Wenzhou people or Wenzhounese people is a subgroup of Oujiang

Wu Chinese The Wu languages (; Romanization of Wu Chinese, Wu romanization and Romanization of Wu Chinese#IPA, IPA: ''wu6 gniu6'' [] (Shanghainese), ''ng2 gniu6'' [] (Suzhounese), Mandarin pinyin and IPA: ''Wúyǔ'' []) is a major group of Sinitic languag ...

speaking peoples, who live primarily in Wenzhou, [ hejiang province. Wenzhou people are known for their business and money-making skills. The area also has a large diaspora population in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, with a reputation for being enterprising natives who start restaurants, retail and wholesale businesses in their adopted countries. About two-thirds of the overseas community is in Europe. Wenzhounese people have also made notable contributions to mathematics and technology.

History

Wenzhou was the home territory of the

Dong'ou Kingdom Dong'ou () also known as Ouyue (), was an ancient kingdom in modern Wenzhou and Taizhou, Zhejiang Province, China. The realm of Dong'ou was given to Zou Yao by Emperor Gaozu of Han in 192 BC. During the Han campaigns against Minyue in 138 BC, ...

, which have been conquered by the Minyue Kingdom and later by the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. The majority of people in Wenzhou are descendants of immigrants and about 80% came from Fujian province. From the Tang, Song to Ming and Qing dynasties, a great number of families in Fujian province immigrated to Wenzhou with all their family members.

Culture

Language

Wenzhou natives speak a unique form of

called Wenzhou dialect. However, geographic isolation and an admixture of

Southern Min Southern Min (), Minnan (Mandarin pronunciation: ) or Banlam (), is a group of linguistically similar and historically related Sinitic languages that form a branch of Min Chinese spoken in Fujian (especially the Minnan region), most of Taiwan ( ...

Chinese speakers from nearby

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

Province, have caused Wenzhou's spoken language to evolve into a dialect that is notable for its highly divergent phonology. As a result, even people from other regions of [ hejiang and

both have trouble understanding

Wenzhounese Wenzhounese (), also known as Oujiang (), Tong Au () or Au Nyü (), is the language spoken in Wenzhou, the southern prefecture of Zhejiang, China. Nicknamed the "Devil's Language" () for its complexity and difficulty, it is the most divergent div ...

. The Taizhou dialect, located directly to the north, has little to no mutual intelligibility with Wenzhou. Many Wenzhou natives also speak a

dialect called

Zhenan Min Zhenan Min (), is a Min Nan Chinese language spoken in the vicinity of Wenzhou, in the southeast of Zhejiang province. The Zhenan Min people had settled in areas such as Cangnan County, Pingyang County, Yuhuan County and Dongtou County from ...

. The Wenzhou dialect preserves a large amount of vocabulary of

classical Chinese Classical Chinese, also known as Literary Chinese (古文 ''gǔwén'' "ancient text", or 文言 ''wényán'' "text speak", meaning "literary language/speech"; modern vernacular: 文言文 ''wényánwén'' "text speak text", meaning "literar ...

lost in most other Chinese dialects, earning itself the nickname "the

living fossil A living fossil is an extant taxon that cosmetically resembles related species known only from the fossil record. To be considered a living fossil, the fossil species must be old relative to the time of origin of the extant clade. Living fossi ...

", and has distinct grammatical differences from Mandarin. Due to its high degree of eccentricity and difficulty for non-locals to understand, the language is reputed to have been used during the

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

during wartime communication as

code talker A code talker was a person employed by the military during wartime to use a little-known language as a means of secret communication. The term is now usually associated with United States service members during the world wars who used their k ...

s and in

Sino-Vietnamese War The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by #Names, other names) was a border war fought between China and Vietnam in early 1979. China launched an offensive in response to Vietnam's Cambodian–Vietnamese War, actions against the Khmer Rouge in 1 ...

for programming military

code In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...

Opera

Nanxi is a form of Chinese opera developed in Wenzhou, which is the earliest form of traditional

Chinese Opera Traditional Chinese opera (), or ''Xiqu'', is a form of musical theatre in China with roots going back to the early periods in China. It is an amalgamation of various art forms that existed in ancient China, and evolved gradually over more tha ...

in the history of China.

Philosophy

Wenzhou was home to the Yongjia School of thought, which emphasized pragmatism and commerce. This philosophy is thought to have been a forerunner to modern capitalism in the region.

People of Excellence and Land of Wisdom

There is a popular saying in China that reflects the status of the city of Wenzhou related to the Fengshui of Wenzhou which is "People of Excellence and Land of Wisdom"(人傑地靈), as the local

people are usually described in China as the people of excellence and the city of Wenzhou is usually praised as the city of wisdom.

