Zhuang
Encyclopedia
The Zhuang are an ethnic group
of people 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 55 minority ethnic groups
officially recognized by the People's Republic of China
. With the Buyi, Tay
–Nùng
, and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao (Zhuang: Boux Raeuz). Their population, estimated at 18 million people, puts them second only to the Han Chinese
and makes the Zhuang the largest minority in China.
The Zhuang also have their own oral epic, the Baeu Rodo.
used for the Zhuang people has changed several times. Their autonym
, "Cuengh" in Standard Zhuang
, was originally written with the rare character Zhuàng 獞 (or tóng, meaning "a variety of wild dog").). Chinese characters typically combine a semantic element or radical
and a phonetic element. John DeFrancis
calls Zhuàng 獞, with the "dog radical
" 犭 and a tóng 童 phonetic, an ethnic slur and describes how the People's Republic of China
removed it. In 1949, after the Chinese civil war
, the logograph 獞 was officially replaced with Zhuàng 僮 (or tóng "child; boy servant"), with the "human radical
" 亻and the same phonetic. Later, during the standardization of simplified Chinese characters, Zhuàng 僮 was changed to a completely different character Zhuàng 壮 (meaning "strong; robust").
, other linguists now separate the Tai languages, with the most common hypothesis being an an Austronesian origin
, possibly beginning on Taiwan
and migrating southwest across modern China.
, dated to the Warring States Period
(475–221 BC) of Chinese history.
Chinese records are minimal prior to their entry into the region, simply referring to the lands south of the Yangtze as the "Hundred Yue". Qin Shihuang's southern invasions are detailed in Sima Qian
's Records of the Grand Historian
. The initial thrust south of the Nanling
proved disastrous, with the general Tu Sui falling in battle around 218 BC, but his engineer Shi Lu completed the construction of the Ling Canal
, which linked the Xiang
and Li rivers. By 214, Zhao Tuo
and Ren Xiao had returned and pacified the Western Valley Yue, opening up Guangxi and the south to the immigration of hundreds of thousands of Chinese.
At the fall of the Qin Dynasty
a decade later, Zhao Tuo
(Vietnamese: Triệu Đà), using his position as the commander of the Nanhai Commandery, formed a state centered on Panyu
called Southern Yue
(Nanyue). Alternatively submissive to and independent of Han
control, this Kingdom expanded colonization and Sinification under its policy of "Harmonizing and Gathering the Hundred Yue" (和集百越) but was supported by the Zhuang until its collapse in 211 BC.
The Han Dynasty
reduced local authority and established military posts at Guilin
, Wuzhou
, and Yulin
. An uprising in Vietnam led by the Trưng sisters
was put down in AD 42 by general Ma Yuan
, who is recorded as helping to pacify the regions by improving its irrigation networks and improving various Han laws. Despite his efforts, immigration of the Yao
from near Changsha unsettled the region.
Under the Tang
, the Zhuang moved to support the Tai kingdom of Southern Zhao
(Nanzhao) in Yunnan which successfully repulsed imperial armies in 751 and 754. Guangxi was then divided into an area of Zhuang ascendancy west of Nanning and an area of Han ascendancy east of Nanning.
After the collapse of the Southern Zhao, Liu Yan
established the Southern Han
(Nanhan) in Guangdong. Although this state gained minimal control over the Zhuang, the Southern Han were plagued by instability and annexed by the Song Dynasty
in 971.
Harrassed by both Song and the Jiaozhi
in modern Vietnam, the Zhuang leader Nong Zhigao
led a revolt in 1052 for which he is still remembered by the Zhuang people. His independent kingdom was short-lived, however, and the tattooed Song general Di Qing
returned Guangxi to China.
The Mongolian Yuan Dynasty
established control over the Southern Song following the Battle of Yamen
in 1279 and annexed the independent state of Dali
that had arisen in Yunnan. Rather than ruling Lingnan as a subject territory, the Mongolians established Guangxi as a proper province, but the introduction of the Miao
from Guizhou
and Hunan
kept the region unsettled.
