Breaking the Shackles: The Yi Women of Liangshan | Sohu “Rear Window”
Jiao Dongzi—Sohu
The Yi, one of China’s poorest ethnic minorities, originate from the barren mountains of Liangshan, Sichuan province. The average income in Liangshan is 27 percent of the national average, and 30 percent of the population is illiterate. The Yi’s Tibeto-Burman language further separates them from other regions of China, where Mandarin dominates. Moreover, many women have arranged marriages at a young age, some even before finishing primary school. The large dowry required by grooms encourages impoverished families to marry off their daughters early. Divorce is difficult, as the bride’s family would have to return the dowry. In her ongoing project, photographer Jiao Dongzi documents the journeys of several Yi women as they migrate to eastern China to work in factories, breaking away from poverty and tradition and fighting for independence and the freedom to love.
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The Yi, one of China’s poorest ethnic minorities, originate from the barren mountains of Liangshan, Sichuan province. The average income in Liangshan is 27 percent of the national average, and 30 percent of the population is illiterate. The Yi’s Tibeto-Burman language further separates them from other regions of China, where Mandarin dominates. Moreover, many women have arranged marriages at a young age, some even before finishing primary school. The large dowry required by grooms encourages impoverished families to marry off their daughters early. Divorce is difficult, as the bride’s family would have to return the dowry. In her ongoing project, photographer Jiao Dongzi documents the journeys of several Yi women as they migrate to eastern China to work in factories, breaking away from poverty and tradition and fighting for independence and the freedom to love.