Zhuang people
The largest minority in China, the Zhuang are a Tai-speaking indigenous people of Guangxi.
The Zhuang are a Tai-speaking 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 Bouyei, Nùng, Tày, and other Northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao people. Their population, estimated at 19 million people, makes them the largest minority in China.
- population
- ~19 million (largest minority in China)
- language_family
- Tai (Tai-Kadai)
- primary_region
- Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Southern China
- official_status
- One of 56 ethnic groups recognized by the People's Republic of China
- related_groups
- Bouyei, Nùng, Tày (collectively known as Rau/Rao people)
Lore & Background
The Zhuang are the indigenous peoples of Guangxi, according to Huang Xianfan. Their origins can be traced back to the Paleolithic. From 823 to 826, the Zhuang, Huang, and Nong clans attacked Yongzhou and seized 18 counties. The 'Nung Grottoes' sought aid from Nanzhao. During the Huang Chao rebellion (874–884), the Zhuang took part in anti-rebel efforts as irregular units. After the collapse of the Tang dynasty in 907, the Southern Han recruited Zhuang archers. The Zhuang leader Nong Zhigao was defeated in 1055 by the Song dynasty.
Reader's Guide
The Zhuang people have a long history of interaction with Han Chinese, adopting Han cultural practices and technology as early as the Han dynasty. They lived at lower elevations and competed directly with Han farmers. After the defeat of Nong Zhigao in 1055, many Zhuang families assimilated into the Han majority. The Zhuang did not perceive themselves as marginalized. Formal classification of the Zhuang also ignored historical similarities between northern Zhuang and the Bouyei people.
Did You Know?
- The Chinese character used for the Zhuang people has changed several times, originally written with a graphic pejorative involving a dog radical.
- In 1949, the logograph was officially replaced with a character meaning 'child; boy servant', later changed to one meaning 'strong; robust'.
- The Zhuang, Nùng, and Tày people are a cluster of Tai peoples with very similar customs and dress known as the Rau peoples.
- Many scholars consider the Zhuang and Nùng to be essentially the same people, a single ethnic group.
More in Ethnic & Indigenous Groups 1-23
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