Zhuang people


The Zhuang people are a Tai-speaking East Asian ethnic group who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. Some also live in the Yunnan, Guangdong, Guizhou and Hunan provinces. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. With the Buyi, Tay–Nùng and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau, or Rao. Their population, estimated at 18 million people, makes them the largest minority in China.

Chinese character names

The Chinese character used for the Zhuang people has changed several times. Their autonym, "Cuengh" in Standard Zhuang, was originally written with the graphic pejorative Zhuàng 獞. Chinese characters typically combine a semantic element or radical and a phonetic element. John DeFrancis calls Zhuàng, with the "dog radical" and a tóng phonetic, an ethnic slur and describes how the People's Republic of China removed it. In 1949, after the Chinese civil war, the logograph 獞 was officially replaced with a different graphic pejorative, Zhuàng , with the "human radical" and the same phonetic. Later, during the standardization of simplified Chinese characters, Zhuàng 僮 was changed to a completely different character Zhuàng .

Customs and culture

Language

The Zhuang languages are a group of mutually unintelligible languages of the Tai family, heavily influenced by nearby varieties of Chinese. The Standard Zhuang language is based on a northern dialect, but few people learn it. Therefore, Zhuang people from different dialect areas use Chinese to communicate with each other. According to a 1980s survey, 42% of Zhuang people were monolingual in Zhuang, while 55% were bilingual in Zhuang and Chinese.
Whilst according to some semi-official sources "In Guangxi, compulsory education is bilingual in Zhuang and Chinese, with a focus on early Zhuang literacy," only a small percentage of schools teach written Zhuang. Zhuang has been written using logograms based on Chinese characters for over 1,000 years. Standard Zhuang, the official alphabetical script, was introduced in 1957, and in 1982 the Cyrillic letters were changed to Latin letters. However, the traditional character-based script is more commonly used in less formal domains and in June 2017 just over one thousand of these characters were added in Unicode 10.0.
The Zhuang have their own scriptures written in poetic form such as the Baeu Rodo.

Sawndip literature

The literate Zhuang had their own writing system, Sawndip, recording folk songs, operas, poems, scriptures, letters, contracts, and court documents. The works include both entirely indigenous works and translations from Chinese, fact and fiction, religious texts and secular texts.

Names

While most Zhuang people have adopted standard Han Chinese names, some have distinct surnames only found amongst those of Zhuang descent such as "覃", usually pronounced "Tán".
When comes to places, some village names in China have the suffix "板", which means "village" in Zhuang.

Religion

Most Zhuang follow a traditional animist faith known as Shigongism or Moism, which include elements of ancestor worship. The Mo have their own sutra and professional priests known as bu mo who traditionally use chicken bones for divination. In Moism, the creator is known as Bu Luotuo and the universe is tripartite, with all things composed from the three elements of heaven, earth, and water.
There are also a number of Buddhists, Taoists, and Christians among the Zhuang.

Food

Zhuang cuisine includes many salty and sour dishes such as pickled cabbage, pickled vegetables and pork, and dried fish. A common Zhuang drink is "oil tea", tea leaves fried in oil with rice grains brewed and drunk with peanuts or a rice cake.

History

Prehistory

While Chinese scholarship continues to place the Zhuang–Dong languages among the Sino-Tibetan family, other linguists treat the Tai languages as a separate family. They have been linked with the Austronesian languages, which dispersed from Taiwan after a migration from the mainland. However, the Austro-Tai hypothesis uniting these families is now supported by only a few scholars.
Genetic evidence points out Zhuang possesses a very high frequency of Haplogroup O2 with most of them being subclade O2a making it the most dominant marker, one that they share with Austro-Asiatic. The other portion of O2 belongs to subclade O2a1. Zhuangs have prevalent frequencies of O1 which links them with Austronesian, but O1 is at much lower rate compared to O2a and only slightly higher than O2a1. Haplogroup O2 in Taiwan aborigines is almost completely non-existent, but they exhibit very high frequencies of O1. This suggests that in the event that the Austro-Tai hypothesis is correct, Tai-Kadai speakers would have assimilated mostly Austro-Asiatic people into their population after the separation of Tai and Austronesian.

