There are a dozen ethnic groups distributing around Nujiang Grand Canyonion: Lisu, the Nu nationality, the Drung nationality, the Bai, Pumi, etc. with unique customs, so mysterious! They live with and influence each other. Multiple minorities promote the colorful and long-standing history of Nujiang Grand Canyon.

The History of Nu People

The Nu live mainly in Kachin State and Yunnan province. In China, 90%[citation needed] of them are found in Gongshan, Fugong and Lanping counties in Yunnan Province, along with Lisu, Drung, Tibetan, Nakhi, Bai and Han. There is also a sparse distribution of Nu in Weixi County in the Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Zayu County in TibetAutonomous Region, particularly at the border between Yunnan and Tibet.

The Nu speak various languages in the Tibeto-Burman family. They do not have a written language of their own, although the Chinese governmenthas helped them to develop a script based on the Latin alphabet.

The History of Dulong People

Few historical records were found regarding the origin of this ethnic group till today. But relative references show that they were once under the rule of court-appointed Naxi headmen through the Yuan Dynasty (1271 - 1368) to the end of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). They had no uniform name and were called 'Qiao' in the Yuan Dynasty and 'Qiu' or 'Qu' people after the Qing Dynasty. With the founding of the PRC in 1949, following consultation with the ethnic group it was decided to agree upon the official name of Dulong ethnic group.

The History of Lisu People

Fugong county is inhabited by minorities of Lisu, Nu, Pumi, Dulong, Bai, Tibetan, Yi, Naxi, Dai, Hui, Jingpo, Lisu as dominant ethnic group, the minority of the total population of 92%, resulting in a large inhabited by ethnic minorities. The Lisu have a long history of being oppressed by greedy landlords and governments. The Lisu revolt of 1801-03 proved devastating. The Qing government mobilized a huge army of more than 10,000 soldiers from three provinces. Chinese writers criticized this campaign as "using a cattle knife to kill chickens." During the 1940s the Lisu had to pay 65 different types of taxes and levies - including one for each airplane flying over their region! This provocation resulted in thousands of Lisu seeking life in a new country. Missionary Lilian Hamer described one scene as the Lisu she had sought to reach left en masse: "I saw little children clinging to their mother's skirts, older folk carrying iron cooking pots, blankets, oil lamps. I stood outside my door and watched this wholesale evacuation of the people I had served and loved, mourned and wept over."