information was then compared with historical Chinese documents, which helped uncover traces of relationships between the cultures of various Tai ancestors in southern China and the ancient traditional culture of China’s Yellow River Basin.
In the same year, the team also surveyed Tai groups in southern China, including the Zhuang. The specific subgroups of the Zhuang that were studied were the Pu Nung, Pu Tai, and Pu Yai in the Wenshan prefecture. They also surveyed the Tai Yue, Tai Lo, and Tai Ailao groups living near the headwaters of the Red River in Yuanjiang County, located in southeastern Yunnan province.
From 1998 to 1999, Sumitr Pitiphat and Samerchai Poolsuwan studied five Tai groups: the Li in Hainan province and the Dong, Shui, Buyi, and Gelao in Guizhou province. They collected data on these ethnic groups based on the following topics:
For the Li ethnic group, data was collected on the historical and ethnographic background of Hainan province, origin myths, beliefs and rituals, collective farming systems, marriage and inheritance, housing patterns, and village organization.
For the ethnic groups Gelao, Dong, Shui, and Buyi, data was collected on the historical background of the villages, myths of mountain gods, beliefs and rituals, marriage and inheritance, housing patterns and village organization, production systems, and origin myths.
In 2002, Sumit Pitiphat and Samerchai Poolsuwan studied the Tai people in Simao, Yunnan province, as a continuation of their 2000 research on the Tai and Zhuang peoples in Yunnan province.
The researchers’ initial survey of Simao took place in April 2002. They presented information about the Tai communities in Simao, a large prefecture in the mid-Mekong River Basin in southwestern Yunnan province. This area was historically home to a large Tai population. Today, some areas still have dense Tai populations, especially in Menglian County (Muang Laem), a Tai, Lahu, and Wa autonomous county, and Jinggu County, a Tai and Yi autonomous county.
They also surveyed traces of historical Tai settlement sites that no longer exist, such as Jingdong County and Zhenyuan County. The researchers collected data by interviewing individuals knowledgeable about local history, culture, and traditions.
This information was used to analyze the history of the Tai people in the Simao region, the spread and cultural influence of Theravada Buddhism in the area, and the political and cultural relationships between the local Tai people and the Chinese and other neighboring ethnic groups. The goal was to understand the origins and cultural dynamics of the Tai people in Simao.
From 2003 to 2004, the team surveyed Tai groups living in the Red River Basin in Yunnan province, including the Tai Sai, Tai Ya, and Tai Kha. In 2005, they surveyed the Zhuang people in Guangxi province.
From 2003 to 2004, the team surveyed Tai groups living in the Red River Basin in Yunnan province, including the Tai Sai, Tai Ya, and Tai Kha. In 2005, they surveyed the Zhuang people in Guangxi province.
