Editing Hlai people (section)

==Culture==
Women were able to become political leaders in Hlai society. In 1171, a Hlai woman by the name of Wang Erniang was bestowed the title of "Lady of Suitability" by the [[Song dynasty|Song court]] and given the post of commander-general over 36 ethnic groups in the south. She was the headwoman of the Hlai people and had a husband but nobody knew his name. She was very wealthy and adept at keeping order over her people. The Song dynasty communicated with non-Chinese southerners by relaying their orders through her. In 1181, her daughter inherited her position, and in 1216, another daughter inherited the position.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bangwei|first1=Zhang|title=A Social History of Medieval China|date=2016|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-107-16786-5|page=218|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=40elDQAAQBAJ&dq=%22a%20nong%22%201055&pg=PA218|chapter=Women: Ethnic Women Living in the Territories of Liao, Western Xia, Jin and Dali, and Ethnic Settlements under the Jurisdiction of Song}}</ref>

Among the Hlai, the women have a custom of tattooing their arms and backs after a certain age is reached.
The Hlai play a traditional wind instrument called ''kǒuxiāo'' ({{lang|zh|口箫}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hongxiao.com/dy/Article/musicnatural/chianUSA/minyuechuiguanlei/huangshe/200509/422.html |title=口箫-中国民族乐器介绍 |access-date=3 December 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071208113642/http://www.hongxiao.com/dy/Article/musicnatural/chianUSA/minyuechuiguanlei/huangshe/200509/422.html |archive-date=8 December 2007 }}</ref>

{{quotation|The land of the ''sheng'' Li is not governed by officials ''[bushu guan]'', but they all have leaders. Among them are some who receive pawned goods, and they use a piece of bamboo as a receipt. The Li have no writing, and the bamboo they use is split into three parts, and upon it is carved the price and amount of “hill” land. The two parties and a mediator each carry off one part as proof of the transaction. There is not one who dares to cheat. Lately, however, dishonest, sneaky people frequently make counterfeits, which starts fights. . . . The Li people do not store grain. After the harvest they tie up the grain and save it and hang it over their stoves using the stove’s smoke to cure it, and eat it after a certain number of days. . . . They see this as very convenient. Among the Li there are no markets, and there have never been sellers of grain there. Poor people who lack food borrow from those who have rice. They do not calculate interest. Whether they pay back or not is also not a weighty matter. Lately there are many dishonest, greedy people who lend in the spring and expect repayment in the fall. They get profits from very high interest; their hearts do not follow the ways of the ancients!{{sfn|Csete|2006|p=241}}|Zhang Qingchang}}