The area continued to be unruly, leading the Ming Dynasty
to employ the different groups against one another. One of the bloodiest battles in Zhuang history was that at Big Rattan Gorge against the Yao in 1465, where 20,000 deaths were reported.
The Manchurian Qing Dynasty
left the region alone until the imposition of direct rule in 1726, but the 19th century was one of constant unrest. A Yao revolt in 1831 was followed by the Taiping Rebellion
in 1850. The execution of St. Auguste Chapdelaine
by local officials in Guangxi provoked the Second Opium War
in 1858 and subsequent French interference in the interior. Although Brière de l'Isle was unable to invade its depot at Longzhou, the Guangxi Army saw a great deal of action in the 1884 Franco-Chinese War
. Largely ineffective within Vietnam, it was able to repulse the French from China itself at the Battle of Zhennan Pass.
, Guangxi seceded from the Qing Empire on 6 November 1911. The Qing governor, Shen Bingdan, initially remained in place, but was subsequently removed by a mutiny commanded by General Lu Rongting
. General Lu's Guangxi Clique
overran Hunan
and Guangdong
as well and helped lead the resistance
to Yuan Shikai
's attempt to reestablish an imperial government. Zhuang loyalty made his Self-Government Army
cohesive but reluctant to move far beyond its own provinces. Subsequent feuding with Sun Yat-sen
led to defeat in the 1920 and 1921 Yue-Gui Wars. After a brief occupation by Chen Jiongming
's Cantonese forces, Guangxi fell into disunity and profound banditry for several years until Li Zongren
's Guangxi Pacification Army established the New Guangxi Clique
dominated by Li, Huang Shaohong, and Bai Chongxi
.
Successful action in Hunan against Wu Peifu
led to the Zhuang GPA becoming known as the "Flying Army" and the "Army of Steel." After the death of Sun Yat-sen, Li also repulsed Tang Jiyao
's revolt in the Yunnan–Guangxi War and joined the Northern Expedition establishing Republican
control over other warlords. His was one of the few Nationalist units free from serious Communist influence and was therefore employed by Chiang Kai-shek
in the Shanghai Massacre of 1927
.
After a falling out with Chiang, Li joined Yan Xishan
's revolt in the Central Plains War
. His defeat did not remove him from control of Guangxi and the Mukden Incident
and Japanese invasion kept Chiang and the Communists from removing his influence until 1949. During World War II, Guangxi was a major target of Japanese attacks. The 1944 Operation Ichi-Go successfully expanded Japanese control along the rail lines through Guangxi into French Indochina
, although the line remained harassed by American bombers and Zhuang guerrillas under Bai Chongxi
.
s based on Chinese characters ("Sawndip"), Standard Zhuang was written with a mix of Roman and Cyrillic
letters between 1957 and 1982. It is now officially written using only Roman letters. Its Wikipedia
is za.wikipedia.org.
is nominally irreligious
as a Communist country. However, most Zhuang follow traditional animist practices known as Mo or Shigong which include elements of ancestor worship. The Mo have their own sutra
and professional priests known as Bu Mo who traditionally use chicken bones for divination. In Mo, the creator is known as Bu Luotuo and the universe is tripartite, with all things composed from the three elements heaven, earth, and water.
There are also a number of Buddhists
, Taoists, and Christians
in Guangxi.
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...
of people who mostly live in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Some also live in the Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
, Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
, Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
provinces. They form one of the 55 minority ethnic groups
Ethnic minorities in China
Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han Chinese population in the People's Republic of China. The People's Republic of China officially recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups within China in addition to the Han majority. As of 2010, the combined population of officially recognised minority...
officially recognized by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. With the Buyi, Tay
Tay people
The Tày people speak a language of the Central Tai language group, and live in northern Vietnam. They are sometimes also called Thô, T'o, Tai Tho, Ngan, Phen, Thu Lao, or Pa Di....
