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(Mongolian) Some populations officially classified as Mongols by the government of the People's Republic of China do not currently speak any form of Mongolic language. Such populations include the Sichuan Mongols">Mongolic languages">Mongolic language. Such populations include the Naic language), the Khatso">Yunnan Mongols (most of whom speak Katso language">a form of Loloish language), and the Mongols of Henan Mongol Autonomous County in Qinghai (most of whom speak Amdo Tibetan and/or Standard Chinese, Chinese). , official publications have avoided references to Mongolians in China and instead used the term "northern frontier culture" (''bei jiang wenhua'').
The Chinese government has even gone as far as accusing Mongolian
The Mongolian ethnic minority
Chinese government information. {{Authority control Ethnic groups officially recognized by China
Mongols in China, also known as Mongolian Chinese or Chinese Mongols, are ethnic
China classifies different Mongolian groups like Buryats and Oirats into the same single category as Mongol along with Inner Mongols. The Chinese government also classifies the Tuvans as Mongols, despite Tuvans being a Turkic, non-Mongolic ethnic group.Mongush, M. V. "Tuvans of Mongolia and China." ''International Journal of Central Asian Studies'', 1 (1996), 225–243. Talat Tekin, ed. Seoul: Inst. of Asian Culture & Development. The official language used for all of these Mongols in China is a literary standard based on the Chahar dialect of Mongol.
The ethnic classification might be inaccurate due to lack of information regarding the registering policy. y (Mongolian): Millions of Han Chinese
of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region registered as "Mongol" and " Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
" according to Chinese policy since the 1980s. There is not enough information about Chinese ethnic minorities due to the government policy.Өвөр Монголын хүн амMongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
who live in China. They are one of the 56 ethnic groups recognized by the Chinese government.
As of 2020, there are 6,290,204 Mongols in China, a 0.45% increase from the 2010 national census. Most of them live in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
, Northeast China
Northeast China () is a geographical region of China, consisting officially of three provinces Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang. The heartland of the region is the Northeast China Plain, the largest plain in China with an area of over . The regi ...
, Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
and Qinghai
Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...
. The Mongol population in China is nearly twice as much as that of the sovereign state of Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...
.
Distribution
The Mongols in China are divided between autonomous regions and provinces as follows: * 68.72%:Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
Autonomous Region
* 11.52%: Liaoning
)
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption = Clockwise: Mukden Palace in Shenyang, Xinghai Square in Dalian, Dalian coast, Yalu River at Dandong
, image_map = Liaoning in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, ...
Province
* 2.96%: Jilin
)
, image_skyline = Changbaishan Tianchi from western rim.jpg
, image_alt =
, image_caption = View of Heaven Lake
, image_map = Jilin in China (+all claims hatched).svg
, mapsize = 275px
, map_al ...
Province
* 2.92%: Hebei
Hebei is a Provinces of China, province in North China. It is China's List of Chinese administrative divisions by population, sixth-most populous province, with a population of over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. It bor ...
Province
* 2.58%: Xinjiang
Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...
Uyghur Autonomous Region
* 2.43%: Heilongjiang
Heilongjiang is a province in northeast China. It is the northernmost and easternmost province of the country and contains China's northernmost point (in Mohe City along the Amur) and easternmost point (at the confluence of the Amur and Us ...
Province
* 1.48%: Qinghai
Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...
Province
* 1.41%: Henan
Henan; alternatively Honan is a province in Central China. Henan is home to many heritage sites, including Yinxu, the ruins of the final capital of the Shang dynasty () and the Shaolin Temple. Four of the historical capitals of China, Lu ...
Province
* 5.98%: Rest of PRC
Besides the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, there are other Mongol autonomous administrative subdivisions in China.
Prefecture level:
* Haixi Mongol and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture
Haixi Mongolian and Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture ( zh, c=海西蒙古族藏族自治州; ; ), locally also known as Qaidam Prefecture (; ; zh, s=柴达木), is an autonomous prefecture occupying much of the northern half of (as well as part of ...
(in Qinghai)
* Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture (in Xinjiang)
* Bortala Mongol Autonomous Prefecture (in Xinjiang)
County level:
* Weichang Manchu and Mongol Autonomous County (in Hebei)
* Harqin Left Mongol Autonomous County (in Liaoning)
* Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County (in Liaoning)
* Qian Gorlos Mongol Autonomous County (in Jilin)
* Dorbod Mongol Autonomous County (in Heilongjiang)
* Subei Mongol Autonomous County
The Subei Mongol Autonomous County ( zh, s=肃北蒙古族自治县; ) is an autonomous county within the prefecture-level city of Jiuquan in the northwest of Gansu Province, China, bordering Xinjiang to the west, Qinghai Province to the south ...
