Finally, I thought it would be interesting to share an example of the Naxi people’s written language. While most, if not all, groups of people have a spoken language, only a small proportion have a written language. For instance, the Bai people from Dali didn’t have a written language, whereas the Naxi people did. This doesn’t necessarily imply that one group was more developed than the other, but having a written language does enable greater current and historical documentation.

In this instance, the CCP’s 12 core socialist values are translated into the Naxi language. According to a local Naxi individual I spoke with, they are still taught the Naxi language in school, both spoken and written forms. Unfortunately, there’s currently no software available to type Naxi characters in a text message or email, making it solely a handwritten language. Nevertheless, it’s fascinating to see that it’s still taught in schools, preserving this unique aspect of Naxi culture.