–Nùng
Nung people
The Nùng are an ethnic minority in Vietnam. In China, the Nùng, together with the Tày, are classified as Zhuang people.-Description:The population of the Nùng is estimated to be more than 700,000...
, and other northern Tai speakers, they are sometimes known as the Rau or Rao (Zhuang: Boux Raeuz). Their population, estimated at 18 million people, puts them second only to the Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
and makes the Zhuang the largest minority in China.
The Zhuang also have their own oral epic, the Baeu Rodo.
Chinese character names
The Chinese characterChinese character
Chinese characters are logograms used in the writing of Chinese and Japanese , less frequently Korean , formerly Vietnamese , or other languages...
used for the Zhuang people has changed several times. Their autonym
Autonym
Autonym may refer to*Autonym, the name used by a people to refer to themselves or their language, synonymous with endonym*Autonym, the true name of an author disclosed by resolving a pseudonym...
, "Cuengh" in Standard Zhuang
Standard Zhuang
The standard Zhuang language is the variety of Zhuang spoken in Wuming County in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, where it is an official language.-Classification:...
, was originally written with the rare character Zhuàng 獞 (or tóng, meaning "a variety of wild dog").). Chinese characters typically combine a semantic element or radical
Radical (Chinese character)
A Chinese radical is a component of a Chinese character. The term may variously refer to the original semantic element of a character, or to any semantic element, or, loosely, to any element whatever its origin or purpose...
and a phonetic element. John DeFrancis
John DeFrancis
John DeFrancis was an American linguist, sinologist, author of Chinese language textbooks, lexicographer of Chinese dictionaries, and Professor Emeritus of Chinese Studies at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa....
calls Zhuàng 獞, with the "dog radical
Radical 94
Radical 94 meaning "dog" is 1 of 34 Kangxi radicals composed of 4 strokes.In the Kangxi Dictionary there are 444 characters to be found under this radical.- Characters with Radical 94:-External links:*...
" 犭 and a tóng 童 phonetic, an ethnic slur and describes how the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
removed it. In 1949, after the Chinese civil war
Chinese Civil War
The Chinese Civil War was a civil war fought between the Kuomintang , the governing party of the Republic of China, and the Communist Party of China , for the control of China which eventually led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China and People's Republic of...
, the logograph 獞 was officially replaced with Zhuàng 僮 (or tóng "child; boy servant"), with the "human radical
Radical 9
Radical 9 meaning "person" is one of 23 of the 214 Kangxi radicals that are composed of 2 strokes.In the Kangxi Dictionary there are 794 characters to be found under this radical.- Characters with Radical 9:- Literature :...
" 亻and the same phonetic. Later, during the standardization of simplified Chinese characters, Zhuàng 僮 was changed to a completely different character Zhuàng 壮 (meaning "strong; robust").
Prehistory
While Chinese scholarship continues to place the "Zhuang–Dong languages" among the Sino-Tibetan familySino-Tibetan languages
The Sino-Tibetan languages are a language family comprising, at least, the Chinese and the Tibeto-Burman languages, including some 250 languages of East Asia, Southeast Asia and parts of South Asia. They are second only to the Indo-European languages in terms of the number of native speakers...
, other linguists now separate the Tai languages, with the most common hypothesis being an an Austronesian origin
Austro-Tai languages
Austro-Tai is a hypothesis that the Tai–Kadai and Austronesian language families of southern China and the Pacific are genealogically related. Related proposals include Austric and Sino-Austronesian .-Origins:...
, possibly beginning on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and migrating southwest across modern China.
Chinese Empires
The earliest historical records of the Zhuang so far discovered are among the Rock Paintings of Hua MountainRock Paintings of Hua Mountain
The Rock Paintings of Hua Mountain are an extensive assembly of historical rock art that were painted on limestone cliff faces in Guangxi, southern China over a period of several hundred years at least. The paintings are located on the west bank of the Ming River which is a tributary of the Zuo...
, dated to the Warring States Period
Warring States Period
The Warring States Period , also known as the Era of Warring States, or the Warring Kingdoms period, covers the Iron Age period from about 475 BC to the reunification of China under the Qin Dynasty in 221 BC...