(in Gansu)
* Henan Mongol Autonomous County (in Qinghai)
* Hoboksar Mongol Autonomous County (in Xinjiang)
Classification
China classifies different Mongolian groups like Buryats and Oirats into the same single category as Mongol along with Inner Mongols. The Chinese government also classifies the Tuvans as Mongols, despite Tuvans being a Turkic, non-Mongolic ethnic group.Mongush, M. V. "Tuvans of Mongolia and China." ''International Journal of Central Asian Studies'', 1 (1996), 225–243. Talat Tekin, ed. Seoul: Inst. of Asian Culture & Development. The official language used for all of these Mongols in China is a literary standard based on the Chahar dialect of Mongol.
The ethnic classification might be inaccurate due to lack of information regarding the registering policy. y (Mongolian): Millions of Han Chineseof Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region registered as "Mongol" and " Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
(Mongolian) Some populations officially classified as Mongols by the government of the People's Republic of China do not currently speak any form of Mongolic language. Such populations include the Sichuan Mongols">Mongolic languages">Mongolic language. Such populations include the Naic language), the Khatso">Yunnan Mongols (most of whom speak Katso language">a form of Loloish language), and the Mongols of Henan Mongol Autonomous County in Qinghai (most of whom speak Amdo Tibetan and/or Standard Chinese, Chinese). , official publications have avoided references to Mongolians in China and instead used the term "northern frontier culture" (''bei jiang wenhua'').
Genetics
Among the Mongols of China, mitochondrial haplogroup D was in first place (27.07%), followed by mitochondrial haplogroups B (11.60%), F (10.77%), Z (8.01%), G (7, 73%), C (6.91%), A (6.08%), N (5.25%) and M7 (5.25%). Other mitochondrial haplogroups (HV, H, I, M8, M9, M10, M11, R, T, U, W and Y) were sporadically distributed among the studied Mongols of China with frequencies of no more than 1.66%. Guang-Lin He ''et al.'' (2022) examined a sample of current Mongols of China (''n''=175, including ''n''=97 from Inner Mongolia, ''n''=27 from Liaoning, ''n''=10 from Heilongjiang, ''n''=10 from Jilin, ''n''=3 from Qinghai, ''n''=3 from Xinjiang, and ''n''=25 from elsewhere in China) and found different haplogroup O subclades (107/175 = 61.1% in total) to be the most frequently observed Y-DNA haplogroup: *O1-F265/M1354 12.0% (21/175) **O1a1a-M307.1/P203.1 3.4% (6/175) **O1b-M268 8.6% (15/175) ***O1b1a-M1470 5.7% (10/175) ****O1b1a1-PK4 2.3% (4/175) ****O1b1a2-Page59 3.4% (6/175) ***O1b2a1a-F1204 2.9% (5/175) ****O1b2a1a1-CTS713 2.3% (4/175) ****O1b2a1a3a-CTS1215 0.6% (1/175) *O2a-M324 49.1% (86/175) **O2a1-L127.1 21.7% (38/175) ***O2a1a1a1b-F854 0.6% (1/175) ***O2a1c-IMS-JST002611 21.1% (37/175) ****O2a1c1a1a1a1-F325 16.6% (29/175) ****O2a1c1a2-F449 4.6% (8/175) **O2a2-P201 27.4% (48/175) ***O2a2a1a-CTS445 4.6% (8/175) ****O2a2a1a1a-M159 0.6% (1/175) ****O2a2a1a2a-F1276 2.9% (5/175) *****O2a2a1a2a1a2-N5 1.7% (3/175) ***O2a2b-P164 22.9% (40/175) ****O2a2b1-M134 21.1% (37/175) *****O2a2b1a1-M117 12.0% (21/175) *****O2a2b1a2-F114 9.1% (16/175) ****O2a2b2a2-AM01845/F706 1.7% (3/175) The second most frequently observed Y-DNA haplogroup among the sampled Mongols from China was C2 (22.9%, including 16.6% "Northern" ''i.e.'' Mongolian/Siberian C2b1a, 1.7% typically Mongolic C2c1a1a1-M407, and 4.6% "Southern" ''i.e.'' East Asian C2c1(xC2c1a1a1)), followed by N1-CTS3750 (6.3%, including 2.9% N1a2a1a~, 1.1% N1a2b2a1c~, 1.1% N1b2a2~, 0.6% N1a1a1a1a3a, and 0.6% N1b1), Q (4.6%, including 4.0% Q1a1a1 and 0.6% Q2a1a1), R1a1a1b2a-Z94 (2.3%), and D-M533 (1.1%). Y-chromosomal haplogroup E1b1b1a1b2 (V22) was observed in one Mongol individual fromHohhot
Hohhot,; abbreviated zh, c=呼市, p=Hūshì, labels=no formerly known as Kweisui, is the Capital (political), capital of Inner Mongolia in the North China, north of the China, People's Republic of China, serving as the region's administrativ ...
