The Sichuanese, Sze Chuan or Ssu Ch'uan people ( zh, c=四川人;

Sichuanese Sichuanese, Szechuanese or Szechwanese may refer to something of, from, or related to the Chinese province and region of Sichuan (Szechwan/Szechuan) (historically and culturally including Chongqing), especially: * Sichuanese people, a subgroup of th ...

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 fo ...

: ''Si⁴cuan¹ren²'';

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 ...

zh, p=Sìchuānrén, w=Szŭ4-ch'uan1-jen2, zh, c=川人, labels=no or zh, c=川渝人, labels=no) are a

Han Chinese subgroup The subgroups of the Han Chinese people are defined based on linguistic, cultural, ethnic, genetic and regional features. The terminology used in Mandarin to describe the groups is: "minxi" (, pronounced ), used in Mainland China or "zuqun" (, pro ...

comprising most of the population of China's

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

province and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

municipality.

History

Beginning from the 9th century BC, Shu (on the

Chengdu Plain The Chengdu Plain (Chinese: 成都平原; Pinyin: Chéngdū Píngyuán), known as Cuanxi Bazi (Chinese: 川西坝子; Sichuanese Pinyin: Cuan1xi1 Ba4zi3) in Sichuanese, is an alluvial plain located in the western part of the Sichuan Basin in so ...

) and Ba (which had its first capital at

Enshi City Enshi () is a county-level city in and the seat of Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in western Hubei province, People's Republic of China. The prefecture's legislature, executive and judiciary are seated here, as well as its CPC and Pu ...

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

and controlled part of the Han Valley) emerged as cultural and administrative centers where two rival kingdoms were established. Although eventually the

Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...

destroyed the kingdoms of Shu and Ba, the Qin government accelerated the technological and agricultural advancements of Sichuan making it comparable to that of the

Yellow River The Yellow River or Huang He (Chinese: , Mandarin: ''Huáng hé'' ) is the second-longest river in China, after the Yangtze River, and the sixth-longest river system in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Ha ...

Valley. The now-extinct Ba-Shu language was derived from Qin-era settlers and represents the earliest documented division from

Middle Chinese Middle Chinese (formerly known as Ancient Chinese) or the Qieyun system (QYS) is the historical variety of Chinese recorded in the '' Qieyun'', a rime dictionary first published in 601 and followed by several revised and expanded editions. The ...

. South Sichuan was also inhabited by the

Dai people The Dai people ( Burmese: ရှမ်းလူမျိုး; khb, ᨴᩱ/ᨴᩱ᩠ᨿ; lo, ໄຕ; th, ไท; shn, တႆး, ; , ; ) refers to several Tai-speaking ethnic groups living in the Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture and ...

who formed the

serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

class. They were later thoroughly sinicized, adopting the local language of speech. Large numbers of foreigner merchant families from

Sogdia Sogdia ( Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also a province of the Achaemenid Emp ...

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

and other countries immigrated to Sichuan. During the Yuan and

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...

dynasties, the population of Sichuan, Chongqing had been reduced due to immigration, deportation and flight of refugees fleeing war and plague, new or returning settlers from modern

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...

and

Jiangxi Jiangxi (; ; formerly romanized as Kiangsi or Chianghsi) is a landlocked province in the east of the People's Republic of China. Its major cities include Nanchang and Jiujiang. Spanning from the banks of the Yangtze river in the north int ...

, replacing the earlier spoken language with different languages they adopted from the former regions to form a new standard language off communication.

Recent history

Many migrant workers from rural Sichuan have migrated to other parts of the country, where they often face

discrimination Discrimination is the act of making unjustified distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong. People may be discriminated on the basis of Racial discrimination, r ...

in employment, housing etc. This is due to China's household registration policy and other parts of people from midwest China face the same problem.

Language

The Sichuanese once spoke their own variety of spoken Chinese called

Ba-Shu Chinese Ba-Shu Chinese (; Sichuanese Pinyin: Ba¹su²yu³; ), or Old Sichuanese (or Old Szechwanese; ), is an extinct Sinitic language formerly spoken in what is now Sichuan and Chongqing, China. This language is first attested in '' Fangyan'' during ...

, or Old Sichuanese before it became extinct during the Ming dynasty. Now most of them speak Sichuanese Mandarin. The Minjiang dialects are thought by some linguists to be a bona fide descendant of Old Sichuanese due to many characteristics of

phonology and vocabulary being found in the dialects,试论宋代巴蜀方言与现代四川方言的关系》">刘晓南（2009年第8卷第6期），《试论宋代巴蜀方言与现代四川方言的关系——兼谈文献考证的一个重要功用：追寻失落的方言》，语言科学 but there is no conclusive evidence whether Minjiang dialects are derived from Old Sichuanese or Southwestern Mandarin.