(475–221 BC) of Chinese history.
Chinese records are minimal prior to their entry into the region, simply referring to the lands south of the Yangtze as the "Hundred Yue". Qin Shihuang's southern invasions are detailed in Sima Qian
Sima Qian
Sima Qian was a Prefect of the Grand Scribes of the Han Dynasty. He is regarded as the father of Chinese historiography for his highly praised work, Records of the Grand Historian , a "Jizhuanti"-style general history of China, covering more than two thousand years from the Yellow Emperor to...
's Records of the Grand Historian
Records of the Grand Historian
The Records of the Grand Historian, also known in English by the Chinese name Shiji , written from 109 BC to 91 BC, was the Magnum opus of Sima Qian, in which he recounted Chinese history from the time of the Yellow Emperor until his own time...
. The initial thrust south of the Nanling
Lingnan
Lingnan is a geographic area referring to lands in the south of China's "Five Ranges" which are Tayu, Qitian, Dupang, Mengzhu, Yuecheng. The region covers the Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan and Jiangxi provinces of modern China and northern Vietnam...
proved disastrous, with the general Tu Sui falling in battle around 218 BC, but his engineer Shi Lu completed the construction of the Ling Canal
Lingqu Canal
The Lingqu Canal is located in Xing'an County, near Guilin, in the northeastern corner of Guangxi Province, China. It connects the Xiang River with the Lijiang , which in its turn continues toward the Xijiang), and thus is part of a historical waterway between the Yangtze and the Pearl River...
, which linked the Xiang
Xiang River
The Xiang River , in older transliterations as the Siang River or Hsiang River, is a river in southern China...
and Li rivers. By 214, Zhao Tuo
Zhao Tuo
Zhao Tuo , was the founder of the kingdom of Nanyue |Zhao]]. The state of Zhao was defeated and absorbed by the state of Qin in 222 BC, whereupon Zhao Tuo became a citizen of the state of Qin. He later served in a Qin expeditionary force that was sent south...
and Ren Xiao had returned and pacified the Western Valley Yue, opening up Guangxi and the south to the immigration of hundreds of thousands of Chinese.
At the fall of the Qin Dynasty
Qin Dynasty
The Qin Dynasty was the first imperial dynasty of China, lasting from 221 to 207 BC. The Qin state derived its name from its heartland of Qin, in modern-day Shaanxi. The strength of the Qin state was greatly increased by the legalist reforms of Shang Yang in the 4th century BC, during the Warring...
a decade later, Zhao Tuo
Zhao Tuo
Zhao Tuo , was the founder of the kingdom of Nanyue |Zhao]]. The state of Zhao was defeated and absorbed by the state of Qin in 222 BC, whereupon Zhao Tuo became a citizen of the state of Qin. He later served in a Qin expeditionary force that was sent south...
(Vietnamese: Triệu Đà), using his position as the commander of the Nanhai Commandery, formed a state centered on Panyu
Panyu
Panyu District or Pun Yue District is a district in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It used to be a county-level city before it was incorporated in the administration of Guangzhou. The name of Panyu dates back to the completion of the conquest of Guangdong by Qin Shi Huang. It was the old name of...
called Southern Yue
Nanyue
Nanyue was an ancient kingdom that consisted of parts of the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan and northern Vietnam. Nanyue was established in 204 BC at the final collapse of the Qin Dynasty by Zhao Tuo, who was the military commander of Nanhai Commandery at the time, and...
(Nanyue). Alternatively submissive to and independent of Han
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
control, this Kingdom expanded colonization and Sinification under its policy of "Harmonizing and Gathering the Hundred Yue" (和集百越) but was supported by the Zhuang until its collapse in 211 BC.
The Han Dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...
reduced local authority and established military posts at Guilin
Guilin
Guilin is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of far southern China, sitting on the west bank of the Li River. Its name means "forest of Sweet Osmanthus", owing to the large number of fragrant Sweet Osmanthus trees located in the city...