Chinese empires

The Zhuang are the indigenous peoples of Guangxi, according to Huang Xianfan. The Zhuang's origins can be traced back to the paleolithic ancient human, as demonstrated by a large amount of contemporary archaeological evidence.
The earliest historical records of the Zhuang so far discovered are among the Rock Paintings of Hua Mountain, dating from to the Warring States period.
Chinese historical documents are minimal, simply referring to the lands south of the Yangtze as the "Hundred Yue". Qin Shihuang's southern invasions are detailed in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian. The initial thrust south of the Nanling proved disastrous, with the general Tu Sui falling in battle around 218 BC, but his engineer Shi Lu completed the construction of the Ling Canal, which linked the Xiang and Li rivers. By 214, Zhao Tuo and Ren Xiao had returned and pacified the Western Valley Yue, opening up Guangxi and the south to the immigration of hundreds of thousands of his subjects.
At the fall of the Qin Dynasty a decade later, Zhao Tuo, using his position as the commander of the Nanhai Commandery, formed a state centered on Panyu called Southern Yue. Alternatively submissive to and independent of Han control, this Kingdom expanded colonization and Sinification under its policy of "Harmonizing and Gathering the Hundred Yue" but was supported by the Zhuang until its collapse in 111 BC.
The Han Dynasty reduced local authority and established military posts at Guilin, Wuzhou, and Yulin. An uprising in Vietnam led by the Trưng sisters was put down in AD 42 by general Ma Yuan, who is recorded as helping to pacify the regions by improving its irrigation networks and improving various Han laws. Despite his efforts, immigration of the Yao from near Changsha unsettled the region.
Under the Tang, the Zhuang moved to support the Tai kingdom of Southern Zhao in Yunnan which successfully repulsed imperial armies in 751 and 754. Guangxi was then divided into an area of Zhuang ascendancy west of Nanning and an area of Han ascendancy east of Nanning.
After the collapse of the Southern Zhao, Liu Yan established the Southern Han in Guangdong. Although this state gained minimal control over the Zhuang, the Southern Han were plagued by instability and annexed by the Song Dynasty in 971.
Harassed by both Song and the Jiaozhi in modern Vietnam, the Zhuang leader Nong Zhigao led a revolt in 1052 for which he is still remembered by the Zhuang people. His independent kingdom was short-lived, however, and the tattooed Song general Di Qing returned Guangxi to China.
The Mongolian Yuan Dynasty established control over the Southern Song following the Battle of Yamen in 1279 and annexed the Kingdom of Dali in Yunnan. Rather than ruling Lingnan as a subject territory, the Mongols established Guangxi as a proper province, but the Miao coming from Guizhou and Hunan kept the region from being totally controlled.
The area continued to be unruly, leading the Ming Dynasty to employ the different groups against one another. One of the bloodiest battles in Zhuang history was that at Big Rattan Gorge against the Yao in 1465, where 20,000 deaths were reported. Parts of Guangxi were ruled by the powerful Cen clan. The Cen were of Zhuang ethnicity and were recognized as tusi or local ruler by the Ming and Qing.
The Manchu Qing Dynasty left the region alone until the imposition of direct rule in 1726, but the 19th century was one of constant unrest. A Yao revolt in 1831 was followed by the Taiping Rebellion and Da Cheng Rebellion in 1850. The execution of St. Auguste Chapdelaine by local officials in Guangxi provoked the Second Opium War in 1858 and subsequent French interference in its interior. Guangxi Army saw a great deal of actions in the 1884 Franco-Chinese War, even Brière de l'Isle was unable to invade their depot at Longzhou,and They was able to repulse the French from China at the Battle of Zhennan Pass, thus won the Franco-Chinese War.

