Li

Li (Loi, Li-tsi), the aborigines of the large island of Hainan, off the south coast of China, now mainly confined to the central districts. There are two social groups: Shuh-Li, i.e. "Ripe" or "Baked," Li, meaning civilised or settled; and Sony-Li, i.e. "Raw" Li, in the sense of wild, savage or un-reduced. Some of the latter fully deserve their name, going naked, tilling no land, living on wild fruits, vermin, and roots, dwelling in caves or rocky recesses of the upland valleys, the "Ripe," on the other hand, have long maintained friendly relations with the Chinese settlers on the coastlands, with whom they are being gradually assimilated.