, Wuzhou
Wuzhou
Wuzhou , historically known as Wuchow, is a prefecture-level city in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.-Geography and climate:Wuzhou is located in eastern Guangxi bordering Guangdong province. It is at the confluence of the Gui River and the Xun River where they form the Xi River; 85% of all...
, and Yulin
Yulin
Yulin may refer to the following locations in China:* Yulin, Guangxi , prefecture-level city* Yulin, Shaanxi , prefecture-level city** Yulin Xisha Airport , serving Yulin, Shaanxi* Yulin Port , port in Sanya, Hainan...
. An uprising in Vietnam led by the Trưng sisters
Trung Sisters
The Trưng sisters were leaders who rebelled against Chinese rule for three years, and are regarded as national heroines of Vietnam. Their names are Trưng Trắc and Trưng Nhị ....
was put down in AD 42 by general Ma Yuan
Ma Yuan
Ma Yuan was a Chinese general from Shaanxi, Xingping who served during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ma Teng and Ma Chao of the Three Kingdoms period were his descendants-Life and career:...
, who is recorded as helping to pacify the regions by improving its irrigation networks and improving various Han laws. Despite his efforts, immigration of the Yao
Yao people
The Yao nationality is a government classification for various minorities in China. They form one of the 55 ethnic minority groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China, where they reside in the mountainous terrain of the southwest and south...
from near Changsha unsettled the region.
Under the Tang
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
, the Zhuang moved to support the Tai kingdom of Southern Zhao
Nanzhao
Nanzhao, alternate spellings Nanchao and Nan Chao was a polity that flourished in what is now southern China and Southeast Asia during the 8th and 9th centuries...
(Nanzhao) in Yunnan which successfully repulsed imperial armies in 751 and 754. Guangxi was then divided into an area of Zhuang ascendancy west of Nanning and an area of Han ascendancy east of Nanning.
After the collapse of the Southern Zhao, Liu Yan
Liu Yan
Liu Yan , courtesy name Bosheng , was a general of one of the major uprisings against China's Xin Dynasty and its emperor, Wang Mang. Although he would have military successes, he would die early as a victim of political intrigue...
established the Southern Han
Southern Han
Southern Han was a kingdom that existed during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period along China’s southern coast from 917 to 971. The Kingdom greatly expanded her capital city Hing Wong Fu , namely present-day Guangzhou...
(Nanhan) in Guangdong. Although this state gained minimal control over the Zhuang, the Southern Han were plagued by instability and annexed by the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
in 971.
Harrassed by both Song and the Jiaozhi
Jiaozhi
Jiaozhi was the name of all or part of Vietnam's territory, from the Hùng Vương era to the middle of the Third Chinese domination, and during the Fourth Chinese domination.-Giao Chỉ in the Văn Lang era:...
in modern Vietnam, the Zhuang leader Nong Zhigao
Nong Zhigao
Nong Zhigao is a hero admired by the Zhuang people. His father was the head of local Zhuang people. According to the History of the Song Dynasty: Guangyuan Zhou Man Zhuan , as he became an adult he followed his father as the head of local Zhuang people in Quảng Nguyên...
led a revolt in 1052 for which he is still remembered by the Zhuang people. His independent kingdom was short-lived, however, and the tattooed Song general Di Qing
Di Qing
Di Qing , style name Hanchen , was a military general of the Northern Song Dynasty. He was born to a poor family in Xihe, Fenzhou . He sported tattoos on his face and excelled in mounted archery...
returned Guangxi to China.
