The headmen obeyed the central government, which was always dominated by the Han or other large ethnic groups. These policies incited endless conflicts among the Yaos and caused them a great deal of hardship. It was not until the birth of New China that the Yaos realized equality with other ethnic groups as well as among themselves. The Yaos have such unique life styles that the various communities are quite different from each other. In modern times, the Yao costumes maintain their diversity.
Men wear jackets buttond in the middle or to the left, and usually belted.
Men's dress is mainly in blue or black. However, in places such as Nandan County in Guangxi, most men wear white knee-length knickerbockers. Men in Liannan County, Guangdong Province, mostly curl their long hair into a bun, which they wrap with a piece of red cloth and top with several pheasant feathers. Women's dress varies more. In addition to the silver medals decorating their jackets, many Yao women wear silver bracelets, earrings, necklets and hairpins.