 Tujia women in traditional dress | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 9,587,732 (2020 census)[1][2] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
  China(Hunan · Hubei · Guizhou · Chongqing) | |
| Languages | |
| Mandarin Chinese Tujia (traditional) | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyNuo folk religion |
TheTujia (Northern Tujia:Bifjixkhar /Bifzixkar,IPA:/bi˧˥dʑi˥kʰa˨˩//pi˧˥tsi˥kʰa˨˩/, Southern Tujia:Mongrzzir,/mõ˨˩dzi˨˩/;Chinese:土家族;pinyin:Tǔjiāzú;Wade–Giles:Tu3-chia1-tsu2) are anethnic group and, with a totalpopulation of over 9 million, the seventh-largestofficially recognizedethnic minority in thePeople's Republic of China. They live in theWuling Mountains, straddling the common borders ofHunan,Hubei andGuizhouProvinces andChongqingMunicipality.
TheendonymBizika means "native dwellers". In Chinese,Tujia literally means "local families", in contrast to theHakka (客家;Kèjiā), whose name literally means "guest families" and implies migration.[3]
Although there are different accounts of their origins, the Tujia may trace their history back over twelve centuries, and possibly beyond to the ancientBa people who occupied the area around modern-dayChongqing some 2,500 years ago. TheBa Kingdom reached the zenith of its power between 600 BC and 400 BC but was annexed by theQin in 316 BC.
After being referred to by a long succession of different names in ancient documents, the Tujia appeared in historical records from about 14th century onwards.
The Tujiatusi chieftains reached the zenith of their power under theMing dynasty (1368–1644), when they were accorded comparatively high status by the imperial court. They achieved this through their reputation as providers of fierce, highly disciplined fighting men, who were employed by the emperor to suppress revolts by other minorities. On numerous occasions, they helped defend China against outside invaders, such as thewokou ("Japanese" pirates) who ravaged the coast during the 16th century.
TheManchus invaded and conquered the Ming in 1644 and established the Great Qing Empire, known in China as theQing dynasty. Ever suspicious of local rulers, the Qing emperors always tried to replace Han officials with Manchu officials wherever they could. In the early 18th century, the Qing court finally felt secure enough to establish direct control over minority areas as well. This process, known asgaituguiliu (literally 'replace the local [ruler], return to mainstream [central rule]'), was carried out throughout South-West China gradually and, in general, peacefully. The court adopted acarrot and stick approach of lavish pensions for compliantchieftains, coupled with a huge show of military force on the borders of their territories.
Most of the Tujia areas returned to central control during the period 1728–1735. While the rule of the Qing government was more orderly compared to the rule of chieftains, many in the Tujia peasantry came to resent the attempts of the Qing court to impose national culture and customs on them. With the weakening of central Qing rule, numerous large-scale uprisings occurred, culminating in the violentTaiping Rebellion.
Following the collapse of the Qing, the Tujia found themselves caught between various competingwarlords. More and more land was given over to the cultivation of high-earningopium at the insistence of wealthy landlords andbanditry was rife. After the founding of thePeople's Republic of China in 1949, Tujia areas came under communist control and banditry was rapidly eradicated. TheGreat Leap Forward led to mass famine in Tujia communities.
The Tujia were officially recognized as one of the 55ethnic minorities in January 1957 and a number ofautonomous prefectures andcounties were subsequently established.[4]
State CouncillorDai Bingguo, one of China's top officials on foreign policy, is the most prominent Tujia in the Chinese government.[5]
Today, traditional Tujia customs can only be found in the most remote areas. The Tujia are renowned for their singing and song composing abilities and for their tradition of theBaishou dance (摆手舞), a 500-year-old collective dance which uses 70 ritual gestures to represent war, farming, hunting, courtship and other aspects of traditional life. They are also famous for their richly patternedbrocade, known asxilankapu, a product that in earlier days regularly figured in their tribute payments to the Chinese court. For their spring festival they prepare handmadeglutinous rice cakes calledciba cake. They gather round the fire to singfolk songs and eat grilled ciba.[6]
The Tujia people traditionally exhibit distinctly different ways of life depending on their geographical environment.
Lowland Tujia mainly inhabit hilly river-valley areas below 500 meters in elevation. Their staple food is rice, supplemented with wheat and other grains. They favor raising domestic fowl and livestock, and fishing is also well developed. Among the three Tujia subgroups, the lowland Tujia enjoy the greatest material abundance. Exquisite traditional handicrafts such as Tujia brocade (Xilankapu) originate from the lowland Tujia tradition.
Mountain Tujia primarily live in alpine gorge regions between 500 and 2,500 meters in elevation. Their diet mainly consists of mixed grains, including both lowland crops such as rice and highland crops such as wheat, barley, and buckwheat. They also raise livestock and poultry, and sometimes graze cattle and sheep. Their lifestyle combines characteristics of both the lowland and high-altitude Tujia populations, while also exhibiting their own distinctive traits—there is a strong hunting tradition among the mountain Tujia. Before the mid-20th century, nearly every household owned a hunting rifle, and boys would accompany their fathers into the mountains to hunt from a young age. Among the three groups, they are regarded as the most bold and vigorous.Because they historically served as intermediaries between the highlands and lowlands, caravan transport and trade were once widespread among the mountain Tujia.