The Mongolian Yuan Dynasty
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
established control over the Southern Song following the Battle of Yamen
Battle of Yamen
The naval Battle of Yamen took place on 19 March 1279 and is considered to be the last stand of the Song Dynasty against the invading Mongol-controlled Yuan Dynasty...
in 1279 and annexed the independent state of Dali
Kingdom of Dali
Dali or Great Li was a Bai kingdom centred in what is now Yunnan Province of China. Established by Duan Siping in 937, it was ruled by a succession of 22 kings until the year 1253, when it was conquered by an invasion of the Mongol Empire. The capital city was at Dali.- History :The Kingdom of...
that had arisen in Yunnan. Rather than ruling Lingnan as a subject territory, the Mongolians established Guangxi as a proper province, but the introduction of the Miao
Miao people
The Miao or ม้ง ; ) is an ethnic group recognized by the government of the People's Republic of China as one of the 55 official minority groups. Miao is a Chinese term and does not reflect the self-designations of the component nations of people, which include Hmong, Hmu, A Hmao, and Kho Xiong...
from Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...
and Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
kept the region unsettled.
The area continued to be unruly, leading the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
to employ the different groups against one another. One of the bloodiest battles in Zhuang history was that at Big Rattan Gorge against the Yao in 1465, where 20,000 deaths were reported.
The Manchurian Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
left the region alone until the imposition of direct rule in 1726, but the 19th century was one of constant unrest. A Yao revolt in 1831 was followed by the Taiping Rebellion
Taiping Rebellion
The Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
in 1850. The execution of St. Auguste Chapdelaine
Auguste Chapdelaine
Father Auguste Chapdelaine was a French Christian missionary of the Paris Foreign Missions Society.-Biography:He was born in La Rochelle-Normande, France...
by local officials in Guangxi provoked the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
in 1858 and subsequent French interference in the interior. Although Brière de l'Isle was unable to invade its depot at Longzhou, the Guangxi Army saw a great deal of action in the 1884 Franco-Chinese War
Sino-French War
The Sino–French War was a limited conflict fought between August 1884 and April 1885 to decide whether France should replace China in control of Tonkin . As the French achieved their war aims, they are usually considered to have won the war...
. Largely ineffective within Vietnam, it was able to repulse the French from China itself at the Battle of Zhennan Pass.
Modern times
Following the Wuchang UprisingWuchang Uprising
The Wuchang Uprising began with the dissatisfaction of the handling of a railway crisis. The crisis then escalated to an uprising where the revolutionaries went up against Qing government officials. The uprising was then assisted by the New Army in a coup against their own authorities in the city...
, Guangxi seceded from the Qing Empire on 6 November 1911. The Qing governor, Shen Bingdan, initially remained in place, but was subsequently removed by a mutiny commanded by General Lu Rongting
Lu Rongting
Lu Rongting was born in Wuming, Guangxi, China. Originating as a common bandit, Lu became a military commander in Guangxi in the Qing dynasty and suppressed the revolutionary uprising at Zhennan Pass on the Sino-Vietnam border in Pingxiang, Guangxi led by Sun Yat-sen and Huang Xing.However, when...
. General Lu's Guangxi Clique
Old Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi Clique. Led by Lu Rongting, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
overran Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
and Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
as well and helped lead the resistance
National Protection War
The National Protection War , also known as the anti-Monarchy War, was a civil war that took place in China between 1915 and 1916. The cause of this war was Yuan Shikai's proclamation of himself as Emperor. Only three years earlier, the last Chinese dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, had been overthrown...
to Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai
Yuan Shikai was an important Chinese general and politician famous for his influence during the late Qing Dynasty, his role in the events leading up to the abdication of the last Qing Emperor of China, his autocratic rule as the second President of the Republic of China , and his short-lived...
's attempt to reestablish an imperial government. Zhuang loyalty made his Self-Government Army
Self-government Army
The Self-Government Army was a regional army in Guangxi during the Warlord era of the early 1920s. The soldiers were primarily from the southwest of Guangxi and were largely Zhuang. Their commanders were warlords like Lu Rongting of the Old Guangxi clique...
cohesive but reluctant to move far beyond its own provinces. Subsequent feuding with Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen
Sun Yat-sen was a Chinese doctor, revolutionary and political leader. As the foremost pioneer of Nationalist China, Sun is frequently referred to as the "Father of the Nation" , a view agreed upon by both the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China...
led to defeat in the 1920 and 1921 Yue-Gui Wars. After a brief occupation by Chen Jiongming
Chen Jiongming
Chen Jiongming was a revolutionary figure in the early periods of the Republic of China. Chen Jiongming was born in 1878 at Haifeng, Guangdong, China....
