Zhang Xing Collection of Yi Manuscripts

This collection contains digital images of traditional Yi manuscript texts from the Wuding area of China, passed down through the Xing family of Bimo priests through five generations. The material is thought to date from roughly the late 18th to early 19th centuries, although some of the manuscripts are copies of the old texts created by Zhang Xing's grandfather in the early 20th century. According to Yi tradition, authors and scribes did not record their names on the manuscripts, and so this information is unknown to us. The original manuscripts are written in black and red ink on cotton paper, bound with string and wrapped in hemp cloth or leather. Material is written in the Wuding dialect.