Cuisine

Sichuan is well known for its spicy cuisine and use of Sichuan peppers due to its more arid climate.

Notable people

Well known Sichuanese people are such as: *

Ba Jin Ba Jin (Chinese: 巴金; pinyin: ''Bā Jīn''; 1904–2005) was a Chinese writer. In addition to his impact on Chinese literature, he also wrote three original works in Esperanto, and as a political activist he wrote '' The Family''. Name He ...

(1904–2005), author and political activist *

Bai Ling Bai Ling (, born October 10, 1966) is a Chinese-American actress known for her work in the films '' The Crow'', ''Nixon'', ''Red Corner'', '' Crank: High Voltage'', ''Dumplings'', ''Wild Wild West'', ''Anna and the King'', ''Southland Tales'', an ...

(1966–), actress *

Chang Dai-chien Chang Dai-chien or Zhang Daqian (; 10 May 1899 – 2 April 1983) was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a '' guohua'' (traditionalist) painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned ...

(1899–1983), artist * Chang Chün (1889–1990), premier of the Republic of China *

Fala Chen Fala Chen (; born 24 February 1982) is a Chinese American actress. She is known for her roles in Marvel Cinematic Universe superhero film ''Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings'' and HBO miniseries ''Irma Vep'' and ''The Undoing''. Che ...

(1982–), actress * Chen Pokong (1963–), author, political commentator and democracy activist *

Chen Shou Chen Shou (; 233–297), courtesy name Chengzuo (), was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is most known for his most celebrated work, the '' Records of ...

(233–297), official and writer *

Cheung Chung-kiu Cheung Chung-kiu or Zhang Songqiao (; born 1964) is a Hong Kong–based Chinese billionaire businessman. He is the chairman of C C Land, Y.T. Realty and Yugang International. Early life Cheung was born in 1964 in Chongqing, China, where he ...

(1964–), business magnate *

Deng Xiaoping Deng Xiaoping (22 August 1904 – 19 February 1997) was a Chinese revolutionary leader, military commander and statesman who served as the paramount leader of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC) from December 1978 to November 1989. Aft ...

(1904–1997), revolutionary and politician *

GAI Gai or GAI may refer to: People Given name or nickname * GAI (musician) (born 1987), Chinese hip-hop musician * Gai Assulin (born 1991), Israeli footballer * Gai Brodtmann (born 1963), Australian politician * Gai Eaton (1921–2010), Brit ...

(1988–), rapper, singer, and songwriter * Guo Moruo (1892–1978), author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official *

Huang Jiguang Huang Jiguang (; January 18, 1931 – October 19, 1952) was a highly-decorated Chinese soldier during the Korean War. Biography Huang was born in Sichuan Province, his mother is Deng Fangzhi and brother is Huang Jishu. In March 1951, Huang dec ...

(1931–1952), highly decorated soldier during the Korean War *

Jiang Zhuyun Jiang Zhuyun (; 20 August 1920 – 14 November 1949) was a Chinese communist resistance fighter and revolutionary martyr.Spymaster: Dai Li and the Chinese Secret Service - Page 166 Frederic E. Wakeman - 2003 "Occasionally, but only very seldom, ...

(1920–1949), revolutionary martyr *

Li Bai Li Bai (, 701–762), also pronounced as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai (), was a Chinese poet, acclaimed from his own time to the present as a brilliant and romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du F ...

(701–762), poet *

Li Bifeng Li Bifeng (born 1965 in Shehong, Sichuan, China) is a Chinese activist, poet and Christian. He has been imprisoned since 1998. Life and imprisonment The poet and campaigner for democracy, Li Bifeng, wrote a report in 1998 about a courageous sit- ...

(1965–), activist, poet and Christian *

Liu Yonghao Liu Yonghao (; born 1952) is a businessman in agribusiness in China. He is the founder and chairman of New Hope, the biggest animal feed producer in China. He is also involved in banking. As of 2019, He was ranked the 19th richest in China by ''Fo ...

(1952–), businessman *

Li Yifeng Li Yifeng (born Li He, 4 May 1987) also known as Evan Li, is a Chinese actor and singer, who rose to fame after participating in the 2007 ''My Hero'' contest. He debuted as a singer in the same year, with the album ''Four Leaf Clover''. Since 20 ...

(1987–), actor and singer *

Li Yuchun Li Yuchun (; born March 10, 1984), also known by her stage name Chris Lee, is a Chinese singer, songwriter, DJ and actress. She launched her singing career by winning first place in the Chinese singing contest '' Super Girl'', in 2005. The followi ...

