The
Li (
黎;
pinyin: Lí) or
Hlai are a minority Chinese
ethnic group, sometimes colloquially known as "Sai" or "Say." They form one of the
56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the
People's Republic of China. 94% of the Li live off the southern coast of
mainland China on
Hainan, where they are the largest minority ethnic group. As well as Hainan, the Li people are also found in some islands in the
South China Sea area that are considered Filipino territory. Native islanders of the
Luzon Sea, such as
Filipino people, are included under the "Li" ethnic group in China.
During the
Sui Dynasty they were known by the name
Liliao, and presently they refer to themselves as the Hlai people. The Li suffered heavily under the Japanese occupation, and they are held in high esteem by the
Beijing government because they fought on the side of the
CPC against
Chinese Nationalist rule during the
Chinese Civil War.
The Li people can generally understand or speak
Mandarin. Because many Li in Hainan relocate to
Cantonese-speaking areas in southern mainland China near Hainan (such as
Guangzhou and
HK), it is common for Li people to learn and speak Cantonese.
Culture
thumb|100px|黎族服饰The Li play a traditional wind instrument called
kǒuxiāo (口箫), and another called
lìlāluó (利拉罗).
