Li

Li, also called Hlai, indigenous people of Hainan Island, off the southern coast of China, and an official minority of China. The official name Li is applied to a number of different local groups, most of whom speak languages distantly related to the Tai language family. Until Chinese linguists created a romanized orthography for their language in the 1950s, they had no writing system of their own.

The Li live intermingled with people officially classified as Miao (known in Southeast Asia as Hmong). The importance of these two peoples was recognized by the creation of a Hainan Li-Miao autonomous prefecture, but this entity was dissolved when Hainan was made a province in 1988. The Li have also been influenced by Austronesian-speaking peoples and, particularly in the past two centuries, by the Han Chinese. In the early 21st century the Li numbered nearly 1.25 million.

The majority of Li have settled in upland river valleys and grow paddy or wet rice and raise water buffalo and cattle. After China reopened its economy, many Li shifted to commercial agriculture, especially the planting of rubber trees. The long isolation of the Li from the centres of Chinese culture have made it possible for them to preserve many aspects of their traditional culture, including distinctive clothing and religious practices centred around locality and ancestral spirits. Li cultural practices have become one of the attractions that draw Chinese and foreign tourists to Hainan Island.

A particularly important holiday for the Li is a festival held on March 3rd of the lunar year. This is said to be the anniversary of the legendary beginnings of the Li ethnic group. The event is celebrated with sacrifices and competitions of many types.