China 56 Ethnic Groups 9
Dong – China 56 Ethnic Groups
As descendents of the ancient “Baiyue” ethnic group, the Dong developed from one tribe of Xi’ou in Qin and Han Dynasties. They named themselves “Gan”. In the Song Dynasty, they were called “Qiling”.
After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, they were named “Dong” based on their own will.
The Dong are scattered on the borders of Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hubei Provinces. According to fifth national census in 2000, the Dong population was 2,960,293.
From the Tang to the Qing Dynasty, the Dong areas were ruled by local governors or Tusi. From the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, the government ruled the area by officials with limited tenure instead.
The Dong language belongs to Dong-Shui subbranch, Zhuang-Dong branch of Sino-Tibetan language family. There are two dialects respectively in the southern and northern Dong areas. With no written script, they employ Chinese. In 1958, a written Dong language proposal was made on the basis of Latin alphablets.
Derung – China 56 Ethnic Groups
The Derung ethnic minority group was first recorded as “Qiao” in the Yuan Dynasty, and they were called “Qiu” or “Qu” in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. In 1952, they were officially named “Derung” according to their own will.
The Derung areas were under the jurisdiction of the Nanzhao and Dali principalities in the Tang and Song Dynasties, and under the regime of Tusi in the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties.
The Derung live mainly in the Dulong River valley of the Gongshan Derung-Nu Autonomous County of Nujiang Lisu Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan province. According to the fifth national census in 2000, the Derung population was
The Derung language belongs to the Tibetan-Burmese branch of the Sino-Tibetan language family. They do not have written script of their own.
Deang – China 56 Ethnic Groups
Deang ethnic minority is one of the oldest ethnic groups in the southwestern frontier region, and Deangs have lived on both banks of the Nujiang River since the 2nd Century BC. The “Pu people” in the Han and Jin Dynasties were the ancestors of the current Deang.
From the 12th century to 15th century, the ancestor of Deangs set up the “Kingdom of Jinchi”, becoming a great power. Because of the military attacks of the Yuan Dynasty, the kingdom declined gradually.
From the end of the Yuan Dynasty became the subject people of the Tusi of Dais. It was until the Qing Dynasty when they finally won independence, named “Beilong”. On September 21st, 1985, they named themselves “Deang”.
The Deang were once called “Benglongg”. Living together with the Dais, Jingpos and Vas, they are widely distributed over Yunnan Province. According to the fifth national census in 2000, the population of the Deangs was 17,935.
The Deang language belongs to the Mon-Khemr branch of the Austroasiatic family, and there are three dialects: Bulei, Rumai and Ruojin. The Deangs have no written script of their own, and the language of Dai, Han and Jingpo are used in some Deang areas.
Daur – China 56 Ethnic Groups
“Daur” means “ploneer”. Before the mid-17th century, the Daurs were scattered in the valley of Zeya River south to the Great Khingan Mountains, and the valley on the northern bank of Heilongjiang River.
In the mid-17th century, the Daur people moved south first to the valley of the Nenjiang River, and later some of them migrated to Hulun Buir, Aihui and Tacheng of Xinjiang, etc.
The Daurs mainly live in Morin Dawa Daur Autonomous Banner, Ewenki Autonomous Banner, Zhalantun City and Arong Banner in Hulun Buir City. According to the fifth national census in 2000, the population of Daurs was 132,394.
The Daurs have their own spoken language,which belongs to the Mongolian branch of the Altaic language family, but they have no written language. They manly write Chinese, and a few of them also employ Man, Mongol and Kazak writings.
Dai – China 56 Ethnic Groups
There is a long history of the Dai people. In the 1st century B.C., there was record of Shan people-the ancestor of Dai people-in the Chinese historical documents. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, they were finally named “Dai”, as they wished.
The Dai people mainly live in Yunnan province. According to the fifth national census in 2000, the population of Dais was 1,158,989.
The Dai language belongs to the Zhuang-Dai subbranch of the Zhuang –Dong branch in the Sino-Tibetan language family. Their written alphabetic script varies in different places, and in 1950s, a reform of writing system was carried out.
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