, G2a2b2a1a1a2a1a (L654.2) was observed in one Mongol individual from Alxa League, and I2a1b2a1a1a1 (BY128/Y5596) was observed in one Mongol individual from Hinggan League.Guang-Lin He, Meng-Ge Wang, Xing Zou, Hui-Yuan Yeh, Chang-Hui Liu, Chao Liu, Gang Chen, and Chuan-Chao Wang, "Extensive ethnolinguistic diversity at the crossroads of North China and South Siberia reflects multiple sources of genetic diversity." ''Journal of Systematics and Evolution'' 00 (0): 1–21, 2022. doi: 10.1111/jse.12827
Subgroups
* Abaga *Abaganar
The Abaganars are ( Khalkha-Mongolian:Авга нар/Avga nar; ) a Southern Mongolian sub-ethnic group in Abag Banner, Inner Mongolia of China.
Etymology
The ethnonyms "Abaganar" and " Abaga" translated from Mongolian language means patern ...
* Aohans
* Baarins
* Buryats
The Buryats are a Mongolic ethnic group native to southeastern Siberia who speak the Buryat language. They are one of the two largest indigenous groups in Siberia, the other being the Yakuts. The majority of the Buryats today live in their ti ...
* Chahars
* Gorlos
* Jalaids
* Jaruud
* Khalkha
* Kharchin
* Khishigten
The Hishigten (Mongolian language, Mongolian: ; ) are one of the Southern Mongols, Southern Mongol ethnic groups. Today, they live in Heshigten Banner of China.
Ethnonym
The ethnic name Hishigten is formed by adding the affix -ten to the Altai ...
* Khorchin
* Khuuchid
* Muumyangan
* Naimans
* Oirats
Oirats (; ) or Oirds ( ; ), formerly known as Eluts and Eleuths ( or ; zh, 厄魯特, ''Èlǔtè'') are the westernmost group of Mongols, whose ancestral home is in the Altai Mountains, Altai region of Siberia, Xinjiang and western Mongolia.
...
** Dzungar
** Khoid
** Khoshut
The Khoshut (Mongolian language, Mongolian: Хошууд,, qoşūd, ; literally "bannermen," from Middle Mongol language, Middle Mongolian ''qosighu'' "flag, banner") are one of the four major tribes of the Oirats, Oirat people. They established ...
** Olot
Olot (; ) is the capital city of the ''Catalonia/Comarques, comarca'' of Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The city is known for its natural landscape, including four volcanoes scattered around the city center. The municipali ...
** Torghut
** Upper Mongols
* Onnigud
* Ordos
* Sichuan Mongols
* Sunud
* Urad
Related groups
Not all groups of people related to the medieval Mongols are officially classified as Mongols under the current system. Other official ethnic groups in China which speakMongolic languages
The Mongolic languages are a language family spoken by the Mongolic peoples in North Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe mostly in Mongolia and surrounding areas and in Kalmykia and Buryatia. The best-known member of this languag ...
include:
* the Dongxiang of Gansu Province
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
* the Monguor of Qinghai
Qinghai is an inland Provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. It is the largest provinces of China, province of China (excluding autonomous regions) by area and has the third smallest population. Its capital and largest city is Xin ...
and Gansu Provinces
* the Daur of Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of China. Its border includes two-thirds of the length of China's China–Mongolia border, border with the country of Mongolia. ...
* the Bonan of Gansu Province
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
* some of the Yugurs of Gansu Province
Gansu is a provinces of China, province in Northwestern China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeastern part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibetan Plateau, Ti ...
(other Yugurs speak a Turkic language
The Turkic languages are a language family of more than 35 documented languages, spoken by the Turkic peoples of Eurasia from Eastern Europe and Southern Europe to Central Asia, East Asia, North Asia (Siberia), and West Asia. The Turkic langua ...
)
* the Kuangjia Hui of Qinghai Province
Discrimination against Mongols
Mongols living in China face a multitude of Anti-Mongolian discriminations by the currentChinese government
The government of the People's Republic of China is based on a system of people's congress within the parameters of a Unitary state, unitary communist state, in which the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) enacts its policies through people's ...
on the goal of assimilating the Mongolian population into the Han population. Some instances of discrimination include: barring teaching the Mongolian language in schools, arresting Mongols on Mongolian soil, and forced evictions of Mongolians in China.
