Brief Introduction to Zhangjiajie's Ethnic Minorities
Zhangjiajie is home to Tujia, Bai, Miao, Hui, and other ethnic minorities, with a total minority population of over 700,000, accounting for just under 50% of the city's total. Among them, the Tujia have the largest population, followed by the Bai, Miao, and Hui. There are also small numbers of Manchu, Dong, Yao, and other ethnic groups. Here we introduce the Tujia and Bai...
This article has been compiled from historical materials on 'Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network' (33519.com · Specialty Foods / Cuisine / Customs section). Prices, business hours, administrative divisions, and statistical data mentioned in the text may already be outdated. Before traveling, please refer to the latest announcements from merchants, scenic areas, and local competent authorities; the parts involving folk legends and folk customs are local historical and cultural anecdotes, provided for cultural reference.
Within Zhangjiajie City are distributed ethnic minorities such as the Tujia, Bai, Miao, and Hui. The total minority population reaches more than 700,000, accounting for slightly less than 50 percent of the city's total population. Among the minorities, the Tujia have the larger population, followed by the Bai, Miao, and Hui. In addition, there are a small number of Manchu, Dong, Yao, and other minority people. Here we give a brief introduction to the Tujia, Bai, and Miao:
The Tujia
The Tujia, in common explanation, are an indigenous ethnic group that has long lived here, called "Ba people" in ancient times. According to relevant historical records, the Tujia were distributed in ancient times across the borders of the four provinces of Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, and Guizhou, and always lived between the Yangtze River and the Yuan River. They never underwent a comprehensive migration, and are a very stable ethnic group. As an ethnic name, "Ba people" was once a unified body of many tribes, and their ancestors are generally considered to be the "Southern Ape Man" of the Badong and Jianshi areas of present-day western Hubei, as well as the "Changyang Man" of the Changyang area.
According to Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian, Basic Annals of the Five Emperors, as early as the era of Yao and Shun, the "Southern Man" already lived and multiplied south of the Yangtze and Han rivers.
By the Han dynasty, they were called the Man of Ba Commandery and Nan Commandery, the Wuling Man, the Louzhong Man, the Lishui Man, and the Zhongmian Man (Tushan Man), and so on.
In the periods of the Three Kingdoms, the Western and Eastern Jin, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, they were called the Wuxi Man, Xixi Man, Tianmen Man, Qianyang Man, Jianping Man, and so on.
In the Sui dynasty they were called "Yuezuo."
In the Song dynasty they were called the various Man of the Beijiang. The History of Song, Biographies of the Man and Yi, calls the people of the Man areas native people, native Man, native officials, and so on.
In the Ming and Qing dynasties they were called native Yi, native Man, and Tujia.
Only in the late Ming and early Qing period did the Chinese-language terms "Tujia" and "Kejia" appear. The so-called "Tujia" is relative to the "Kejia," and the so-called "Kejia" mainly refers to Han Chinese. "Tujia" means "local people," while "Kejia" means "outsiders," and it appeared only after a relatively large number of Han Chinese migrated into Tujia areas. Originally, the Tujia called themselves "Bizizu," and the ancient Ba people also called themselves this way, but "Bizi" is not equal to "local people." "Bizi" is the self-designation of the Tujia and existed in ancient times, whereas "local people" is a Chinese-language appellation that appeared only later, after a relatively large number of Han Chinese migrated into Tujia areas.
The Tujia are a hardworking and brave people. The Tujia living in Zhangjiajie City have become all the more courageous because of Wuling Mountain, and Wuling Mountain appears all the more numinous because of the Tujia; truly, as it is said, things are splendid and treasures abound, and the place is outstanding and the people are talented.
The Bai
The Bai are also an ancient ethnic group. The Bai call themselves "Baizi" and "Baini," which in Chinese means "white people." The ancestors of the Bai were historically called "Botian," "Sou," "Cuan," "Western Cuan," "Baiman," "Bairen," "Minjiaren," and so on.