Birthplace of China's private economy

In the early days of economic reforms, local Wenzhounese took the lead in China in developing a

commodity In economics, a commodity is an economic good, usually a resource, that has full or substantial fungibility: that is, the market treats instances of the good as equivalent or nearly so with no regard to who produced them. The price of a comm ...

economy, household industries and specialized markets. Many thousands of people and families were engaged in household manufacturing to develop individual and private economy (

private enterprise A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in the respective listed markets, but rather the company's stock is ...

). Up till now, Wenzhou has a total of 240,000 individually owned commercial and industrial units and 130,000 private enterprises of which 180 are group companies, 4 among China's top 500 enterprises and 36 among national 500 top private enterprises. There are 27 national production bases such as "China’s Shoes Capital" and "China’s Capital of Electrical Equipment", China's 40 famous trademarks and China's famous-brand products and 67 national inspection-exempt products in the city. The development of private economy in Wenzhou has created the "Wenzhou Economic Model", which inspires the modernization drive in China.

Education

, 650,300 people in Wenzhou hold a college degree; 1,150,400 people hold a high school degree; 3,344,400 people hold a middle school degree; 2,679,900 people hold an elementary school degree. In every 100,000 people in Wenzhou, 7128 people hold a college degree; 12611 people hold a high school degree; 36663 people hold a middle school degree and 29379 people hold an elementary school degree. The population of illiterate people in Wenzhou is 645,100, which is 7.07% of its whole population.

Regions

Wenzhou

At the time of the 2010 Chinese census, 3,039,500 people lived in Wenzhou's city proper; the area under its jurisdiction (which includes two satellite cities and six counties) held a population of 9,122,100 of which 31.16% are non-local residents from outside of Wenzhou.

Rest of mainland China

There are around 1.7 million Wenzhounese people living in other parts of the country. In major cities such as

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

there are "Zhejiang villages", enclaves where people from Wenzhou reside and do business.

Italy

In 2010, an analysis conducted by the

CESNUR CESNUR (Centro Studi sulle Nuove Religioni, "Center for Studies on New Religions"), is a non-profit organization based in Turin, Italy that studies new religious movements and opposes the anti-cult movement. It was established in 1988 by Massimo ...

and the

University of Turin The University of Turin (Italian: ''Università degli Studi di Torino'', UNITO) is a public research university in the city of Turin, in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is one of the oldest universities in Europe and continues to play an impo ...

on the 4,000-strong Chinese community of

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

showed that at that time, 48% of this community was women and 30%, minors. Most of the Chinese in Italy—and virtually all of the Turin community—hail from the southeastern Chinese province of hejiang,_primarily_the_city_of_Wenzhou.html" ;"title="hejiang, primarily the city of Wenzhou">hejiang, primarily the city of Wenzhou. The community in Turin is younger than other Chinese settlements in Italy, and for this reason it depends as a branch of the community of Milan. Approximately 70% of the Chinese in Turin work in restaurant activity, and more than 20% work in commercial activity. Prato, Tuscany has the largest concentration of Chinese people in Italy, and all of

. It has the second largest population of Chinese people overall in Italy, after

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

The Netherlands

The Netherlands currently has the third largest population of Wenzhounese in Europe.

Spain

About 70% of the

Chinese people in Spain Chinese people in Spain form the ninth-largest non-European Union foreign community in Spain. , official figures showed 145,425 Chinese citizens residing in Spain; however, this figure does not include people with origins in other Overseas Chinese ...

are from Wenzhou or

Qingtian Qingtian (), is a county in southeastern Zhejiang Province, on the middle-lower reaches of the Ou River which flows 388 kilometers (241 mi) before finally reaching the city of Wenzhou and emptying into the East China Sea. The county is known ...

United States

Wenzhou people in the United States are mostly concentrated on the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

, particularly around the

New York City metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...

. Many Wenzhou people are owners of

Chinese restaurant A Chinese restaurant is an establishment that serves a Chinese cuisine. Most of them are in the Cantonese cuisine, Cantonese style, due to the history of the Overseas Chinese, Chinese diaspora and adapted to local taste preferences, as in t ...

s. They are the second largest group of Chinese

undocumented immigrants in the United States Illegal immigration to the United States is the process of migrating into the United States in violation of federal immigration laws. This can include foreign nationals (aliens) who have entered the United States unlawfully, as well as thos ...

, after Fuzhounese people. The total Wenzhou population in the US was estimated to be around 250,000 in 2016.

Japan

Japan was the destination for many Wenzhounese migrants in the beginning of the 20th century, however many of them returned following the rise of anti-foreign sentiment and ultimately the outbreak of the

second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...

