Yugur

族About this people

The Yugur people are an unusual community in several respects. They live in the Sunan Yugur Autonomous County in the middle reaches of the Heihe River valley on the northern slopes of the Qilian Mountains in Gansu. Their population is small — around 14,000 — and they are divided into two linguistically distinct groups: Western Yugur speakers use a language of the Turkic family (related to Old Uyghur), while Eastern Yugur speakers use a language of the Mongolic family. Both groups identify as Yugur and share the same cultural tradition.

The Yugur are descendants of the Uyghur Khaganate, which collapsed in the 9th century under Kyrgyz pressure. Refugees fled south and eventually settled in the Hexi Corridor, where they were converted to Tibetan Buddhism through contact with Tibetan and Mongolian neighbours during the Yuan dynasty. This makes the Yugur the only Turkic-heritage group in China that is predominantly Buddhist rather than Muslim — a distinction they maintain with pride.

Yugur traditional culture centres on pastoral herding of yaks, sheep, and horses on the Qilian alpine pastures. Their distinctive clothing includes elaborate headdresses for women, with hanging ornaments of coloured beads, coral, and silver. Embroidery, leather work, and carpet weaving are important crafts. The community maintains Tibetan Buddhist monasteries, and festivals follow the Tibetan lunar calendar. Traditional songs (haer) and storytelling are important cultural forms.