Cliff carvings reveal language of Miao
Print Edition
ARCHEOLOGISTS have confirmed that inscriptions found on cliffs in Hunan Province are in the language of the Miao ethnic minority, which today is purely spoken — one of China’s many minority languages.
Since 2010, research on more than 200 cliff carving sites along two river valleys in Chengbu Miao Ethnic County in west Hunan has concluded that the characters and symbols inscribed on the cliffs are words and even stories that may be records of the life, agriculture and religious beliefs of the Miao.
The written language is known only through Miao folk songs and folklore. The characters are similar to Chinese seal characters but are mixed with other symbols, possibly pictograms. Archeologists said the characters were carved on the cliffs during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.
The provincial bureau of cultural relics has proposed setting up a Miao Language research institute specializing in deciphering and protecting the language.
The Miao are among China’s 55 ethnic minorities, regarded for elaborately embroidered silk garments and complex multi-tier silver headdresses and necklaces.
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