Distribution

By county

ProvincePrefectureCountyZhuang Population% of China's Zhuang Population
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityYongning District 766,4414.74%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityXingbin District 600,3603.71%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityWuming County 524,9123.24%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityJingxi County 452,3992.8%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuigang CityGangbei District 424,3432.62%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityYizhou District 405,3722.51%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityDu'an Yao Autonomous County 399,1422.47%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityLiujiang District 383,4782.37%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityPingguo City 350,1222.16%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityHeng County 323,4282.0%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureGuangnan County 315,7551.95%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityXincheng County 315,3541.95%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityTiandeng County 307,6601.9%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityDaxin County 306,6171.9%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityFusui County 305,3691.89%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityMashan County 302,0351.87%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityLong'an County 301,9721.87%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityTiandong County 301,8951.87%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityShanglin County 297,9391.84%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityNingming County 270,7541.67%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityDebao County 268,6501.66%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityDahua Yao Autonomous County 261,2771.61%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityTianyang County 261,1291.61%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityJiangzhou District 245,7141.52%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityYoujiang District 244,3291.51%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityLongzhou County 242,6161.5%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityShijiao District 242,0491.5%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityWuxuan County 237,2391.47%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityHuanjiang Maonan Autonomous County 231,3731.43%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityJinchengjiang District 219,3811.36%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityDonglan County 212,9981.32%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityXiangzhou County 212,8491.32%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureFuning County 211,7491.31%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionQinzhou CityQinbei District 209,4601.29%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityLuzhai County 208,2621.29%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityLiucheng County 186,7201.15%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityLonglin Various Nationalities Autonomous County 180,1721.11%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionFangchenggang CityShangsi County 179,8371.11%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityNandan County 162,9441.01%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityBinyang County 160,8930.99%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityXixiangtang District 152,6060.94%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityNapo County 151,9390.94%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityBama Yao Autonomous County 151,9230.94%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityTianlin County 140,5070.87%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureYanshan County 130,1460.8%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityLuocheng Mulao Autonomous County 122,8030.76%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureQiubei County 120,6260.75%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityQingxiu District 112,4020.69%
Guangdong ProvinceDongguan CityUrban area 98,1640.61%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityRong'an County 97,8980.6%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityFengshan County 93,6520.58%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityHeshan City 93,4560.58%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuigang CityGuiping City 93,2710.58%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureWenshan City 91,2570.56%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityShijiao District 90,2630.56%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityXilin County 88,9350.55%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionChongzuo CityPingxiang City 85,6030.53%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionFangchenggang CityFangcheng District 84,2810.52%
Guangdong ProvinceShenzhen CityBao'an District 81,3680.5%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHechi CityTian'e County 79,2360.49%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityLeye County 71,7390.44%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityLiunan District 63,4700.39%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityYufeng District 62,8700.39%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionBaise CityLingyun County 58,6550.36%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionQinzhou CityQinnan District 58,5710.36%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLaibin CityJinxiu Yao Autonomous County 58,5390.36%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityLiubei District 57,2900.35%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CityRongshui Miao Autonomous County 56,7700.35%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureMaguan County 54,8560.34%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityJiangnan District 54,2320.34%
Guangdong ProvinceFoshan CityNanhai District 50,0070.31%
Guangdong ProvinceQingyuan CityLianshan Zhuang and Yao Autonomous County 44,1410.27%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuilin CityLipu County 41,4250.26%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHezhou CityBabu District 40,5320.25%
Yunnan ProvinceHonghe Hani and Yi Autonomous PrefectureMengzi City 37,9380.23%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionNanning CityXingning District 36,4180.22%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureMalipo County 33,2500.21%
Guangdong ProvinceZhongshan CityUrban area 31,6660.2%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuilin CityLongsheng Various Nationalities Autonomous County 30,3580.19%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuilin CityYangshuo County 29,6320.18%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuilin CityYongfu County 25,5640.16%
Yunnan ProvinceWenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous PrefectureXichou County 24,2120.15%
Guangdong ProvinceShenzhen CityLonggang District 22,7080.14%
Yunnan ProvinceQujing CityShizong County 22,2900.14%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionGuilin CityPingle County 21,7440.13%
Guizhou ProvinceQiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous PrefectureCongjiang County 21,4190.13%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionHezhou CityZhongshan County 20,8340.13%
Guangdong ProvinceFoshan CityShunde District 18,7590.12%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionLiuzhou CitySanjiang Dong Autonomous County 18,3350.11%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionQinzhou CityLingshan County 17,7150.11%
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous RegionFangchenggang CityDongxing City 16,6510.1%
Other780,8974.83%

Notable Zhuang people