's Cantonese forces, Guangxi fell into disunity and profound banditry for several years until Li Zongren
Li Zongren
Li Zongren or Li Tsung-jen , courtesy name Delin , was a prominent Guangxi warlord and Kuomintang military commander during the Northern Expedition, Second Sino-Japanese War and Chinese Civil War...
's Guangxi Pacification Army established the New Guangxi Clique
New Guangxi clique
After the founding of the Republic of China, Guangxi served as the base for one of the most powerful warlord cliques of China: the Old Guangxi clique. Led by Lu Rongting and others, the clique was able to take control of neighbouring Hunan and Guangdong provinces as well...
dominated by Li, Huang Shaohong, and Bai Chongxi
Bai Chongxi
Bai Chongxi , , also spelled Pai Chung-hsi, was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and a prominent Chinese Nationalist Muslim leader. He was of Hui ethnicity and of the Muslim faith...
.
Successful action in Hunan against Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu
Wu Peifu or Wu P'ei-fu , was a major figure in the struggles between the warlords who dominated Republican China from 1916 to 1927.- Early career :...
led to the Zhuang GPA becoming known as the "Flying Army" and the "Army of Steel." After the death of Sun Yat-sen, Li also repulsed Tang Jiyao
Tang Jiyao
Tang Jiyao was a Chinese general and warlord of Yunnan during the Warlord Era of Republican China. Tang Jiyao was military governor of Yunnan from 1913-1927.-Life:...
's revolt in the Yunnan–Guangxi War and joined the Northern Expedition establishing Republican
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
control over other warlords. His was one of the few Nationalist units free from serious Communist influence and was therefore employed by Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek
Chiang Kai-shek was a political and military leader of 20th century China. He is known as Jiǎng Jièshí or Jiǎng Zhōngzhèng in Mandarin....
in the Shanghai Massacre of 1927
Shanghai massacre of 1927
The April 12 Incident of 1927 refers to the violent suppression of Chinese Communist Party organizations in Shanghai by the military forces of Chiang Kai-shek and conservative factions in the Kuomintang...
.
After a falling out with Chiang, Li joined Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan
Yan Xishan, was a Chinese warlord who served in the government of the Republic of China. Yan effectively controlled the province of Shanxi from the 1911 Xinhai Revolution to the 1949 Communist victory in the Chinese Civil War...
's revolt in the Central Plains War
Central Plains War
Central Plains War was a civil war within the factionalised Kuomintang that broke out in 1930. It was fought between the forces of Chiang Kai-shek and the coalition of three military commanders who had previously allied with Chiang: Yan Xishan, Feng Yuxiang, and Li Zongren...
. His defeat did not remove him from control of Guangxi and the Mukden Incident
Mukden Incident
The Mukden Incident, also known as the Manchurian Incident, was a staged event that was engineered by Japanese military personnel as a pretext for invading the northern part of China known as Manchuria in 1931....
and Japanese invasion kept Chiang and the Communists from removing his influence until 1949. During World War II, Guangxi was a major target of Japanese attacks. The 1944 Operation Ichi-Go successfully expanded Japanese control along the rail lines through Guangxi into French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, although the line remained harassed by American bombers and Zhuang guerrillas under Bai Chongxi
Bai Chongxi
Bai Chongxi , , also spelled Pai Chung-hsi, was a Chinese general in the National Revolutionary Army of the Republic of China and a prominent Chinese Nationalist Muslim leader. He was of Hui ethnicity and of the Muslim faith...
.
