The Mien originated in Southern China, and of all the hill-tribes, the Mien have the strongest links with Chinese culture.

Although most Mien in Thailand can no longer read Chinese, there are still many similarities between Mien language and the Chinese Han language. Elements of Chinese dress are also evident in Mien traditional clothes.
Most Mien practice a form of Spirit Worship that has been assimilated with Chinese Taoism and much of their belief system is recorded on ancient religious scripts. Many Mien stories and myths, and other historical records have also been recorded in Chinese.

The Mien use the same calendar system as the Chinese, and many festivals, including their New Year’s celebrations, falls on the same dates.
In Mien families the man is considered the head of the household. Land is usually communally owned, and the crops belong to whoever has worked the ground. The entire family works together, and while men do most of the hard labour in the fields, women are responsible for raising pigs and chickens, tending the garden, looking after the children, preparing food and other household chores.

The most distinctive part of the traditional clothes of a Mien woman is the red ruff-like edging that is sewn to the edge of their long black tunics. The tunic is worn over intricately embroidered pants, with a sash around the waist and a black turban. The men’s clothing is much plainer, consisting of dark coloured loose fitting Chinese style pants and a jacket.
The Mien dress varies slightly from country to country, the main difference being that in China women wear a knee-length skirt while in Laos and Thailand both men and women wear pants. In Thailand, most Mien people wear traditional clothes only on special occasions.

Mien language used to be written using Chinese characters. In Thailand, however, Chinese letters have not been taught to Mien children for several generations, and the language is now usually written using either Thai or English characters. Chinese is still used in ceremonies to worship the spirits, and is the language that has been used to preserve written records and sacred texts.

Like the Hmong, Mien food is mostly very simple, and the traditional diet consists of lots of vegetable soups and fried vegetable dishes eaten with steamed rice. Families often raise pigs and chickens to be eaten on special occasions. At other times, protein comes from fish and wild animals such as birds and squirrels.

Geng Gai (Chicken curry with wax gourd)
Put about four spoonfuls of oil in a saucepan and heat. Add five cloves of chopped garlic and two spoons of chopped ginger (or more if you prefer). Also add two heads of smashed galangal and fresh chili to taste. (If using dried chili, add after the chicken is cooked). Cook spices until fragrant. Place the chopped up chicken, chopped wax gourd and one and a half spoons of salt in the saucepan. Add about half a glass of water and continue to stir for five minutes. Add another half a glass of water, cover, and leave to simmer for five minutes. Then add more water to cover the chicken and boil for a further ten minutes. Taste, and add fish or soybean sauce if needed. Add some pepper and two spoonfuls of chopped coriander and spring onion, and add more chili if needed. Eat with rice.

Narm Prik
In a mortar and pestle pound five cloves of garlic, fifteen fresh red or green chilis, a pinch of salt. Add one or two peeled tomatoes that have been baked on the coals of a fire and pound together with the chili paste. Add one teaspoon of chopped coriander and spring onion. Taste, and add fish or soybean sauce if needed.

During New Years, families visit one another. This is also the chance for boys and girls to meet and court with young people from other villages and clans.

The Mien have many, many myths about the origin of their people. One of the best-known stories comes from the time of the Chinese Emperor Pien Hung. While facing defeat under attack from another Emperor, Pien Hung sent his dog, Phan Hu, to find his way through the battle lines and kill the enemy. As a reward for his success, the dog was given one of the Emperor’s own daughters as a wife, and together they bore twelve children, from whom came the twelve Mien clans.

Another story tells of a time of a great flood that covered the entire world, killing everyone except for two people, a brother and a sister. God gave these siblings a pumpkin and asked one to throw the seeds of the pumpkin along the lowlands, and the other to throw the flash of the pumpkin in the mountains. Mien people came from the seeds of the pumpkin, and other people came from the flesh. However, the brother and sister accidentally mixed up God’s instructions, explaining why the Mien live in the mountains