They were brought to the attention of the Western world by two men: the American botanist Joseph Rock and the Russian traveller and writer Peter Goullart, both of whom lived in Lijiang and travelled throughout the area during the early 20th century.
Suku tersebut diperkenalkan di dunia Barat oleh dua pria: botanis Amerika Joseph Rock dan penjelajah dan penulis Rusia Peter Goullart, yang keduanya pernah berada di Lijiang dan mengunjungi wilayah tersebut pada awal abad ke-20.