The She people (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhiàchhu̍k), self-identified as Shanke people (; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sânhakngìn), colloquially known as Shanha people (), are an ethnic group native to southern China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China.
According to the 2021 China Statistical Yearbook, the total population of the She was 746,385, including 403,516 males and 342,869 females. The She are the largest ethnic minority in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces. They are also present in the provinces of Anhui and Guangdong. Some descendants of the She also exist amongst the Hakka community in Taiwan.
Languages Today, over 400,000 She people of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces speak Shanke dialect (), an unclassified Chinese variety that has been heavily influenced by Hakka Chinese.
There are approximately 1,200 She people in Guangdong province who speak a Hmong–Mien language called She (), which is also called Ho Ne meaning "mountain people" (). Some say they are descendants of the Dongyi, Nanman, or Yue peoples.
Shanke dialect should not be confused with She (Ho Ne). Shanke () and Ho Ne () speakers have separate histories and identities, although both are officially classified by the Chinese government as She people. The Dongjia of Majiang County, Guizhou are also officially classified as She people, but speak a Western Hmongic language closely related to Chong'anjiang Miao ().
History Some scholars believe that the birthplace of the She ethnic group may be Phoenix Mountain () in the north of Chao'an District, Chaozhou.姜永兴. (1988). 潮州凤凰山畲族 “祖坟” 考察. 中央民族学院学报, 4.陈耿之. (2004). 畲族的发源地与畲族的文化影响. 学术研究, (10), 112-119.雷楠, & 石岩. (2007). 广东潮州凤凰山畲族的族称及来源. 神州民俗, (9), 6-9.杨姝. (2010). 广东潮州凤凰山畲族语言现状与保护对策. 韩山师范学院学报, 31(1), 6-8. The She people are some of the earliest known settlers of Guangdong; they are thought to have originally settled along the shallow shore for easier fishing access during the Neolithic era. Eventually, after an influx of Yue people moved south during the Warring States period, serious competition between the two peoples for resources developed.
From the time of the Qin dynasty on, waves of migrants from northern China have had a serious impact on the She people. Because they possessed superior tools and technology, these migrants were able to displace the She and occupy the better land for farming. As a result of this, some of the She were forced to relocate into the hilly areas of the Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.
Following this relocation, the She people became hillside farmers. Their methods of farming included burning grasses on the slope, casting rice seeds on those embers and then harvesting the produce following the growth season. Some of the She people also participated in the production and trade of salt, obtained from the evaporation of local pools of salt water.
Many conflicts took place between the Han Chinese and She peoples. For example, in one incident, She salt producers on Lantau Island in Hong Kong attacked the city of Canton in a revolt during the Song dynasty.
During the Ming-Qing dynasties they moved into and settled Zhejiang's southern region and mountain districts in the Lower Yangtze region, after they left their homeland in Northern Fujian. It is theorized that the She were pushed out of their land by the Hakka, which caused them to move into Zhejiang.
Autonomous counties and ethnic townships in China Zhejiang
Hangzhou Eshan She Ethnic Township () in Tonglu County
Quzhou Muchen She Ethnic Township () in Longyou County
Jinhua Shuiting She Ethnic Township () in Lanxi City Liucheng She Ethnic Town () in Wuyi County
Wenzhou Qingjie She Ethnic Township () in Pingyang County Xikeng She Ethnic Town () in Wencheng County Zhoushan She Ethnic Township () in Wencheng County Fengyang She Ethnic Township () in Cangnan County Dailing She Ethnic Township () in Cangnan County Siqian She Ethnic Town () in Taishun County Zhuli She Ethnic Township () in Taishun County
Lishui Jingning She Autonomous County () Laozhu She Ethnic Town () in Liandu District Lixin She Ethnic Township () in Liandu District Wuxi She Ethnic Township () in Yunhe County Anxi She Ethnic Township () in Yunhe County Zhuyang She Ethnic Township () in Longquan City Sanren She Ethnic Township () in Suichang County Banqiao She Ethnic Township () in Songyang County
Anhui Xuancheng Yunti She Ethnic Township () in Ningguo City
Fujian
Fuzhou Xiaocang She Ethnic Township () in Lianjiang County Huoko She Ethnic Township () in Luoyuan County
Ningde Muyun She Ethnic Township () in Fu'an City Kangcuo She Ethnic Township () in Fu'an City Banzhong She Ethnic Township () in Fu'an City Xiamen She Ethnic Township () in Fuding City Yantian She Ethnic Township () in Xiapu County Shuimen She Ethnic Township () in Xiapu County Chongru She Ethnic Township () in Xiapu County
Zhangzhou Longjiao She Ethnic Township () in Longhai City Huxi She Ethnic Township () in Zhangpu County Chiling She Ethnic Township () in Zhangpu County
Longyan Gongzhuang She Ethnic Township () in Shanghang County Lufeng She Ethnic Township () in Shanghang County
Jiangxi
Shangrao Taiyuan She Ethnic Township () in Yanshan County Huangbi She Ethnic Township () in Yanshan County
Yingtan Zhangping She Ethnic Township () in Guixi City
Fuzhou Jinzhu She Ethnic Township () in Le'an County
Ganzhou Chitu She Ethnic Township () in Nankang City
Ji'an Donggu She Ethnic Township () in Qingyuan District Longgang She Ethnic Township () in Yongfeng County Jinping Ethnic Township ()Est. 2008, Jinping is home to eight minority nations, living in 19 designated villages (村, cun). The township as a whole cannot be said to be expressly for the She. In all, Jiangxi Province has 56 She villages in non-She townships. in Xiajiang County
Guangdong
Heyuan Zhangxi She Ethnic Township () in Dongyuan County
Distribution of She people in China
The roughly 45,000 She living in Guizhou province form a separate subgroup, the Dongjia (), who differ notably in culture from the She in other areas.