Notable Wenzhounese people

Mathematicians

File:Sunyirang linguist.jpg,

Sun Yirang Sun Yirang (; 1848–1908) was a Qing dynasty Chinese philologist. A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province, he retired from official employment early in his life to devote himself to scholarship. His most important works are ''Mozi Jiangu'' (墨� ...

, famous mathematician and

oracle bones Oracle bones () are pieces of ox scapula and turtle plastron, which were used for pyromancy – a form of divination – in ancient China, mainly during the late Shang dynasty. ''Scapulimancy'' is the correct term if ox scapulae were used for the ...

translator. File:姜立夫.png,

Jiang Lifu Jiang Lifu (4 July 1890 – 3 February 1978) was a Chinese mathematician and educator widely regarded as the Father of modern Chinese mathematics. His main research areas are the theory of syringine geometry and Matrix (mathematics), matrix. Li ...

, father of mathematics in modern China. *

孫诒让 (1848–1908), pioneer of decipherment of

oracle bone script Oracle bone script () is an ancient form of Chinese characters that were engraved on oracle bonesanimal bones or Turtle shell#Plastron, turtle plastrons used in pyromancy, pyromantic divination. Oracle bone script was used in the late 2nd millen ...

, founder of the first mathematical academy in the history of China, mentor of Huang Qingcheng *Huang Qingcheng 黄庆澄 (1863–1904), uncle of Jiang Lifu, founder of the first periodical of mathematics in the history of China, student of

姜立夫 (1890–1978), father of mathematics in modern China, first president of

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

of Mathematics, mentor of Su Buqing,

Shiing-Shen Chern Shiing-Shen Chern (; , ; October 28, 1911 – December 3, 2004) was a Chinese-American mathematician and poet. He made fundamental contributions to differential geometry and topology. He has been called the "father of modern differential geome ...

Hua Luogeng Hua Luogeng or Hua Loo-Keng (; 12 November 1910 – 12 June 1985) was a Chinese mathematician and politician famous for his important contributions to number theory and for his role as the leader of mathematics research and education in the Peop ...

, father of Jiang Boju, nephew and student of Huang Qingcheng * Su Buqing 苏步青 (1902–2003), mathematician, president and honorary president of

Fudan University Fudan University () is a national public research university in Shanghai, China. Fudan is a member of the C9 League, Project 985, Project 211, and the Double First Class University identified by the Ministry of Education of China. It is als ...

, honorary chairman of the Chinese Mathematical Society, first geometer in the

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

, renowned as "King of Math" in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, student of Jiang Lifu * Li Ruifu 李锐夫(1903–1987), prominent mathematician and astronomer, author of Solar System, former vice president of Shanghai Mathematical Society and Shanghai Astronomical Society *

Shu Shien-Siu Shu Shien-Siu (; 1912–2001), also known as S. S. Shu, was a Chinese/Taiwanese mathematician, engineer and educator. Biography Shu was born in Yongjia, Wenzhou, Zhejiang on 12 Sep 1912. Shu studied at Wenzhou High School. In 1935, Shu gradua ...

徐賢修 (1912—2002), former prime minister of

Ministry of Science and Technology A Science Ministry or Department of Science is a ministry or other government agency charged with science. The ministry is often headed by a Minister for Science. List of Ministries of Science Many countries have a Ministry of Science or Ministry ...

of Republic of China, president of

National Tsing Hua University National Tsing Hua University (NTHU; ) is a public research university in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. National Tsing Hua University was first founded in Beijing. After the Chinese Civil War, the then-president of the university, Mei Yiqi, and other ...

, father of

Hsinchu Science and Industrial Park The Hsinchu Science Park (HSP; ) is an industrial park established by the government of Taiwan on 15 December 1980. It straddles Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County in Taiwan. History The idea of the establishment of the Hsinchu Science Park was ...

, renowned as the father of high-tech industry in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Xiang Fuchen Xiang or Hsiang may refer to: *Xiang (place), the site of Hong Xiuquan's destruction of a Chinese idol early in the Taiping Rebellion *Xiang (surname), three unrelated surnames: Chinese: 項 and Chinese: 向 (both ''Xiàng'') and Chinese: 相 (''X ...

项黼宸 (1916–1990), former chair of the Department of Mathematics at

National Taiwan University National Taiwan University (NTU; ) is a public research university in Taipei, Taiwan. The university was founded in 1928 during Japanese rule as the seventh of the Imperial Universities. It was named Taihoku Imperial University and served d ...

, former president of

of Mathematics * Bai Zhengguo 白正國 (1916–2015), one of the pioneers of geometry in China, student of Su Buqing, mentor of Gu Chaohao *

Chung Tao Yang Chung Tao Yang, or Chung-Tao Yang, Yang Zhongdao (Traditional Chinese: 楊忠道, Simplified Chinese: 杨忠道, Pinyin: Yáng Zhòngdào) (May 4, 1923 – 2005), was a notable Chinese American topologist. He was an academician of the Academia Si ...

