Shui nationality has its own language and traditional characters. Shui language belongs to the Dongshui (Dongtai) branch of the Zhuang Dong language group in the Sino Tibetan language system. The ancient Shui font system retains the characteristics of compatibility of picture characters, pictographs, and abstract characters.
Shui people call themselves “Sui” (Su ǐ) “. As for the origin of the Shui people, there are some theories, such as the descendants of Yin people, the origin of Baiyue (Guangdong and Guangxi), the migration of Jiangxi, the migration of Jiangnan, and so on. Shishu is the relic of Xia and Shang culture and the spiritual pillar of Shui nationality. Fish is the totem of Shui people, and rice soup fish is an important social custom of Shui people.
Shui people mainly live in the upper reaches of Longjiang River and Duliu river at the junction of Guizhou and Guangxi. Sandu Shui Autonomous County, Libo, Dushan, Duyun, and other counties and cities in Southern Guizhou Province are the main residential areas. Rongjiang, Danzhai, Leishan, Congjiang, and Liping counties in Southeastern Guizhou Province are the main scattered areas. Besides, there are Shui villages in Hechi, Nandan, Huan Jiang, Rongshui, and other counties and cities in northwestern Guangdong Province, as well as Fuyuan County in Yunnan Province The distribution of population is different.
![Shui Nationality faith](https://huawei-file-cdn.sacbu.com/uploads/picture_handle/webp/c72c4d12f39596d8137fad87b3b44bd4.jpg_width-800.webp)
Faith
The belief culture of Shui nationality belongs to the category of primitive religion. Shui people believe that all things have spirits and worship multi gods. Nature worship, ancestor worship, and deity worship constitute the core of Shui People’s belief.
In the society of Shui nationality, whether it is the object of worship of primitive religious belief, or the form of worship, or the ritual of belief, or the content, form, and inheritance of primitive morality, it clearly reflects that the belief culture and folk knowledge are inextricably linked with each other.
Water book
Shishu is a general term for the Chinese translation of ancient Shui Characters and their works. Shishu classics is a great work of folk knowledge, belief, and culture of Shui nationality, which is known as the “book of changes” and “Encyclopedia” of Shui nationality. The content of Shui Shu is extensive and profound. It not only directly reflects the astronomy, calendar, and primitive belief of Shui nationality but also integrates the philosophy, literature, and art, language, and writing, array attack, and defense, ethics and morality, production and life of Shui nationality. It has become a valuable book for studying the history and culture of the Shui nationality. It is also a scientific research subject of religion, history, ethnology, folklore, language, and writing This is the precious information of the research. Among them, the numerous ghosts and gods recorded in the belief culture not only reflect the pan God concept of animism but also reflect the experience accumulated by the ancestors of Shui people in understanding nature, transforming nature, understanding society, and transforming society, which is a painful memory of failure more than success.
As the essence of the traditional culture of Shui nationality, Shui Shu is an important carrier of national spirit, national cohesion, national affinity, and national sentiment. It has become the spiritual pillar of the whole nation’s belief and has become an important spiritual link for maintaining the branches of the Shui nationality.
In 2002, Shuishu was listed in the first batch of “Chinese Archives Heritage List” by the State Archives Bureau and the central archives and collected as the key ethnic ancient books. In 2006, Shuishu was listed in the first batch of the national intangible cultural heritage list.
![Shui Nationality view](https://huawei-file-cdn.sacbu.com/uploads/picture_handle/webp/48c0031d1214268b190800672c952bef.jpg_width-800.webp)
Diet
Shui people take rice as their staple food and like to eat hot and sour seasonings. They have the custom of “no food, no acid, no spicy”.
When the host toasts, he takes the lead to shout “Xiu” (meaning cheers), and everyone shouts “Xiu” in unison to drink all the wine.
Clothes & Accessories
Shui people taboo red and yellow in their clothes, especially the hot colors of red and rhubarb, but prefer blue, white, green, and gold colors. Shui people don’t like colorful clothes, but like simple and elegant colors, which expresses the unique aesthetic of Shui People’s clothes, that is, simple, generous, and practical.
Shui Nationality Women’s clothes are mostly made of Shuijia cloth, with no collar, large skirt, semi-long shirt, or long shirt, which is over the knee and generally does not embroider lace. The festival and wedding dress is quite different from usual, usually, the shoulders, cuffs, pants knee are inlaid with embroidery ribbon, Baotou scarf also has colorful patterns. He wears a silver crown on his head, the silver collar on his neck, the silver bracelet on his wrist, a Silver Elegant collar on his chest, silver earrings on his earlobes, and embroidered shoes on his feet.
The men of Shui nationality wear big Lapel blue cloth shirt and small-cap with melon skin. The old people wear long clothes with lining wrapped around their heads and leggings wrapped around their feet.
![Shui Nationality clothes](https://huawei-file-cdn.sacbu.com/uploads/picture_handle/webp/80d0e338f2bfad66ece27512197ebff5.jpg_width-800.webp)
Festival
There are more than 20 festivals of Shui nationality, such as Duan Festival (Jieduan, children), Mao Festival (jiao), e Festival (Jieer), Suningxi (Jieningxi), Jingxia Festival (Jingxia, Baixia), Spring Festival (Jiejian), Qingming Festival (Guaqing, gouache), Dragon Boat Festival (viewing), Tonggu Festival, Bathing Festival (June 6), Huangfan Festival, Huajiao Festival, February 2 festival to a white dragon, March festival to the dragon, June festival to land, June festival to Mountain God In July, half and July, we meet and see our ancestors off, the Mid Autumn Festival, the Double Ninth Festival, pounding cattle cake in October, worshiping temples (Bodhisattva, Ge Shan, Shan), Yu Liang (Yun Niang), eating new festivals (bite Li, boil Li) and so on.