Achang - Religion and Expressive Culture

In the regions of Fusa and Lasa almost all Achang are adherents of Theravada Buddhism, which the Achang people adopted from the Dai. Both the Achang and the Dai are similar in many aspects of their practice of Buddhism. In the regions of Lianghe, Luxi, and elsewhere, the Achang people are not Buddhists but worship ancestor spirits and various objects. The Achang generally label the spirits or gods as good or evil. There is an altar for making sacrifices to the spirits of ancestors in most households. In addition, many villages have a public temple, in which the people enshrine certain gods and hold sacrificial rites.

Arts. Of Achang folk arts, their carving may leave the deepest impression on outsiders. The lifelike animals and plants carved on woodwork or metalwork manifest the consummate skill of Achang carvers.