Schooling
Recently the NPC mandated that "minority language-medium education is unconstitutional (People's Daily)," enforcing this within Inner Mongolian schools, banning the teaching of the Mongolian language, along with riding of different kinds of Mongolian material that are deemed to de-emphasize Chinese nationality and common identity. In 2023, a book on the history of the Mongols was banned for " historical nihilism."Arrests
Most recently on May 3, 2023, the Chinese government arrested Mr. Lhamjab Borjigin, a Mongolian writer, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. This isn't the first time China has made these kinds of arrests on foreign soil against Mongols either, as this is the fifth occurrence.Climate change and poverty relief
The Chinese government has even gone as far as accusing Mongolian herder
A herder is a pastoralism, pastoral worker responsible for the care and management of a herd or flock of domestic animals, usually on extensive management, open pasture. It is particularly associated with nomadic pastoralism, nomadic or transhuma ...
s/nomad
Nomads are communities without fixed habitation who regularly move to and from areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the population of nomadic pa ...
s of causing climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
in order to justify the forced relocation of Mongolians out of their ancestral land. Under the "ecological migration" policy, the Chinese government has moved thousands of Mongolians into city/urban areas away from their home grasslands on the basis that the Mongolian nomadic lifestyle is destroying the grasslands and causing climate change symptoms like desertification
Desertification is a type of gradual land degradation of Soil fertility, fertile land into arid desert due to a combination of natural processes and human activities.
The immediate cause of desertification is the loss of most vegetation. This i ...
and sandstorms. The Chinese government also justifies the movement of Mongols, calling it poverty relief, as hundreds of thousands of Mongols live in extreme poverty, however many of the displaced Mongols actually fall deeper into poverty, while also feeling out of their element and feeling like outcasts in their new homes. The basis of moving the Mongols by the claim of climate/environment protection is one that lacks support, as it has been found that nomadic lifestyles, like that of the grassland Mongols, actually harm the environment far less than permanent settlement lifestyles.
Notable people
* Buren Bayaer, singer, composer and a disc jockey * Ulanhu, politician, former chairman of Inner Mongolia, former vice president of the People's Republic * Bayanqolu, Communist Party secretary of Jilin, former party secretary of Ningbo city * Demchugdongrub,Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
prince and puppet ruler of Mengjiang.
* Uyunqimg, former vice-chair of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress
* Fu Ying, deputy foreign minister, former ambassador to the United Kingdom, Australia and the Philippines
* Li Siguang, geologist, founder of China's geomechanics
* Yang Shixian, chemist, chancellor of Nankai University
* Mengke Bateer, CBA and NBA basketball player
* Buyunchaokete, tennis player
* Bao Xishun, one of the tallest people in the world
* Tengger, a pop/rock musician
* Uudam, child singer
* Huugjilt, man wrongfully executed in 1996
* Zhang Xiaoping
* Chinggeltei (1924–2013), linguist, one of the world's few experts on the Khitan language
Khitan or Kitan ( in large Khitan script, large script or in small Khitan script, small, ''Khitai''; , ''Qìdānyǔ''), also known as Liao, is an extinct language once spoken in Northeast Asia by the Khitan people (4th to 13th century CE). It wa ...
* Jalsan, linguist and Buddhist leader
* Batdorj-in Baasanjab, actor
* Xiao Qian
Xiao Qian (27 January 1910 – 11 February 1999), alias Ruoping (), was a famous essayist, editor, journalist and translator from China. His life spanned the country's history before and after the establishment of the People's Republic of C ...
, academic
* Bai Xue, lawyer and legal academic
* Bai Yansong, TV anchor
* Yangwei Linghua, singer and female vocal of Phoenix Legend
* Han Lei, pop singer
* Wang Lijun, disgraced police chief and political figure
* Bai Wenqi, lieutenant general of the PLA Air Force
* Ulan, deputy party chief of Hunan Province
* Yu Shi, actor
See also
* Demographics of China * Khatso (Yunnan Mongols) *Mongols
Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China ( Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family o ...
* Mongols in Taiwan
* Oirats (Western Mongols)
* Sichuan Mongols
* Upper Mongols
References
Citations
Sources
* * Sečenbaγatur, Qasgerel, Tuyaγ-a уяa Bu. Jirannige, Wu Yingzhe, Činggeltei. 2005. ''Mongγul kelen-ü nutuγ-un ayalγun-u sinǰilel-ün uduridqal'' guide to the regional dialects of Mongolian Kökeqota: ÖMAKQ. .Further reading
* * * * *External links
The Mongolian ethnic minority
Chinese government information. {{Authority control Ethnic groups officially recognized by China