Of the 159,328 Mulams, about 90% live in Luocheng Mulam Autonomous County, the northern hilly area of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Washing by the river.
Mulam villages are built in the undulate mountains with ripply rivers meandering about. The land, rich in mineral resources and mountain products, is so attractive that many tourists say it rivals Guilin in natural beauty.
The picturesque Mutam area attracts more and more tourists each year
Rice is planted as the staple crop. Coal mining and gathering are also important.
A Mulam woman
Many Mulams call themselves "Muleng" or "Lingren". In the Jin Dynasty, they were referred to as the Liaos. After the Tang and Song dynasties, they were better known as the Liao or Ling people in historical documents. In the Qing dynasty, these people were called the Mulaos. After the founding of new China, they took the name Mulam.
During festivals, antiphonal singing is a common means of courtship among the Mulam youths.
The Mulam language belongs to the Dong-Shui branch of Zhuang-Dong Group of the Sino- Tibetan family. As the language has no script, many Mulam people use Chinese and the Zhuang language.
The polytheistic Mulams, mainly Daoists and Buddhists, take holidays every month except the tenth and the eleventh. The annual Yifan festival is the most important occasion. Every three years, there is a grand celebration for this festival.
