Wenshan Zhuang And Miao Autonomous Prefecture

Wenshan Zhuang and Miao Autonomous Prefecture is an autonomous prefecture in southeastern Yunnan Province, People's Republic of China, and is the easternmost prefecture-level division of the province. It borders Baise, Guangxi, to the east, Vietnam's Hà Giang Province to the south for , Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture to the west, and Qujing to the north.

Subdivisions

Ethnic groups

Wenshan is highly diverse. According to a local saying, "Han and Hui live by the market, Zhuang and Dai live by the water, Miao and Yi live on the mountains, and Yao live among the valleys." ()

Some of Wenshan's ethnic groups include:

*Han Chinese
*Tai peoples
** Zhuang (3 branches according to Kaup (2000); 4 branches according to Johnson (2011)Johnson, Eric C. 2011.
A Lexical and Phonological Comparison of the Central Taic Languages of Wenshan Prefecture, China: Getting More Out of Language Survey Wordlists Than Just Lexical Similarity Percentages.
SIL Electronic Working Papers 2011-005: 170.)
*** Nong
***Sha (" Yei Zhuang")
***Tu (" Dai Zhuang")
*** Min
** Dai
***Tai Hongjin - Maguan County
* Kra peoples
** Buyang - Funing County, Guangnan County
** Lachi - Maguan County
** Gelao - Malipo County
** Qabiao - Malipo County
*Miao–Yao peoples
** Miao people (listed from east to west)Castro, Andy & Gu Chawen. 2010. "Phonological innovation among Hmong dialects of Wenshan." ''Journal of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society (JSEALS)'' 3.1:1-39.
***Lopsided Miao ( ''Shuat'')
***White Miao ( ''Dleub'')
***Green Miao ( ''Shib'', ''Nzhuab'')
***Flowery Miao ( ''Soud'', ''Bes'', ''Buak'')
** Yao people
*Tibeto-Burman peoples
** Yi people - Funing County, Guangnan County, Malipo County
**Bai people - Qiubei County (in Mazhelong , etc.), Yanshan County (in Jiayi ), Guangnan County (in Zhulin )
*Mon-Khmer peoples
** Bolyu - Guangnan County
** Bugan - Guangnan County, Xichou County

Yunnan (1979) lists Jiazhou (pop. 475), Longjiang (pop. 54), Tusi (pop. 134), and Bendi (pop. 7) as Zhuang subgroups of unknown linguistic affiliation.

Yi

The ''Wenshan Prefecture Gazetteer'' () (2000) and the ''Wenshan Prefecture Ethnic Gazetteer'' () (2005) list the following Yi ethnic subdivisions in Wenshan Prefecture.

*Luo ()
**White Lolo () (autonyms: ''Suodu'' , ''Luoluobu'' , ''Xiqima'' , ''Gaisip''o )
***Mokong () (''Gaokujiao Luo'' ) of Funing and Guangnan counties
***Mudai () of Funing and Napo counties
**Black Lolo () (autonyms: ''Nuosupo'' , ''Luoluopo'' ): in Qiubei, Yanshan, and Wenshan counties
**Flowery Lolo () (autonyms: ''Hanluowu'' , ''Luwu'' , ''Niesu'' ): in Funing, Guangnan, Malipo, Xichou, Maguan, and Yanshan counties
*Pu ()
**Black Phula () (autonym: ''Azha'' )
**White Phula () (autonym: ''Zuoke'' )
**Flowery Phula () (autonym: ''Abo'' )
*Sani () (autonym: ''Sanipo'' ): in Qiubei County
*Awu () (autonym: ''Awu'' ; exonyms: ''Mengwu'' , ''Awu'' , ''Mengwu'' , ''Mengzu'' )
**Lai () (autonym; a branch of the ''Awu'' , also called ''Mengwu'' ):''Wenshan Prefecture Ethnic Gazetteer'' () (2005) in Xisa , Xichou; Daping and Nanwenhe of Malipo
*Gepu () (autonyms: ''Gepo'' , ''Alingpo'' ; exonyms: ''Geluoluo''/''duo'' , ''Adu'' , ''Aga'' ): in Tiechang and Donggan townships of Malipo County
*Axi (): in Wenshan, Yanshan, and Qiubei counties
*Lalu () (''Lalupu'' ; exonym: ''Xiangtang'' ): in Nanping

Yao

The ''Wenshan Prefecture Gazetteer'' () (2000) lists the following Yao ethnic subdivisions in Wenshan Prefecture.

*Men () or Jinmen () (exonym: ''Landian Yao'' )
*Mengmian () or Youmian () (exonyms: ''Daban Yao'' , ''Jiao Yao'' )
*Xiu () or Ya () (exonyms: ''Shan Yao'' , ''Guoshan Yao'' ): in Longmen () and Longshao () of Funing County, and in Tiechang (), Jinchang (), and other locations of Malipo County

Demographics

Among the resident population, the Han population is 1,501,852, accounting for 42.69% of the total population; the ethnic minorities population is 2,016,089, accounting for 57.31% of the total population.

Gelao

The ''Wenshan Prefecture Gazetteer'' (2000) lists the following Gelao ethnic subdivisions in Wenshan Prefecture. The Gelao of Wenshan are also locally known as the Laobazi or Bazi .

*White Gelao ()
*Green Gelao ()
*Red Gelao ()
*Flowery Gelao () (also known as the ''Wai Gelao'' () or ''Pipao Gelao'' ())

History

The prefecture has been inhabited for at least 4000 years, as evidenced by surviving neolithic rock art in Malipo County. The Yelang kingdom existed in the area during the 3rd century BC.

The seat of Guangnan, known today as Liancheng (), was the heart of the Gouding Kingdom () that lasted approximately 400 years, from 111 BC to 316 AD.

Transportation

* Wenshan Airport

References

External links

Wenshan Prefecture Official Site

{{Zhuang autonomy in the People's Republic of China

Zhuang autonomous prefectures
Miao autonomous prefectures