杨忠道 (1923–2005), chair of the Department of Mathematics at

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

from 1978 to 1983, student of Su Buqing * Zhang Mingyong 张鸣镛 (1926–1986), vice chair of Department of Mathematics at

Xiamen University Xiamen University (; Southern Min: ''Ē-mn̂g-toā-o̍h''), colloquially known as Xia Da (; Southern Min: ''Hā-tāi''), is a national public research university in Xiamen, Fujian, China. Founded in 1921 by Tan Kah Kee, a Chinese patriotic exp ...

, mentor of Chen Jingrun, student of Su Buqing *

Gu Chaohao Gu Chaohao (; May 15, 1926 – June 24, 2012) was a Chinese mathematician. He graduated from National Chekiang University (Zhejiang University) in 1948, and received a doctorate in physics and mathematical science from Moscow University in 1959. ...

谷超豪 (1926–2012), vice president of

, president of

University of Science and Technology of China A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

, student of Su Buqing, Bai Zhengguo *

Wu-Chung Hsiang Wu-Chung Hsiang (; born 12 June 1935 in Zhejiang) is a Chinese-American mathematician, specializing in topology. Hsiang served as chairman of the Department of Mathematics at Princeton University from 1982 to 1985 and was one of the most influenti ...

项武忠 (1935–), chair of the Department of Mathematics at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

from 1982 to 1985, son of Xiang Changquan * Wu-Yi Hsiang 项武义 (1937–), prominent mathematician in geometry and topology, professor emeritus at

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

, one of the provers of

Kepler Conjecture The Kepler conjecture, named after the 17th-century mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, is a mathematical theorem about sphere packing in three-dimensional Euclidean space. It states that no arrangement of equally sized spheres filling s ...

* Jiang Boju 姜伯驹 (1937–), first president of School of Mathematical Sciences at

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charter ...

, former chairman of Beijing Mathematical Society, son of Jiang Lifu * Li Bingyi 李秉彝 (1938–), former president of Southeast Asian Mathematical Society, former vice president of

International Commission on Mathematical Instruction The International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) is a commission of the International Mathematical Union and is an internationally acting organization focussing on mathematics education. ICMI was founded in 1908 at the International ...

* Lu Shanzhen 陆善镇 (1939–), prominent mathematician, president of

Beijing Normal University Beijing Normal University (BNU, ), colloquially known as Beishida (), is a public research university located in Beijing, China, with a strong emphasis on humanities and sciences. It is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in China ...

, former professor at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

Li Banghe Li, li, or LI may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Landscape Institute, a British professional body for landscape architects * Leadership Institute, a non-profit organization located in Arlington, Virginia, US, that teaches "political tec ...

李邦河 (1942–), prominent mathematician in

differential topology In mathematics, differential topology is the field dealing with the topological properties and smooth properties of smooth manifolds. In this sense differential topology is distinct from the closely related field of differential geometry, which ...

, low-dimension topology and invariable quantum, solver of Minimal Genus Problem * T. Tony Cai 蔡天文 (1967–), 2008

COPSS Presidents' Award The COPSS Presidents' Award is given annually by the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies to a young statistician in recognition of outstanding contributions to the profession of statistics. The COPSS Presidents' Award is generally ...

winner, Dorothy Silberberg professor at

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ( ; also known as Wharton Business School, the Wharton School, Penn Wharton, and Wharton) is the business school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private Ivy League rese ...

Champions of board games

* Bao Yizhong 鲍一中 (1500–1566), prominent

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

player of Go *

Xie Xiaxun Xie or Hsieh may refer to: Xie People *Xie of Xia (), legendary king of the Xia Dynasty *Xie of Shang (契), legendary nobleman *Xie, Marquis of Jin (; th century BC), ruler of the State of Jin *King Xie of Zhou (; BC) *Alexandra Kitchin (1864� ...

谢侠逊 (1887–1987), father of

Chinese chess ''Xiangqi'' (; ), also called Chinese chess or elephant chess, is a strategy board game for two players. It is the most popular board game in China. ''Xiangqi'' is in the same family of games as ''shogi'', ''janggi'', Western chess, ''chatu ...

, renowned as the "Supreme Commander of Chess" and "King of Chess" in China * Ye Rongguang 叶荣光 (1963–), first ever grandmaster of

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

in the history of China *

Zhu Chen Zhu Chen (, ar, زو تشن; born March 13, 1976) is a Chinese-born Qatari chess Grandmaster. In 1999, she became China's second women's world chess champion after Xie Jun, and China's 13th Grandmaster. In 2006, she obtained Qatari c ...