Food
Zhuang cuisine includes many salty and sour dishes such as pickled cabbage, pickled vegetables and pork, and dried fish. A common Zhuang drink is "oil tea", tea leaves fried in oil with rice grains brewed and drunk with peanuts or a rice cake.Language
Previously written using logogramLogogram
A logogram, or logograph, is a grapheme which represents a word or a morpheme . This stands in contrast to phonograms, which represent phonemes or combinations of phonemes, and determinatives, which mark semantic categories.Logograms are often commonly known also as "ideograms"...
s based on Chinese characters ("Sawndip"), Standard Zhuang was written with a mix of Roman and Cyrillic
Cyrillic alphabet
The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
letters between 1957 and 1982. It is now officially written using only Roman letters. Its Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
is za.wikipedia.org.
Religion
The People's Republic of ChinaPeople's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
is nominally irreligious
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
as a Communist country. However, most Zhuang follow traditional animist practices known as Mo or Shigong which include elements of ancestor worship. The Mo have their own sutra
Sutra
Sūtra is an aphorism or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. Literally it means a thread or line that holds things together and is derived from the verbal root siv-, meaning to sew , as does the medical term...
and professional priests known as Bu Mo who traditionally use chicken bones for divination. In Mo, the creator is known as Bu Luotuo and the universe is tripartite, with all things composed from the three elements heaven, earth, and water.
There are also a number of Buddhists
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
, Taoists, and Christians
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
in Guangxi.
Notable Zhuang people
- Madame Xian, Heroine of the Zhuang people in Southern and Northern DynastiesSouthern and Northern DynastiesThe Southern and Northern Dynasties was a period in the history of China that lasted from 420 to 589 AD. Though an age of civil war and political chaos, it was also a time of flourishing arts and culture, advancement in technology, and the spreading of Mahayana Buddhism and Daoism...
. - Nong ZhigaoNong ZhigaoNong Zhigao is a hero admired by the Zhuang people. His father was the head of local Zhuang people. According to the History of the Song Dynasty: Guangyuan Zhou Man Zhuan , as he became an adult he followed his father as the head of local Zhuang people in Quảng Nguyên...
, Hero of the Zhuang people in Song DynastySong DynastyThe Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. - Zheng Xianfu, Scholar of the Zhuang people in Qing DynastyQing DynastyThe Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
. - Xiao ChaoguiXiao ChaoguiXiao Chaogui was an important leader during the Taiping Rebellion against the Qing government 1850-1864. He was a brother-in-law to Hong Xiuquan and was able to serve as a mouth piece for Jesus Christ during many 'heavenly visitations' Jesus paid to the Taiping...
, South King of the Taiping Rebellion. - Shi DakaiShi DakaiShi Dakai , born in Guigang, Guangxi, also known as Wing King or phonetically translated as E-Wang, was one of the most highly acclaimed leaders in the Taiping Rebellion and a poet....
, Yi King of the Taiping RebellionTaiping RebellionThe Taiping Rebellion was a widespread civil war in southern China from 1850 to 1864, led by heterodox Christian convert Hong Xiuquan, who, having received visions, maintained that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty...
. - Wei ChanghuiWei ChanghuiWei Changhui was the North King of the Taiping Rebellion.-Pre-Rebellion involvement:During the early days of the movement during the 1840s, Wei was converted to Christianity by Feng Yunshan and Hong Xiuquan...
, North King of the Taiping Rebellion. - Wei Baqun, Leader of the Peasant Movement in Modern ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Huang XianfanHuang XianfanHuang Xianfan was a famous Chinese historian, ethnologist and educator.A scholar with both ancient and modern knowledge, his work Brief History of Zhuang Nationality is the first systematic research on the history of Zhuang nationality in China...
, Chinese historian and ethnologist, considered the founder of Zhuang studiesZhuang studiesZhuang studies is an interdisciplinary intellectual field concerned with the Zhuang people – their history, anthropology, religion, politics, languages, and literature. The majority of such research is being carried out in the People's Republic of China... - Li NingLi NingLi Ning is a well-known Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur. He was born in an ethnic Zhuang family.-Gymnastics career:...
, Chinese gymnast and entrepreneur
External links
- The Zhuang: A Longitudinal Study of Their History and Their Culture, by Jeffrey Barlow
- 壮族在线