The Li language belongs to the Li branch of the Zhuang-Dong language family of the Sino-Tibetan language family, and there are different dialects in different regions. Due to long-term contact with the Han people, many Li people can also speak Chinese. In the past, the Li people did not have their own written language. Only in 1957 did they create a Li script in the form of Latin letters.

The Li people have rich oral literature, and folk tales and songs play an important role. Most of them revolve around themes such as heroes, conquest of nature, and the customs and customs of the Li people. The sentences of folk songs are usually five-character or seven-character, with various expression techniques. Singing methods include solo singing, duet singing and chorus singing, etc. There are many tunes, and the musical instruments include nose flute, mouth bow, water flute and dongxiao.

The clothing style of the Li ethnic group is unique. Men tie their hair in front or behind their heads, wear red or black headscarves, open their tops, and tie their waists with cloth scarves. Women generally wear double-breasted unbuttoned tops with embroidered edges and ornaments such as shells, copper coins, and beads. They wear tube skirts and their hair is tied into a ball shape with bone or silver hairpins.

Extended information

Li villages are built according to the topography. Villages in mountainous areas are generally built at the foot of mountains to prevent typhoons. Villagers mostly drink mountain spring water; while villages in plains are built at the foot of mountains. On a hillside to avoid flooding. The houses of the Li people come in many styles, including traditional boat-shaped thatched houses, ziggurat-style mud-walled thatched houses, bamboo-walled houses covered with sunflower leaves, and brick houses, among which the boat-shaped houses are the most distinctive.

This kind of house is built with materials such as thatch, wood, bamboo, red and white rattan, and mountain hemp. The wood is mostly made of high-quality, strong and durable lattice wood. The doors are opened at both ends of the house, with skylights on both sides and floors. It is elevated with stones or wooden piles, ranging from 30 to 180 centimeters from the ground. People can live on top, and livestock can move around below.