Manchu people
Tungusic people who founded the Qing dynasty of China.
The Manchus are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group whose homeland is Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are one of China’s officially recognized ethnic minorities, and the region of Manchuria takes its name from them. The Manchus founded and ruled the Later Jin (1616–1636) and Qing (1636–1912) dynasties of China, and they trace their ancestry to the Jurchen people, who had earlier established the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in northern China.
As the largest branch of the Tungusic peoples, the Manchus are spread across China and rank as the country’s fourth-largest ethnic group. They live in all 31 Chinese provincial-level regions. The largest Manchu population is in Liaoning, while Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Inner Mongolia, and Beijing each have more than 100,000 Manchu residents. Roughly half of all Manchus live in Liaoning, and one-fifth in Hebei. China has several Manchu autonomous counties—Xinbin, Xiuyan, Qinglong, Fengning, Yitong, Qingyuan, Weichang, Kuancheng, Benxi, Kuandian, Huanren, Fengcheng, and Beizhen—along with over 300 Manchu towns and townships.
**Etymology**
The name “Manchu” (Manchu: ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ, romanized: *manju*; Chinese: 滿洲) was officially adopted for the people by Emperor Hong Taiji in 1635, replacing the earlier term “Jurchen.” It is thought that *manju* was an old name for the Jianzhou Jurchens, though its origin is not well understood. The Chinese characters chosen to write the name (滿洲) include the water radical, just like the character for “Qing” (清). This may have been intentional, since the Ming dynasty’s name (明) means “bright” and represents fire, and water extinguishes fire.
The earliest known use of “Manchu” appears in the *Jiu Manzhou Dang*, archives of early 17th-century documents. According to the Qing dynasty’s official history, the *Researches on Manchu Origins*, the ethnic name came from Mañjuśrī. The Qianlong Emperor supported this view and wrote poems on the subject. Qing scholar Meng Sen also held this interpretation, but he suggested the name might instead come from Li Manzhu (李滿住), a chieftain of the Jianzhou Jurchens.
Quick Facts
- Group
- Manchu
- Population
- 10,682,263 · Distribution of Manchu autonomous prefectures and counties in Mainland China
- Languages
- Mandarin Chinese / Manchu
- Religions
- Manchu shamanism, Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity
- Related Groups
- other Tungusic peoples
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The Manchus are descended from the Jurchen people, who earlier established the Jin dynasty in China, though this is disputed by historians. The Jianzhou Jurchen, a key component of the later Manchus, originated in part from the Huligai, classified by the Liao dynasty as separate from the Jurchen founders of the Jin. The Huligai lived near the lower Songhua River and Mudanjiang, later moving west to become a major component of the Jianzhou Jurchens under Möngke Temür during the Ming dynasty. According to Ming officials, the Jianzhou Jurchens were descended from the Mohe people who established the Balhae Kingdom; the Mohe practiced pig husbandry, were mainly sedentary farmers, and grew soybeans, wheat, millet, and rice.
The name 'Manchu' (Manchu: ᠮᠠᠨᠵᡠ, romanized: manju) was adopted in 1635 by Emperor Hong Taiji, replacing 'Jurchen.' Its etymology is not well understood. The Qianlong Emperor supported the view that the name came from Mañjuśrī. Other theories include that manju is a compound of mangga ('strong') and ju ('arrow'), meaning 'intrepid arrow,' or that it is cognate with words for the lower Amur river in other Tungusic languages. The Jiu Manzhou Dang, archives of early 17th-century documents, contains the earliest use of Manchu.
During the Liao dynasty, the Jurchens became vassals of the Khitan-founded Liao. In 1114, Wanyan Aguda united the Jurchen tribes and established the Jin dynasty. After the Mongols defeated the Jurchens in 1234, the Yuan dynasty grouped people into categories; ethnic Han were divided into two classes. Many Jurchens adopted Mongolian customs and language. The Jurchen Yehe Nara clan is of paternal Mongol origin. Some Jurchen families, such as those using the surnames Wang and Nian, reclaimed their ethnicity and registered as Manchus.
Reader's Guide
The Manchus are significant as the ethnic group that founded and ruled the Later Jin and Qing dynasties, the latter being the last imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 1636 to 1912. Their origins trace back to the Jurchen people, who themselves established the Jin dynasty in northern China centuries earlier. The Manchus are the largest branch of the Tungusic peoples and form China's fourth-largest ethnic group, distributed across 31 provincial regions, with about half living in Liaoning and one-fifth in Hebei. Their name, adopted in 1635, replaced 'Jurchen' and has multiple proposed etymologies, including a connection to Mañjuśrī or to words meaning 'strong arrow.' The Manchus' legacy includes the establishment of the Eight Banner system and the expansion of China's borders, though the source article does not detail these. Their historical impact is also reflected in the many Manchu autonomous counties and townships in China today. The article notes that Jurchen raids on Japan in 1019 and later Japanese perceptions of Manchus as 'Tatar barbarians' may have influenced Japan's hostility toward them in later centuries.
Did You Know?
- The name 'Manchu' was adopted in 1635 by Emperor Hong Taiji, replacing the earlier name 'Jurchen.'
- About half of the Manchu population lives in Liaoning province and one-fifth in Hebei.
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