诸宸 (1976–), chess grandmaster and women's world champion *

Ding Liren Ding Liren (; born 24 October 1992) is a Chinese chess grandmaster. He is the highest rated Chinese chess player in history and is also a three-time Chinese Chess Champion. He was the winner of the 2019 Grand Chess Tour, beating Maxime Vachi ...

丁立人 (1992–), chess grandmaster, ranked first in China and third in the world (as of April 2019)

Academicians

Wang Xizhi Wang Xizhi (; ; 303 AD361 AD) was a Chinese calligrapher, politician, general and writer during the Jin Dynasty (266–420), Jin dynasty. He was best known for his mastery of Chinese calligraphy. Wang is sometimes regarded as the greatest Chinese ...

王羲之 (303–361), sage of

Chinese calligraphy Chinese calligraphy is the writing of Chinese characters as an art form, combining purely visual art and interpretation of the literary meaning. This type of expression has been widely practiced in China and has been generally held in high est ...

, former governor of Yongjia *

Xie Lingyun Xie Lingyun (; 385–433), also known as the Duke of Kangle (康樂公), was one of the foremost Chinese poets of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and a famous practitioner of the Six Dynasties poetry. Life Xie Lingyun was a descendant ...

( Duke of Kangle) 谢灵运 (385–433), poet, founder of landscape poetry in China *

Ye Shi Ye Shi (, 1150–1223), courtesy name Zhengze (正则), pseudonym Mr. Shuixin (水心先生), was a Chinese neo-Confucian of the Song dynasty. A native of Wenzhou, Zhejiang, he was the most famous figure of the Yongjia School, a neo-Confucianism ...

叶适 (1150–1223), philosopher, most important figure of the

neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...

Yongjia School * Wu Xianwen 伍献文 (1900–1985), one of the pioneers of

Ichthyology Ichthyology is the branch of zoology devoted to the study of fish, including bony fish ( Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fish (Agnatha). According to FishBase, 33,400 species of fish had been described as of Octob ...

and

Nematology Nematology is the scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. Although nematological investigation dates back to the days of Aristotle or even earlier, nematology as an independent discipline has its recognizable ...

in China *

Fang Jiekan A fang is a long, pointed tooth. In mammals, a fang is a modified maxillary tooth, used for biting and tearing flesh. In snakes, it is a specialized tooth that is associated with a venom gland (see snake venom). Spiders also have external fan ...

方介堪 (1901–1987), prominent calligrapher, former honorary chairman of Chinese Calligraphers Association *

Cheng Man-ch'ing Cheng Man-ch'ing or Zheng Manqing (29 July 1902 - 26 March 1975) was a notable Chinese expert of t'ai chi ch'uan, Chinese medicine, and the so-called three perfections: calligraphy, painting and poetry. He was born in Yongjia (present-day Wen ...

(Zheng Manqing) 郑曼青 (1902–1975),

t'ai chi ch'uan Tai chi (), short for Tai chi ch'üan ( zh, s=太极拳, t=太極拳, first=t, p=Tàijíquán, labels=no), sometimes called "shadowboxing", is an neijia, internal Chinese martial art practiced for defense training, health benefits and medita ...

master, calligrapher, painter, poet, doctor of

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of action ...

, called the "Master of Five Excellences" *

Xia Nai Xia Nai (Wade–Giles: ''Shiah Nae''; 1910–1985) was a pioneering Chinese archaeologist. He was born in Wenzhou, southern Zhejiang province. He was the second son of Xia Yuyi (夏禹彝) who was a wealthy farmer. Xia was given the first nam ...

夏鼐 (1910–1985), archaeologist, pioneer of

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

in modern China, one of the most honored scholars in

Qi Jun In traditional Chinese culture and the East Asian cultural sphere, ''qi'', also ''ki'' or ''chi'' in Wade–Giles romanization ( ), is believed to be a vital force forming part of any living entity. Literally meaning "vapor", "air", or "br ...

琦君 (1917–2006), author, best-selling female author of

, one of the most significant female authors in the history of China * Chen Cheng-siang (Chen Zhengxiang) 陈正祥 (1922–2003), first prominent

geographer A geographer is a physical scientist, social scientist or humanist whose area of study is geography, the study of Earth's natural environment and human society, including how society and nature interacts. The Greek prefix "geo" means "earth" a ...

in the history of China, one of the most prominent geographers in the world, renowned as the

Alexander von Humboldt Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (14 September 17696 May 1859) was a German polymath, geographer, naturalist, explorer, and proponent of Romantic philosophy and science. He was the younger brother of the Prussian minister, p ...

of the Orient * Chen Guangzhong 陈光中 (1930–), jurist, renowned as the father of

Criminal procedure Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail or ...

of China *

Frank Shu Frank Hsia-San Shu (; born June 2, 1943), is a Chinese-American astrophysicist, astronomer and author. He is currently a University Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley and University of California, San Diego. He is be ...

