In 1957, the Chinese government helped the Naxi design an alphabetical script. The Naxi, who lived in Lijiang, Yunnan Province, were subject to the Ming Dynasty yet maintained some autonomy through a hereditary chieftain named Mude who exercised control over the Naxi and other minorities in Lijiang. During the Qing Dynasty, court officials replaced hereditary chieftains. The Naxi are matriarchal. In the past, children lived with their mothers, a woman was head of the family, women comprised the main labor force and property was passed to children through the mother.
Women wear wide-sleeved loose gowns, with jackets, long trousers, and ornamented belts.
The Naxi are diligent and, because of their diligence, many women sling sheepskin embroidered with seven stars over their shoulders. Men dress similarly to the Han people. On the 25th day of the seventh lunar month, the Naxi gather at the foot of Lion Mountain to celebrate and ask the gods for blessings. On this day, according to a Naxi myth, the mountain gods visit the mountain goddess of Lion Mountain. The mountain had at one point been a beautiful goddess whom all the gods loved but who loved no god.