Gin people

京族 Người Kinh (𠊛京)
Total population
33,112 (2020 census)[1]
Regions with significant populations
China (Wutou, Wanwei and Shanxin islands off the coast ofDongxing, Guangxi)
Languages
Standard Chinese (lingua franca),Yue Chinese,Vietnamese (writing inchữ Nôm andchữ Hán) & otherVietic languages
Religion
Vietnamese folk religion · Mahayana Buddhism · Taoism · Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Vietnamese people,Muong,Chứt,Thổ

TheGin,^[2]Kinh orJing people^[3] (Chinese:京族,Sino-Vietnamese:Kinh tộc;Vietnamese:người Kinh tại Trung Quốc) are a community of descendants of ethnicVietnamese people living in China. They mainly live in an area called the Jing Islands (京族三岛), off the coast ofDongxing,Fangchenggang, in the Chinese autonomous region ofGuangxi. These territories were administered by theNguyễn dynasty but were later ceded by theFrench to theQing dynasty due to the 1887 convention, after theSino-French war.

The Việt were labelledYue (Chinese:越族;pinyin:Yuèzú,Sino-Vietnamese:Việt tộc;Vietnamese:người Việt tại Trung Quốc) before the introduction of the names "Kinh", "Gin", or "Jing", in 1958.^[4] This name change was requested by the Kinh people, who did not want to be associated with the country of Vietnam, as 越/Yue made them look like Vietnamese citizens in China, and thus they chose their ethnic name, the Kinh.

The Gin population was 33,112 as of2020.^[1] This number does not include the 36,205 Vietnamese nationals studying or working inMainland China, recorded by the2010 national population census.^[5]

In Vietnamese,Kinh andViệt are used interchangeably to refer Vietnamese people, withKinhused more in more official contexts; the Chinese characters for the ethnic group, 京 and 越, are the same as inSino-Vietnamese.Kinh (京), meaning "capital city", evolved to refer to people living in the lowlands, to distinguish them from people living in the highlands. Việt (越) is a reference to theBaiyue, a collection of non-Han peoples who lived in southern China since ancient times.^{[citation needed]}

The ancestors of the Gin people immigrated to the area fromHải Phòng,Vietnam, during the 16th century and established communities on the three originally uninhabited islands of Wutou, Wanwei and Shanxin.^[6]

During theMạc dynasty (1533–1592), the lands south of Shiwandashan Mountains including the Bailong Peninsula were ceded to the Ming dynasty. Jiangping was a melting pot of Vietnamese and Chinese, however, the region was neglected by the Vietnamese government. During the 18th and 19th, the area became a hotbed of piracy (see:Pirates of the South China Coast). After the end of theSino-French War in 1885, Jiangping and the Jing Islands were ceded by the French to Qing China.^{[citation needed]}

The people of this very small ethnic minority have lived for about 500 years on the three islands of Wanwei (Vạn Vĩ), Wutou (Vu Đầu) and Shanxin (Sơn Tâm) off the coast ofGuangxi, China, about 8 km east of the border with Vietnam. Some also live in nearby villages of Zhushan and Tanji. In the 1960s, the islands were connected to the mainland by a land reclamation project.^[7]The islands are administered as part ofDongxing county withinFangchenggang prefecture.A minority also live in nearby counties and towns with predominatelyHan Chinese orZhuang populations.^[6]

The Gin live in a subtropical area with plenty of rainfall and rich mineral resources. TheGulf of Tonkin to its south is an ideal fishing ground. Of the more than 700 species of fish found there, over 200 are of great economic value and high yields. Pearls, sea horses and sea otters which grow in abundance are prized for their medicinal value. Seawater from the Gulf of Tonkin is good for salt making. The main crops there are rice, sweet potato, peanut, taro and millet, and sub-tropical fruits likepapaya,banana, andlongan are also plentiful. The large tracts of mangroves growing in marshy land along the coast are a rich source oftannin, an essential raw material for the tanning industry.^{[citation needed]}

The language of the Gin people is a dialect ofVietnamese.^[3] The Gin can communicate verbally withKinh people, but do not useLatin-scriptchữ Quốc ngữ.^{[citation needed]} StandardCantonese is also spoken by many in the community as well asMandarin Chinese. A survey in 1980 indicated that one third of Gin people had lost their native language and can only speak Cantonese or Mandarin, and another third who are bilingual in the Gin language and Han Chinese languages. The survey suggested a decline in the use of the Gin language, but in the 2000s, there appeared to be a revival in the use of the language.^[8]

For writing, the Gin still usechữ Hán (Chinese characters) andchữ Nôm inVietnamese, because they were not affected by the transition to theVietnamese Latin alphabet by theFrench colonial government during theFrench colonial period.^[3][8] Created on the basis of the script of the Han people towards the end of the 13th century, it is found in old song books and religious scriptures.^[9]

Gin people likeantiphonal songs which are melodious and lyrical. Their traditional instruments include the two-stringed fiddle, flute, drum, gong and the single-stringed fiddle, a unique musical instrument of the ethnic group. Folk stories and legends abound. Their favorite dances feature lanterns, fancy colored sticks, embroidery and dragons.^{[citation needed]}

Gin costume is simple and practical. Traditionally, women wear tight-fitting, collarless short blouses buttoned in front, similar to what is worn in the south of Vietnam, as well as broad black or brown trousers. When going out, they would put on a light colored gown with narrow sleeves. Men wear long jackets reaching down to the knees and girdles. Now, most people dress themselves like their Han neighbors, though a few elderly women retain their tradition and a few young women coil their hair anddye their teeth black.^{[citation needed]}

Many Gin are believers ofBuddhism orTaoism, with a few followers ofCatholicism. The biggest festival of the Gin people is the Ha Festival, and has been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage of China.^[10]

Fish sauce is a favorite condiment of the Gin for cooking, and a cake prepared withglutinous rice mixed with sesame is a great delicacy for them.^{[citation needed]}

• Hoa people
• Vietnamese people in Hong Kong
• Vietnamese people in Taiwan

• Ethnic groups in China
• Chinese people of Vietnamese descent
• Ethnic groups officially recognized by China
• Vietnamese diaspora in Asia
• Vietnamese diaspora by country
• Ethnic groups in Guangxi

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