徐遐生 (1943–), chair of astronomy department of

from 1984 to 1988, former president of

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

, president of

, son of

* Hsiao Cheng 萧政 (1943–), editor and member of executive council of

Journal of Econometrics The ''Journal of Econometrics'' is a scholarly journal in econometrics. It was first published in 1973. Its current managing editors are Serena Ng and Elie Tamer, Torben Andersen and Xiaohong Chen serve as editors. The journal publishes work deal ...

* Jin Henghui 金恒炜 (1944–), journalist, author, pundit, former vice president of Taiwan Society * Shen Zhixun 沈志勋 (1962–), one of the pioneers in materials physics, winner of E.O. Lawrence Award, Advisor for Science and Technology of SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory *

Wu Zhaohui Wu Zhaohui (; born December 1966) is a Chinese computer scientist. He is a professor who had served as president of Zhejiang University from 2015 to 2022. He was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2017. Early life and education Wu was ...

吴朝晖 (1966–), educator, president of

Zhejiang University Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...

Politicians

* Liu Ji 刘基 (1311–1375), founding father of

alongside founding emperor

Zhu Yuanzhang The Hongwu Emperor (21 October 1328 – 24 June 1398), personal name Zhu Yuanzhang (), courtesy name Guorui (), was the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty of China, reigning from 1368 to 1398. As famine, plagues and peasant revolts in ...

, renowned as the Divine Chinese

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book ''Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection o ...

, author of

Shaobing Song The ''Shaobing Song'' (), also known as ''Pancake Poem'' or ''Pancake Song'', is a poem purported to be written by Liu Bowen during the Ming dynasty. He supposedly presented the poem to the Hongwu Emperor.Windridge, Charles. 999(2003) Tong Sing T ...

* Huang Huai 黃淮 (1367–1449), served on the

Grand Secretariat The Grand Secretariat (; Manchu: ''dorgi yamun'') was nominally a coordinating agency but ''de facto'' the highest institution in the imperial government of the Chinese Ming dynasty. It first took shape after the Hongwu Emperor abolished the o ...

of the

Ni Wenya Ni Wen-ya (; 2 March 1903 – 3 June 2006) was a longtime member of the Legislative Yuan, a parliamentary body first based in the Republic of China, and later moved to Taiwan. Biography Ni was born in Yueqing, Zhejiang, Qing China. He studied ...

倪文亚(1902–2006), former president of the

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for 4-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a parallel v ...

of the

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

Jean Ping Jean Ping (; born 24 November 1942 in Omboué)UN profile page
Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union The Chairperson of the African Union Commission is the head of the African Union Commission. On January 30, 2017, it was announced that Chad's Moussa Faki Moussa Faki Mahamat ( ar, موسى فكي محمد ', born 21 June 1960) is a Chadian pol ...

, former

President of the United Nations General Assembly The president of the United Nations General Assembly is a position voted by representatives in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on a yearly basis. The president is the chair and presiding officer of the General Assembly. Election ...

, son of

businessman Cheng Zhiping *

Dai Ren Dai may refer to: Names * Dai (given name), a Welsh or Japanese masculine given name * Dai (surname) (戴), a Chinese surname Places and regimes * Dai Commandery, a commandery of the state of Zhao and in early imperial China * Dai County, in Xinz ...

戴任 (1862–1937), revolutionist of democracy in China, prominent politician during

, friend and partner of

Sun Yat-sen Sun Yat-sen (; also known by several other names; 12 November 1866 – 12 March 1925)Singtao daily. Saturday edition. 23 October 2010. section A18. Sun Yat-sen Xinhai revolution 100th anniversary edition . was a Chinese politician who serve ...

Wu Qidi Wu Qidi (; born August 1947) is a Chinese people, Chinese politician and engineer. She is the president of the Shanghai Overseas Returned Scholars Association. Education Wu completed her undergraduate degree in Radio-frequency engineering, radio ...

吴启迪 (1947–), educator, former vice prime minister of Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, former president of

Tongji University Tongji University () is a comprehensive public research university located in Shanghai. Established in 1907 by the German government together with German physicians in Shanghai, Tongji is one of the longest-standing, most selective, and most pr ...

, first collegiate president appointed through election in the history of China * Xiang Changquan 项昌权 (1903–2000), former vice president of the Department of Civil Affairs for the Republic of China, former mayor of

Taipei Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...