Provincial level In the Census of 2020, 746,385 She have been counted in China. Distribution of She people in China Administrative division Number of She Percentage of all She in China Fujian 374,663 50.20% Zhejiang 182,507 24.45% Jiangxi 74,072 9.92% Guangdong 42,080 5.64% Guizhou 41,794 5.60% Shanghai 4,476 0.60% Hunan 3,800 0.51% Hubei 3,748 0.50% Other Provinces 19,245 2.58%
District level Distribution of She people by district (as of 2000)
Only values of 0.5% and greater have been considered. Province Prefecture-level division County-level division Number of She Relative percentage of all She in China Fujian Ningde Fu'an 59,931 8.45% Guizhou Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture Majiang County 35,422 4.99% Fujian Ningde Xiapu County 35,071 4.94% Fujian Longyan Shanghang County 30,735 4.33% Fujian Ningde Fuding 28,207 3.98% Fujian Ningde Jiaocheng District 22,054 3.11% Fujian Ningde Xiapu County XXX XXX% Fujian Zhangzhou Zhangpu County 20,729 2.92% Zhejiang Lishui Liandu District 19,455 2.74% Fujian Fuzhou Luoyuan County 18,495 2.61% Zhejiang Lishui Jingning She Autonomous County 16,144 2.28% Zhejiang Wenzhou Cangnan County 16,133 2.27% Zhejiang Wenzhou Taishun County 13,862 1.95% Zhejiang Lishui Suichang 13,658 1.92% Fujian Fuzhou Lianjiang County 11,918 1.68% Fujian Zhangzhou Zhao'an 11,048 1.56% Fujian Zhangzhou Longhai 9,583 1.35% Zhejiang Wenzhou Wencheng County 9,287 1.31% Zhejiang Wenzhou Pingyang County 9,137 1.29% Zhejiang Quzhou Longyou County 8,934 1.26% Jiangxi Ganzhou Nankang 8,888 1.25% Zhejiang Lishui Yunhe County 8,884 1.25% Fujian Quanzhou Anxi County 8,673 1.22% Fujian Ningde Gutian County 7,708 1.09% Zhejiang Lishui Longquan 7,486 1.05% Zhejiang Jinhua Wuyi County 7,218 1.02% Fujian Sanming Ninghua County 7,003 0.99% Jiangxi Ganzhou Xinfeng County 6,462 0.91% Fujian Nanping Shunchang County 6,246 0.88% Jiangxi Ganzhou Xingguo County 5,777 0.81% Fujian Quanzhou Quangang District 5,521 0.78% Jiangxi Ganzhou Dayu County 5,380 0.76% Fujian Fuzhou Fuqing 5,261 0.74% Fujian Quanzhou Nan'an 5,218 0.74% Fujian Sanming Yong'an 4,637 0.65% Guangdong Heyuan Dongyuan County 4,621 0.65% Zhejiang Hangzhou Tonglu County 4,536 0.64% Zhejiang Lishui Songyang County 4,526 0.64% Guangdong Shaoguan Nanxiong 4,430 0.62% Fujian Zhangzhou Xiangcheng District 4,332 0.61% Fujian Nanping Jianyang 4,327 0.61% Fujian Fuzhou Yongtai County 4,231 0.6% Guizhou Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Fuquan 4,022 0.57% Fujian Xiamen Huli District 4,017 0.57% Zhejiang Quzhou Qujiang District 4,014 0.57% Fujian Fuzhou Jin'an District 3,867 0.54% Jiangxi Ganzhou Huichang County 3,632 0.51% Jiangxi Ganzhou Yudu County 3,630 0.51% Zhejiang Hangzhou Lin'an 3,616 0.51% Rest of China 161,626 22.78%
Notes and references
www.zgshezu.com/ {畲族网工作室}
External links Official Website of Jingning She Autonomous County She Nationality The She ethnic minority Chinese Nationalities (She Minority) 畲族网