The Bai people are mainly distributed in the Dali area of Yunnan in our country. The Bai people living in the Sangzhi and Tianzi Mountain areas, however, came from the Dali Kingdom of Yunnan. According to relevant historical records, as early as 1253, the Mongol army occupied the Dali Kingdom of Yunnan and forcibly conscripted a "Cunbai Army" to attack the Southern Song. In this "Cunbai Army" there were three Bai brothers, named Zhong Qianyi, Gu Junwan, and Wang Pengkai. Because these three were dissatisfied with the Mongol army and loathed war, they fled the army and wandered to Jiangxi, later moving to Dongting Lake in Hunan. They then traveled upstream along the Lishui River, settled in Sangzhi, and multiplied there. These three people, after more than 700 years of reproduction, have now grown to nearly ten thousand people. After Liberation, through decades of investigation, research, and clarification of ethnic origins, in the autumn of 1985 seven Bai ethnic townships were formally established, finally realizing ethnic autonomy for the Bai people. Although the Bai people of Sangzhi came from afar, some of their customs and habits are largely the same as those of the Bai people in the Dali area of Yunnan. The Bai language is basically Chinese, and Chinese script long ago became the common written language of the Bai people, because the Bai people have long established flesh-and-blood ties with the Han people.
The Bai are also a hardworking and brave ethnic group. Not only have they waged heroic struggles against imperialism, feudalism, and bureaucrat-capitalism in history, such as participating in the 1884 "Zhennan Victory" that shocked China and the world and the April 1949 Jianchuan Armed Uprising, but they have also created rich experience and a splendid ethnic culture in long-term production struggles, such as the magnificent Chongsheng Temple standing in Dali, and the grottoes of Shibao Mountain in Jianchuan and the ancient building complex of Jizu Mountain, which are also quite artistically distinctive. The famous love epic "Wangfu Yun" and the folk tales "Meiren Shi" and "Shegu Ta" enjoy great fame at home and abroad. Every year, Dali's "March Street" is an even grander traditional festival and at the same time a grand occasion for commercial activities, attracting many tourists from home and abroad.
Miao Ethnic Group
The Miao people call themselves "Zhuang," "Meng," "Mo," and "Mao," and are also called "Ganao," "Guoxiong," "Daiao," and "Long'er."
The Miao are an ethnic group with a relatively large population and wide distribution in the great family of nations, and are also an ancient ethnic group. The ancestors of the Miao were mainly distributed south of the Yellow River basin, north of the Yangtze River basin, and in the "Jingchu region." Later they traveled upstream along Dongting Lake, gradually reaching the areas of western Hunan and eastern Guizhou, and then settled there, living and multiplying. According to historical records, the Miao were called "Man" during the Zhou and Qin dynasties. After migrating to Hunan and Guizhou during the Han dynasty, they were also called "Wuxi Man" and "Changsha Man." In the Yuan dynasty, the feudal rulers established the "Wuzhai Zhangguan System" in the Miao areas of Hunan and established the Shunyuan and other route military-civilian pacification offices in the Miao areas of Guizhou, in order to strengthen their rule over the Miao people.
By the Qing dynasty, the policy of "replacing hereditary local officials with appointed officials" was implemented, abolishing hereditary tusi, appointing circulating officials, checking land, collecting taxes, registering households, and uniformly establishing prefectures, subprefectures, departments, and counties, further strengthening rule over the Miao people. This left many Miao people living in extreme poverty, long struggling on the verge of death, and unable to have enough food and warmth all year round. Only under the leadership of the Communist Party could the Miao people truly stand up and become masters of their own affairs.
The Miao are a hardworking and brave ethnic group. In history they waged unyielding struggles against imperialism and feudal rulers. For example, in the thirteenth year of Emperor Wu of Han (37 CE), "the Wuling Man chieftain Xiang Dancheng and others greatly raided the commanderies and counties," greatly shaking the feudal ruling dynasty; in the sixtieth year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty (1759 CE), the "Qianjia Uprising" broke out, jointly participated in by the Miao and Tujia peoples. It was first launched by Shi Liudeng and Shi Miemei (female), Miao leaders of Songtao Subprefecture in Guizhou, and was then responded to one after another by Shi Sanbao of Huanggua Village in Huayuan, western Hunan; Wu Longdeng of Yebao Village in Fenghuang Subprefecture; Wu Bansheng of Suman River; and Wu Bayue of Pinglong in Jishou and Wu Lianju of Sanchap ing. The momentum was tremendous and the fighting fierce, defeating many Qing army attacks. The uprising army's struggle lasted as long as 13 years, dealing the Qing army a heavy blow. During the period of Kuomintang rule, the Miao and Tujia peoples of western Hunan again persisted in struggle together, abolished the "tuntian" system that had exploited the people of western Hunan for more than 100 years since the Jiaqing reign of the Qing dynasty, and achieved a major victory.
In long-term struggle, the Miao people accumulated rich experience and also created a splendid ethnic culture.
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