, father of Wu-Chung Hsiang * Zhang Cong (statesman) 张璁 (1475–1539), Ming dynasty politician

Economy

* Sheun Mingling 林训明 (1921–), billionaire, founder of Evora SA, one of the world's biggest nonwoven manufacturer, biggest aluminum can manufacturer in Brazil * Nina Wang 龚如心 (1937–2007), billionaire, businesswoman, former Asia and Hong Kong's richest woman, founder of

Nina Tower Nina Tower is a twin tower of 80-storey and 42-storey high-rise buildings in Tsuen Wan, New Territories, Hong Kong near Tsuen Wan West station. The tower was designed to be the tallest tower in the world at . However, due to its location ne ...

, wife of

Teddy Wang Teddy Wang Teh-huei (; 9 September 1933 – missing since 10 April 1990) was a Chinese people, Chinese businessman and founder of the Chinachem Group who was kidnapped for ransom in 1990, and later declared legally dead. His wife, Nina Wang later ...

Kung Yan-sum Dr. Kung Yan-sum, (; born in 1943 in Shanghai), is the younger brother of Nina Wang Kung Yu-sum, the former Asia's richest woman and the late chairman of Chinachem Group, one of the biggest privately held property developer in Hong Kong. He i ...

龚仁心 (1942–), billionaire, brother of Nina Wang, chairman of

Chinachem Group Chinachem Group () is a corporate group established in Hong Kong by Teddy Wang's father Wang Din Sin (王廷歆). The early years of the group were dedicated to exploration of and investment in agricultural projects and chemicals. In the 196 ...

, one of the biggest property developers in Hong Kong *

Jason Chang Jason Chang (; born 18 May 1944) is a Taiwanese/Singaporean billionaire, currently the chairman of Taiwan-based Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE). On the ''Forbes'' 2020 list of the world's billionaires, he was ranked #836 with a net wor ...

张虔生 (1944–), billionaire, founder and president of

ASE Group Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. (), also known as ASE Group (), is a provider of independent semiconductor assembling and test manufacturing services, with its headquarters in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Overview The company was founded in 1984 ...

, the world's largest provider of independent semiconductor manufacturing services *

Huang Jiannan Huang or Hwang may refer to: Location * Huang County, former county in Shandong, China, current Longkou City * Yellow River, or Huang River, in China * Huangshan, mountain range in Anhui, China * Huang (state), state in ancient China. * Hwang Riv ...

黃建南 (1945–), former chief fundraiser for

Democratic National Committee The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...

in 1996 * Lin Jianhai 林建海(1955–), economist,

secretary-general Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the organization. The term is derived ...

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...

Nita Ing Nita Ing (殷琪; born 17 March 1955, in Taipei) is the Taiwanese-American president of Continental Engineering Corporation and the former chairman of the board of the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation, the company which built a high-speed railwa ...

(Yin Qi) 殷琪 (1955–), business magnate, billionaire, first lady of construction business in Taiwan, president of

Continental Engineering Corporation Continental Engineering Corporation (CEC; ) is a large Taiwanese construction company. History The company was originally founded by Glyn T. H. Ing in 1941 as Wei Dah Corporation in Chungking, Sichuan. In 1945, the company was restructured to be ...

* James Chu 朱家良 (1957–), founder and president of Viewsonic, world's first-ever manufacturer of

Smart Display In computing, Smart Display (originally codenamed Mira) was a Microsoft initiative to use a portable touchscreen LCD monitor as a thin client for PCs, connecting via Wi-Fi. Smart Display was announced in early 2002, released in early 2003 ...

Wu Xiaohui Wu Xiaohui (; born 1966) is a Chinese businessman, the former chairman and chief executive of Anbang Insurance Group, then one of the largest insurers in China. In May 2018, he was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment on charges of fraud and embe ...

吴小晖 (1966–), owner of

Waldorf Astoria New York The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schult ...

, founder and CEO of China's second biggest insurance group, Anbang Insurance Group

Others

Yongjia Xuanjue Yongjia Xuanjue (; ), also known as Yongjia Zhenjue (), was a Zen and Tiantai Buddhist monk who lived during the Tang dynasty. The name Yongjia is derived from the city of his birth, which is now called Wenzhou. He is also known by his nickname "The ...

永嘉玄觉 (655–713),

Chán Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and ...

master, Tiantai Buddhist monk, author of the

Song of Enlightenment The ''Song of Enlightenment'' (), also translated as ''Song of Awakening'' and ''Song of Freedom'', is a Chan discourse written some time in the first half of the 8th century C.E. and usually attributed to Yongjia Xuanjue. The true authorship of t ...