Plateau Tujia mainly inhabit plateau regions above 1,000 meters in elevation. Their staple foods are primarily highland crops such asbuckwheat. While they herd sheep, some also raise small numbers of chickens, pigs, and other animals. However, due to natural conditions such as water scarcity and severe cold, their living environment is harsher than that of the other two Tujia groups. As a result, their population has historically remained small, and life has long been relatively difficult.
Tujia is aSino-Tibetan language and is usually considered an isolate within this group. It has some grammatical and phonological similarities withNuosu, though its vocabulary is very different.[7]
Today there are at most 70,000 native speakers of theTujia language, most of whom live in the northern partsXiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in North-WesternHunan Province.
The vast majority of the Tujia usevarieties of Chinese, mainlySouthwestern Mandarin; a few speakHmongic languages. Few monolingual Tujia speakers remain; nearly all are bilingual in some dialect of Chinese. Children now learn Chinese from childhood and many young Tujia prefer to use Chinese when communicating among themselves. Among fluent Tujia speakers, Chinese borrowings and even sentence structures, are more common.
TheCensus of 2020 recorded 9,587,732 Tujia in China. The three provinces ofHunan,Hubei, andGuizhou, as well as Chongqing Municipality, are the hereditary homelands of the Tujia people. These four provincial-level regions are home to 85.97% of the Tujia population, with the remainder scattered across other areas.
Hunan Province has 2,713,005 Tujia people, making it the province with the largest Tujia population; the Tujia are also thesecond-largest ethnic group in Hunan. The Tujia of Hunan are distributed across 18 county-level administrative divisions, including:the entirety of the 8 counties and county-level cities of theXiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, all 4 districts and counties ofZhangjiajie,Shimen County andTaoyuan County inChangde, andYuanling County,Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County,Xupu County, andMayang Miao Autonomous County inHuaihua.At present, daily use of the Tujia language is preserved only in certain Tujia-settled areas of Xiangxi Prefecture in Hunan.
Hubei Province has 2,285,834 Tujia, making it the province with the second-largest Tujia population; the Tujia are also the second-largest ethnic group in Hubei. The Tujia of Hubei are distributed across 16 county-level administrative divisions, including:the full territory of 8 counties and county-level cities in theEnshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture,Wufeng Tujia Autonomous County,Changyang Tujia Autonomous County, andYidu inYichang,Songzi inJingzhou, and theShennongjia Forestry District.There are also mixed-settlement areas includingXingshan,Zigui County, andZhicheng.
Guizhou Province has 1,696,664 Tujia, making it the province with the third-largest Tujia population; the Tujia are thefourth-largest ethnic group in Guizhou, following theHan Chinese,Miao, andBouyei.The Tujia of Guizhou are primarily distributed across 11 county-level divisions in 3 prefectures, including:Yinjiang Tujia and Miao Autonomous County andYanhe Tujia Autonomous County—two Tujia autonomous counties—along withBijiang District,Jiangkou County,Sinan County, andDejiang County, for a total of six county-level divisions inTongren;Daozhen Gelao and Miao Autonomous County inZunyi;andCengong County andZhenyuan County in theQiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture.
Chongqing Municipality has 1,546,988 Tujia, making it the provincial-level region with the fourth-largest Tujia population; the Tujia are also thesecond-largest ethnic group in Chongqing.The Tujia in Chongqing are mainly distributed across 11 districts and counties, including the four autonomous counties ofShizhu,Xiushan,Youyang, andPengshui, as well asQianjiang District, which holds autonomous status.There are also mixed-settlement areas includingWushan County,Fengjie County, andWanzhou District.
| Province | Tujia Population | % of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Hunan | 2,639,534 | 32.88% |
| Hubei | 2,177,409 | 27.12% |
| Guizhou | 1,430,286 | 17.82% |
| Chongqing | 1,424,352 | 17.74% |
| Guangdong | 135,431 | 1.69% |
| Zhejiang | 55,310 | 0.69% |
| Sichuan | 41,246 | 0.51% |
| Fujian | 29,046 | 0.36% |
| Other | 95,519 | 1.19% |
In Chongqing, Tujia make up 4.67% of the total population; in Hunan, 4.17%; in Guizhou, 4.06%; in Hubei, 3.66%; and in Guangdong, 0.16%.
(Only includes counties or county-equivalents containing >0.5% of China's Tujia population.)
Here is the list ofautonomous areas designated for Tujia people.
Historically, Tujia people were highlysinicized, and had produced many outstanding talents.
The Tujia people have been given the status of 'minority' by the People's Republic.
Hui Liangyu (Hui) was elected Vice Premier of the State Council and Dai Bingguo (Tujia) State Councillor.
| Sino-Tibetan |
| ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austroasiatic | |||||||||||
| Austronesian | |||||||||||
| Hmong-Mien | |||||||||||
| Mongolic | |||||||||||
| Kra–Dai | |||||||||||
| Tungusic | |||||||||||
| Turkic | |||||||||||
| Indo-European | |||||||||||
| Others | |||||||||||
| Related | |||||||||||
Underlined: the 56 officially recognised ethnic groups ranked by population in their language families according to2020 census | |||||||||||
