The remote mountains in southwestern China are home to an ethnic minority whose signature feature is remarkably long hair, which can stretch to as much as two metres in length.
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Women of Red Yao, a branch of the Yao ethnic minority in China, live in mountainous hamlets in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
They only cut their hair on two occasions in life, 100 days after they are born and when they turn 18 years old.
As a result, hair of women aged 60 or above grows to at least one metre in length, with some stretching to more than two metres.
The Red Yao people got their name from the vermilion coats their women wear. Another garment feature for these women is that they do not wear trousers but black skirts.
Their number in China is estimated to be 35,000, most of whom live in Guangxi’s Longsheng county.
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Huangluo Village, on Longji Mountain, was recognised by Guinness World Records in 2002 for having the “largest group of long-haired women”.