* Miu Tianrui 缪天瑞(1908–2009), pioneer of

Musical temperament In musical tuning, a temperament is a tuning system that slightly compromises the pure intervals of just intonation to meet other requirements. Most modern Western musical instruments are tuned in the equal temperament system. Tempering is the ...

in China, "father of

Music journalism Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

" in China *

Zeng Liansong Zeng Liansong (; 17 December 1917 － 19 October 1999) was the designer of the Flag of the People's Republic of China. He was from Rui'an, Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. He entered the economics department at the National Central University (Nan ...

曾联松 (1917–1999), creator of

Flag of the People's Republic of China The National Flag of the People's Republic of China, also known as the Five-star Red Flag, is a Chinese red field with five golden stars charged at the canton. The design features one large star, with four smaller stars in an arc set off to ...

Nan Huai-Chin Nan Huai-Chin () (March 18, 1918 – September 29, 2012) was a Chinese Buddhist monk, religious scholar, and writer. A well-regarded spiritual teacher in contemporary China, he was considered by many to be the major force in the revival ...

南怀瑾 (1918–2012), spiritual teacher of contemporary China, most important figure of

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...

in modern China * Wang Zhaofan 王昭藩 (1931–), architect, one of the designers along with

Minoru Yamasaki was an American architect, best known for designing the original World Trade Center in New York City and several other large-scale projects. Yamasaki was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century. He and fellow architect Edward D ...

of original

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

Feng Zhenghu Feng Zhenghu (born 1 July 1954) is a Chinese economist and scholar based in Shanghai. Citing Amnesty International, ''The Guardian'' said that Feng was "a prominent human rights defender" in Mainland China. In 2001 he was sent to prison for t ...

冯正虎 (1954–), economist, activist, reputed as the "prominent human rights defender" in China *

Zhou Yun Zhou Yun (; born 17 December 1978) is a Chinese actress. Zhou is noted for her roles as Hua Jie and Shu Man in the film and television series ''Let the Bullets Fly'' and ''Golden Marriage 2'' respectively. Life Early life Zhou was born in a m ...

(1978–) 周韵, main actress in

Let the Bullets Fly ''Let the Bullets Fly'' is a 2010 Chinese action comedy film written and directed by Jiang Wen, based on a story by Ma Shitu. The film is set in Sichuan during the 1920s when the bandit Zhang (Jiang Wen) descends upon a town posing as its new gove ...

and The Assassin *

Tang Wei use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates ...

汤唯 (1982–), actress, main actress in

Lust, Caution ''Lust, Caution'' () is a 2007 erotic period espionage mystery romance film directed by Ang Lee, based on the 1979 novella by Eileen Chang. ''Lust, Caution'' is set in Hong Kong in 1938 and in Shanghai in 1942, when the city was occupied by t ...

Ho-Pin Tung Ho-Pin Tung (; born December 4, 1982) is a Chinese people in the Netherlands, Chinese-Dutch racing driver who races with a Chinese license. Career Born in Velp, Gelderland, Netherlands, Tung started kart racing in the Netherlands in 1997 befo ...

董荷斌 (1982–), first

Formula 1 Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...

racer in the history of China *

Zhu Qinan Zhu Qinan (; born November 15, 1984, in Wenzhou, Zhejiang) is a male Chinese sport shooter. He won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle event and a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the Men's 10 m ...

朱启南 (1984–), Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Gold Medalist in sport shooting * Sui He (1989–) 何穗, supermodel, first Asian face of

Shiseido is a Japanese multinational cosmetic company founded in Tokyo, Japan in 1872. Its product categories consist of: skin care, makeup, body care, hair care, and fragrances. The company is one of the oldest cosmetic companies in the world and ...

, first Asian model to open a

Ralph Lauren Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...

runway show,

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

fashion model * Dong Sicheng (1997–) 董思成, member of Korean idol group NCT *

Estelle Chen Estelle Chen (born 4 March 1998) is a French-Chinese model. Early life Estelle Chen was born in Paris to Chinese parents from Wenzhou, a city in Zhejiang province. Estelle was scouted by an agent of Elite Model Management in 2012. In 2013, she ...

(Chen Yu) (1998–) 陈瑜, only Asian model in

Dior Christian Dior SE (), commonly known as Dior (stylized DIOR), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house controlled and chaired by French businessman Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds ...

Haute Couture ''Haute couture'' (; ; French for 'high sewing', 'high dressmaking') is the creation of exclusive custom-fitted high-end fashion design that is constructed by hand from start-to-finish. Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, Paris became th ...

2015/2016 * Huang Minghao (Justin Huang) (2002–) 黄明昊, singer, main piece in

Produce 101 ''Produce 101'' is a reality television talent competition franchise created by South Korean entertainment conglomerate CJ E&M, based around the formation of a K-pop girl group or boy group. The format is noted for having no panel of judges, emp ...

References

{{Han subgroups Subgroups of the Han Chinese Wenzhou