The Yi minority numbers just over 8 million people who live widely through south and south west China, Laos and northern Vietnam. The Yi of Yunnan province and the areas around Lijiang live high in the mountains in isolated villages, often above 3000m.

Mrs Kang

Once referred to as the Lolo they originally came from the far west of China and Tibet, but have lived in the current regions for centuries.

As recently as the late 1940’s they had a fierce reputation and maintained a class system of which the lowest caste were slaves, who often had to live in horrific conditions. Modern china brought an end to that system though other minorities living in close proximity sometimes still tell their naughty children to behave, failing which ‘the Lolo man’ will get them. The few Yi that I had the pleasure of meeting were delightful, welcoming, humble and sincere.

My first encounter with them came quite by accident. Not long after I moved to Lijiang, I was joined by a colleague, Mario Piazza, who was assigned as my deputy to help get things back into shape at our hotel. We were also just starting to explore the local area to find new ‘off the beaten path’ experiences that we could offer to our overseas guests.

The kitchen

One fine day Mario set out to see what was to be found in the back country behind the nearby Jade Dragon Snow Mountain range. Off he went with a guide, following his instincts and taking some rough roads high into the mountains. To cut a long story short, he came to a dead end that arrived in a small village. After parking the car and walking through the village, he approached a courtyard doorway from where he heard voices.

To his amazement and delight he was invited in by the occupants of the house. What followed was extraordinary. He and his guide were asked to join the family for a meal. Before that day they were total strangers. His hosts, the Kang family, turned out to be part of the Yi minority, living in a village they called Tzu Nan Guo.

Through his guide, Mario explained who he was and why he was there. They seemed surprised but happy to welcome him in. He then called me while he was there to give me an account of what was happening. 

Mr Kang and his grand children

I was totally taken by it and decided I had to go and see for myself. On leaving he was offered an open invitation to return. He asked if it would be OK for me to visit the family as well.

I didn’t waste any time and quickly contacted an acquaintance, once the marcom manager from the Sofitel in Guangzhou, whom I had just met through a friend. I asked if she would be happy to join me for an unexpected adventure into the mountains and to act as my interpreter. She was, so the next day, armed with a couple of gifts and the mobile number of the family, we set off.

Local, fresh and incredibly tasty

It all went to plan, we met some of the relatives, gave presents, had a meal and talked about living in the mountains. They explained that life up there was not too bad, though they were subsistence farmers. They were also cultivating Maca, a medicinal white root vegetable, which they dried and sold to a wholesaler in Lijiang for further processing. Maca is sold as a fix all miracle food in the west.

I wanted to know if they were open to the idea of hosting VIP guests from time to time for an Yi village experience. The daughter Mrs Lu said she would discuss it with the others. I hoped she would agree and said that I could create some additional business for them if they were interested.

Wolf Berry Spirit

That afternoon we had an incredibly simple yet flavourful local meal and even got to share a glass of excellent home made wolf berry spirit, might have been two or three, before we said our goodbyes. I promised to keep in touch and we were on our way.

It was an incredible experience for me, though I think meeting me would have been a very strange encounter for them all…

In part 2, soon to follow, I will recount how more home visits took place, including one from a Canadian documentary maker.

You can find more images of the Yi experience by clicking on the ‘Galleries’ tab.