Mythologies of the She

The She people (Chinese: 畲; Shehua: [sa]; Cantonese: [sɛ̏ː], Fuzhou: [sia˥]) are an ethnic group in China. They form one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China. The She are the largest ethnic minority in Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi Provinces. They are also present in the provinces of Anhui and Guangdong. Some descendants of the She also exist amongst the Hakka minority in Taiwan. Today, over 400,000 She people of Fujian, Zhejiang, and Jiangxi provinces speak Shehua, an unclassified Chinese variety that has been heavily influenced by Hakka Chinese. There are approximately 1,200 She people in Guangdong province who speak a Hmong–Mien language called She, also called Ho Ne meaning “mountain people” (Chinese: 活聂; pinyin: huóniè). Some said they were descendants of Dongyi, Nanman or Yue peoples.

She, any member of a people distributed in the mountainous areas of Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Guangdong provinces of South China. Their language (which is classified as either Hmong-Mien [Miao-Yao] or Sino-Tibetan) appears to be related to that of the Yao, though most She are now thoroughly Sinicized and speak Chinese even among themselves. Most She are farmers engaged in wet-rice cultivation, and they are also well known as tea producers. Their bamboo handicrafts are highly esteemed in the region. Their religion contains elements of both animism and ancestor worship. In the early 21st century the She numbered more than 700,000.

A small minority group spread across mountainous lands, the She have long learned to live in harmony with their neighbors. The She people are one of China’s 56 officially recognized ethnic groups and consist of nearly 710,000 members living throughout China’s east and southeast. It is believed that they are the forbears of Taiwan’s Hakka minority, not to be confused with the mainland’s Hakka people, who are Hakka-speaking Han Chinese. The She make up the largest minority group in Fujian province, and over 50% of all modern She live there. The rest are spread out across Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces. The exact origin of the She people is unknown; however, they are believed to have settled modern day Guangdong province sometime during the Neolithic age. After other peoples moved to their settled lands during the Warring States period, the She left due to high competition for resources, migrating to mountainous regions in Jiangxi and Fujian provinces. For this reason, the She used to refer to themselves as “Guests from the Mountains.” Of course, as the She stayed longer in their new homes, they became much more than guests, instead developing the mountainous terrain into wet rice plantations and tea fields.

The She people are one of the ancient nationalities and one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People’s Republic of China. They are the largest minority in Fujian province. They are also present in the provinces of Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Guangdong. They live in villages of several dozen households or live along with Hans. Most reside in hilly country 500 to 1,500 meters high. Rivers have carved out their valleys. The climate is mild and humid, the frost season brief, and the land fertile. Agricultural products abound: rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, rape, beans, tobacco and potatoes are just a few. Timber and bamboo are important commercial commodities for the Shes; other native produce include tea, oil tea, dried and cured bamboo shoots, peanuts, ramie, mushroom, camphor and medicinal herbs. Mineral resources include coal, iron, gold, copper, alum, graphite, sulfur, talcum, mica and many other non-ferrous metals.

The She ethnic group, with a population of 709,592, mainly lives in Fujian and Zhejiang provinces, and some are scattered throughout Jiangxi, Guangdong and Anhui provinces. They live in small groups and are widely distributed. Early in the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), people of She nationality began to settle in the joint area of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. They used to call themselves Shanda which means migrated guest living in a mountain area. She people mostly engage in agriculture, and rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, rape, beans and tobacco are their main products. They also grow tea, sugar cane, and ramie. They are good at making wine, and wine is their favorite drink. Timber and bamboo are important commercial commodities for the She. She people mostly engage in agriculture, and rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, rape, beans and tobacco are their main products. They also grow tea, sugar cane, and ramie. They are good at making wine, and wine is their favorite drink. Timber and bamboo are important commercial commodities for the She. Due to a long period of cultural and economic exchange, many customs of the She people have become almost the same with that of the Han ethnic group. Women’s clothing has distinct ethnic group characteristics though. They like to wear black short shirts decorated with lace on their collars, cuffs and garment fronts. Jewelry such as earrings, bracelets and others are favored by women. Men and children wear almost the same kind of clothes as Han people do.

With a population of 709,592, the She people live primarily in the mountainous areas of Fujian and Zhejiang Provinces, and to a lesser extent in Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Anhui. They refer to themselves ‘Shanha’ where Shan means mountain and Ha means customers, ‘customers of the mountain’. The She language belongs to the Miao-Yao group of the Sino-Tibetan phylum and is similar to the Hakka language, one of the seven dialects in China. Because they do not have their own written language, they choose to write in Chinese. The She people believe in the power of ancestors and totems. The legend of their original ancestor, Pan Hu is painted onto a piece of cloth and passed onto each generation. The cloth is referred to as Zutu or Pictures of Ancestors. Each time, ancestors are worshipped, pictures are hung on the memorial temple as totem. Also regarded as a totem, each family has a crabstick, on which a dragon’s head is carved on the top end. The She people enjoy singing and most sing impromptu. It is said that, during the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom will only receive each dish and dishware by singing. For example, if he needs a pair of chopsticks, he must sing the Song of Chopstick. Women of She ethnic minority are quite adept at embroidery and weaving. Their handicrafts, waistbands and handkerchiefs are as delicate as beautiful. Now these are produced as exports. The men take pride in their martial arts, which has been popular for hundreds of years.

The She are one of China‘s officially recognized national minorities. Lacking any written language, She traditionally have relied on songs and tales to encode their identity and to preserve their historical experience. Their most important legend, “The Song of Emperor Gao Xin,” provides a myth establishing their social origins. In ancient times, a man named Pan Hu acquired the right to marry the third daughter of Emperor Gao Xin for helping the sovereign to defeat a strong enemy. The princess bore three sons and a daughter. The first son, placed on a tray when he was born, was given the surname Pan (tray, plate); the second son, after being put into a basket upon birth, was named Lan (basket); and the third son, because thunder sounded as he was being born, was called Lei (thunder). The daughter took her husband’s surname, Zhong. She today maintain that these individuals are their apical ancestors, and the four surnames are in fact the most prevalent ones within She communities. The original meaning of she (and yu ) was “slash-and-burn,” so the name perhaps acknowledges an early mode of production. Han Chinese began using the name “She” during the Southern Song dynasty (twelfth century a.d.). Shemin (which uses a different Chinese logograph for she) roughly translates as “hut people,” or “shed people,” and refers to the She practice of building small houses that abut the sides of steep hills. Historical records indicate that the She were also called “Dongliao” (cave Liao) and “Dongman” (cave barbarians). The She call themselves either “Shanha” or “Shanda,” meaning “mountain guests,” implying their past inhabitation of lower-lying regions.

Chinese She people, numbering 709,592, are scattered in Zhejiang, Jiangxi, and Guangdong provinces in China. She Minority lives in villages of several dozen households or live along with Hans. Most reside in hilly country 500 to 1,500 meters high. Rivers have carved out their valleys. The climate is mild and humid, the frost season brief, and the land fertile. Agricultural products abound: rice, sweet potatoes, wheat, rape, beans, tobacco and potatoes are just a few. Timber and bamboo are important commercial commodities for the Shes; other native produce include tea, oil tea, dried and cured bamboo shoots, peanuts, ramie, mushroom, camphor and medicinal herbs. Mineral resources include coal, iron, gold, copper, alum, graphite, sulfur, talcum, mica and many other non-ferrous metals. The She language is very close to the Hakka dialect of the Hans, and most Shes speak Chinese instead of their ethnic tongue; a few Guangdong Shes speak a language similar to the Miao.

Images

Movies