The Zhuang Nationality is an ethnic group recognized by the central government of China. It has the largest population among China’s 55 minorities. According to the 2010 nationwide census, the total population of Zhuang has reached 16.9 million since 2010. Most of the Zhuang people reside in Guangxi Zhuang’s Autonomous Region. A small number of the Zhuang people inhabit in Yunnan Province, Guangdong Province and Vietnam. They call themselves Bu-Zhuang or Bu-Yue.
The History of Zhuang Nationality
The Zhuang Nationality originated from the Ancient Xi-Ou and Luo-Yue Tribes which lived in the Southern China Hilly Region(Guangdong and Guangxi). In 221 B.C., Emperor Qin-Shihuang unified the whole China and Established the Qin Empire(221 B.C.-207 B.C.). The ancient Zhuang kept fighting against the Qin’s army for almost 7 years. In the year of 214 B.C., the Zhuang’s homeland was divided into three prefectures, namely Guilin Prefecture, Nanhai Prefecture and Xiang Prefecture. In the following centuries, a large number of Han people migrated from the north to the south. The migration has significantly enhanced the productivity in the southern China and influenced the culture of Zhuang Nationality.
In the year of 1851, the Taiping Rebellion broke out in Guangxi. The rebels established the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom(1851-1864) and occupied Nanjing in 1853. Thousands of the rebels were from the Zhuang Group. Many of them became generals of the Taiping troops.
The Zhuang people made a great contribution to the independence and development of China. In 1958, Guangxi Zhuang’s Autonomous Region was founded.
The Zhuang’s Language
The Zhuang people speak their native language which belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Family of Languages. During the Tang and the Song Period(618-1279), they created a writing system for the language. However, the ancient Zhuang script was not widely used by all the subgroups of Zhuang. They preferred to use the Han script. Most of Zhuang people can speak the Mandarin.
The Traditional Costume of Zhuang
Most of the Zhuang people dress in the same as the Han people do. In the west part of Guangxi, the Zhuang people still keep their own tradition. Both men and women usually wear a jacket or a coat on which buttons are sewn from the left armpit to the chest. The jackets and coats do not have collars, and the sleeves are quite loose. Their favourite colors are blue, black and brown. The women like to wear silver ornaments. They are skilled at knitting and weaving. The Zhuang Brocade is one of the top four famous types of cloth in China. It is made of cotton or flax.
The Fairy-Singer Festival
The Fairy-Singer Festival is a traditional ceremony of Zhuang Ethnic Group. The Zhuang people are good singers. The festival originated in the Tang Dynasty(618-907). Liu Sanjie was an excellent singer from the Zhuang Group. She created the unique style of Zhuang’s folk songs. The Zhuang people worship her as the fairy singer. The festival is celebrated on the third day of the third month of Chinese lunar year. Young girls and boys sing and dance together. The celebration offers them an opportunity to meet their prospective marriage partners.
The Zhuang People’s Food
The Zhuang is the first group in China which started planting rice. Some of them also cultivate corn(or maize) on their land. The Conton Cuisine is quite popular among the Zhuang people. They consume chicken, pork, mutton, beef, fish and vegetables. The Multi-colored Rice and the Painted Egg are the specialties of the natives.
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Author: Tina Luo
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