A picture of diversity

A family photo taken by photographer Chen Lin of the Nu ethnic groups in Southwest China's Yunnan province.[Photo provided to China Daily]

It takes a woman upward of one year to weave a traditional dress. For the Miao ethnic group, a bride often starts to stitch her wedding gown as a teen.

To find his subjects－people from an ethnic group keeping part of their traditional lifestyle alive－Chen has to drive hundreds of miles to rural areas.

Often, there were places that a car couldn't reach, so he had to go by motorbike, even though, with the country's fast development, the transportation to rural places inhabited by ethnic groups has improved greatly, adds Chen.

In Yunnan, the Derung ethnic group is one of China's smallest ethnic groups in terms of population and known for the facial tattoos sported by the women.

Chen says they told him that years ago, when relatives who lived on other mountains came to visit during winter, one night's stay would turn into months because of the long, arduous journey involved. Now, modern roads make it easy to visit distant family members.

"In just a few years, great changes have happened," he says.

The young replaced their old houses with modern ones after returning from working in the cities. Some even can't speak their own language since their culture doesn't have writing.