The Bouyei (also spelled ''Puyi'', ''Buyei'' and ''Buyi''; self called: Buxqyaix, or "Puzhong", "Burao", "Puman"; ; vi, người Bố Y), otherwise known as the Zhongjia, are an

ethnic group An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

living in Southern Mainland China. Numbering 2.5 million, they are the 11th largest of the 56

ethnic groups An ethnic group or an ethnicity is a grouping of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes that distinguish them from other groups. Those attributes can include common sets of traditions, ancestry, language, history, ...

officially recognized by the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Despite the Chinese considering them a separate group, they consider themselves Zhuang (

Tai peoples Tai peoples are the populations who speak (or formerly spoke) the Tai languages. There are a total of about 93 million people of Tai ancestry worldwide, with the largest ethnic groups being Dai, Thais, Isan, Tai Yai (Shan), Lao, Tai Ahom, an ...

). The Bouyei mostly live in

Qianxinan Qianxinan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture (; Buyei: ''Qianfxiynanf Buxqyaix Buxyeeuz Ziqziqzouy''; Hmu: ''Qeef Xib Naif Dol Yat Dol Hmub Zid Zid Zeb''), is an autonomous prefecture of Guizhou province, People's Republic of China, bordering G ...

and Qiannan prefectures of Southern

Guizhou Province Guizhou (; formerly Kweichow) is a landlocked province in the southwest region of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Guiyang, in the center of the province. Guizhou borders the autonomous region of Guangxi to the ...

, as well as in

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

and Sichuan Provinces. Some 3,000 Bouyei also live in Northern

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, where they are one of that nation's 54 officially recognized ethnic groups. In Vietnam, they are known as the Bố Y and mostly live in

Mường Khương District Mường Khương is a rural district of Lào Cai province in the Northeast region of Vietnam. ''Mường'' is as variation of ''Mueang''. As of 2003, the district had a population of 48,242. The district covers an area of 552 km². The dis ...

Lào Cai Lào Cai () is a city in the Northwest region of Vietnam. It is the capital of Lào Cai Province. The city borders Bảo Thắng District, Bát Xát District, Sa Pa and the city of Hekou Yao Autonomous County, in Yunnan province of southwes ...

and

Quản Bạ District Quản Bạ is a rural district of Ha Giang province in the Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily compo ...

of Hà Giang Province.

Names

The Bouyei consist of various subgroups. Below are their autonyms written in the

International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is an alphabetic system of phonetic transcription, phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin script. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standa ...

with numerical Chao tones. *', *', *', *', *', *', *', *', Some clans within the Bouyei groups include: *', *', *', In

Congjiang County Congjiang County () is a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou, China. It is divided by the Duliu River (), the upper reaches of the Liu River, and borders Guangxi to the south. It is an important transit point a ...

, Guizhou, there is a group that refer to themselves as "Buyeyi, 布也益", but are officially classified by the Chinese government as ethnic Zhuang.

Distribution

In China by county

;County-level distribution of the Bouyei, from the 2000 Chinese census (Only includes counties or county-equivalents containing >0.1% of China's Bouyei population.)

In Vietnam

;Province-level distribution of the Bố Y, from the 2009 Census

Language

The Bouyei speak the

Bouyei language The Bouyei language (autonym: Haausqyaix, also spelled ''Buyi'', ''Buyei'' or ''Puyi''; ; vi, tiếng Bố Y or ) is a language spoken by the Bouyei ethnic group of Southern Guizhou Province, China. Classified as a member of the Northern Tai gr ...

, which is very close to

Standard Zhuang Standard Zhuang (autonym: , , (pre-1982: ; Sawndip: ); ) is the official standardized form of the Zhuang languages, which are a branch of the Northern Tai languages. Its pronunciation is based on that of the Yongbei Zhuang dialect of Shuangq ...

language. There is a dialect continuum between these two. The Bouyei language has its own written form which was created by linguists in the 1950s based on the Latin alphabet and with spelling conventions similar for the

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

system that had been devised to romanise

Mandarin Chinese Mandarin (; ) is a group of Chinese (Sinitic) dialects that are natively spoken across most of northern and southwestern China. The group includes the Beijing dialect, the basis of the phonology of Standard Chinese, the official language of ...

History

The Bouyei are the native Tai peoples of the plains of Guizhou. They are one of the oldest peoples of China, living in the area for more than 2,000 years. Prior to the establishment of the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, the Bouyei and Zhuang were linked together; the differences between both ethnic groups grew greater and from year 900 already they were two different groups. The

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

abolished the system of local heads and commanded in its place to officials of the army which caused a change in the local economy; from then on, the land was in the hands of a few landowners, which caused the population to revolt. During the Nanlong Rebellion of 1797, the Bouyei underwent a strong repression that caused many of them to emigrate to faraway

Culture

Many Bouyei are agricultural farmers who commonly cultivate crops for consumption or sale like rice, millet, wheat, potatoes, maize, cocoa, tea, silk and many other types of crops. The Bouyei have also played a major role as intermediate merchants in the region. Due to changing economies, the Bouyei engage in both small-scale and large-scale commercial or business operations. Traditional Bouyei handicrafts and batiks are renowned throughout the region. The Bouyei celebrate many festivals, both native and those derived from Han culture. One native festival is called the Ox King's Day, an annual celebration meant to honor oxen and their contribution to agricultural activities.

Notable Bouyei people

Guo Jian Guo Jian (; born 26 January 1962) is a Chinese Australian artist. His work has been exhibited and collected in Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, US, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and China, including Musée de Picardie in France, ...

(郭健), artist *

Huang Xiaoyun Huang Xiaoyun (; born 22 December 1998), is a Chinese singer and actress of Bouyei ethnicity. She first gained recognition in the Chinese television talent show ''The Voice of China 4'' in 2015 and later on in 2020, when she was a competito ...

(黃霄雲), singer and actress *

Wang Nangxian Wang Nangxian (, 1778–1798), Chinese:王囊仙; was a female Chinese leader of the anti- Manchu White Lotus Rebellion along with Wang Cong'er during the reign of the Qing dynasty. Another female member of the rebellion along with Wang Cong'er, ...

, leader of the anti-

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) and ...

White Lotus Rebellion The White Lotus Rebellion (, 1794–1804) was a rebellion initiated by followers of the White Lotus movement during the Qing dynasty of China. Motivated by Millenarianism, millenarian Buddhists who promised the immediate return of the Buddha, it e ...

Xiao Sha Xiao Sha (, born 15 June 1992) is a retired Chinese gymnast. She was an all-rounder, with a balance of skills on all four apparata: her strongest was the balance beam. Gymnastics career Xiao Sha started training in gymnastics at age 6. She medal ...

(肖莎), gymnast