Yugu Nationality

Yugu Nationality

People of Yugu nationality, which is made up of 10 Buddhist tribes, live in the middle of the Gansu corridor, north of the Qilian Mountains. Most are herdsmen living 4-5 in a family tent. After all the children have left parents live with their younger sons. The divorce rate is low, because there is freedom to choose a spouse.

The Yugu diet consists of one main meal and several fortified teas a day. After liberation in 1954 and the founding of the Yugu Autonomous County of Sunan and Huangnibao in Jiuquan, the population increased to 10,227 in 1985. This increase was 1.65 times the population 30 years before. Before liberation, the feudal ruling class exploited and oppressed the masses, and disease and mortality rates were high with an accompanying decline in population. Liberation marked the beginning of population increases. The Yugu constituted .34% of the Gansu population in 1953 and .5% in 1982 (10,227 people).

The rate of population increase since 1949 was twice as fast as for the Gansu population, i.e., more than 30% as an average annual growth rate. Improvement in living conditions was considered the primary reason for the population increase. Between 1949 and 1983 there were three growth peaks: 1954-1958, 1969-73, and 1978-83. A sample survey of 296 households of 1598 people from Dahe, Huangcheng, and Minghua provides data on the sex ration, the age structure, the cultural structure, average income, housing improvement, standard of living, investments, fertility, marriage patterns, and contraceptive usage.

The recommended family planning policy among the Yugu is to raise the marriage age, eliminate illicit unions, advocate late birth and increasing birth spacing, and end the 4 births/person. The goal is to improve the physical and cultural quality of Yugu life. Near relation marriages account for 6.9% of those surveyed and hold a threat of congenital diseases in offspring. Illiteracy is 33.25, which is lower than the provincial rate of 37.8%. Primary school enrollment is higher than in the province as a whole or in country. College students are few, and job training and teachers are needed. A diversified economy is desirable for economic growth.