(1984–), singer, songwriter, and actress *

Luo Ruiqing Luo Ruiqing (; May 31, 1906 – August 3, 1978), formerly romanized as Lo Jui-ch'ing, was a Chinese army officer and politician, general of the People's Liberation Army. He created the People's Republic of China's security and police appar ...

(1906–1978), army officer and politician *

Sanyu (painter) Sanyu or Chang Yu (; 14 October 1901 – August 1966) was a Chinese-French painter. Biography Chang Yu was born in Nanchong, Sichuan Province, on 14 October 1901. His family owned one of the largest silk-weaving mills in Sichuan, the Dehe Silk F ...

(1901–1966) * Chʽeng-Tsi Song (1892–1955), Anglican bishop *

Song Yonghua Song Yonghua FREng (; born 1964) is a Chinese electrical engineer. He has been rector of the University of Macau since January 2018, and previously served as Executive Vice President at Zhejiang University. Education Song was educated at Che ...

(1964–), scholar *

Su Shi Su Shi (; 8 January 1037 – 24 August 1101), courtesy name Zizhan (), art name Dongpo (), was a Chinese calligrapher, essayist, gastronomer, pharmacologist, poet, politician, and travel writer during the Song dynasty. A major personality of ...

(1037–1101), writer, poet, painter, calligrapher, pharmacologist, gastronome, and statesman *

Su Xun Su Xun (; 22 May 1009 – 21 May 1066) was a Chinese writer during the Song dynasty, best known for his essays. He is considered one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song, along with his sons Su Shi and Su Zhe. A famous story (popularized ...

(1009–1066), writer *

Su Zhe Su Zhe (; 1039–1112), or Su Che, courtesy names Ziyou and Tongshu , was a Chinese essayist, historian, poet, and politician from Meishan, located in modern-day Sichuan Province, China. Su was highly honored as a politician and essayist in t ...

(1039–1112), politician and essayist *

Tan Weiwei Tan Weiwei (; born 8 October 1982), also known as Sitar Tan, is a Chinese singer and actress. She was the runner-up of the third season (2006) of '' Super Girl'' (), a singing contest in China. In 2015, she participated ''I Am a Singer'' (se ...

(1982–), singer and actress *

Tang Chun-i Tang Chun-I or Tang Junyi (, 17 January 1909 – 2 February 1978) was a Chinese philosopher, who was one of the leading exponents of New Confucianism. He was influenced by Plato and Hegel, as well as by earlier Confucian thought. Biography ...

(1909–1978), philosopher and scholar * Wang Chiu-chiang (1957–), painter *

Wang Jianlin Wang Jianlin (; born 24 October 1954) is a Chinese business magnate, investor and philanthropist. He is the founder of Dalian Wanda Group, China's largest real estate development company, and the world's largest movie theater operator. He previo ...

(1954–), business magnate, investor, and philanthropist *

Wang Xiaoya Wang Xiaoya (; born 22 January 1968) is a Chinese television host and media personality. She won the Golden Mike Award in 2003. Biography Wang was born in Zhaojue County, Sichuan in January 1968, her father was an editor in ''Liangshan Daily'' ...

(1968–), television host and media personality * Wang Yi (pastor) (1973–) * Xu Youyu (1947–), scholar * Yang Xiong (53 BC – 18 AD), poet, philosopher, and politician *

Y. C. James Yen Y. C. James Yen (, 1890/1893-1990), known to his many English speaking friends as "Jimmy," was a Chinese educator and organizer known for his work in mass literacy and rural reconstruction, first in China, then in many countries. After working wit ...

(1890/1893–1990), educator *

Lucy Yi Zhenmei Lucy Yi Zhenmei ( zh, t=易貞美, s=易贞美, first=t, w=I Chên-mei, p=Yì Zhēnměi; December 9, 1815 – February 19, 1862) was a Sichuanese Roman Catholic saint from Mianyang, Sichuan Province, China. She is the lone woman of the five ...

(1815–1862), Roman Catholic saint *

Yu Jie Yu Jie (), is a Chinese-American writer and Calvinist democracy activist. The bestselling author of more than 30 books, Yu was described by the ''New York Review of Books'' in 2012 as "one of China's most prominent essayists and critics". Yu Ji ...

(1973–), Calvinist democracy activist *

Zhang Lan Zhang Lan (; 1872 – February 1955), courtesy name Biaofang (表方), was a Chinese political activist best known for being the chairman of the China Democratic League from its founding in 1941 until his death in 1955. Biography Zhang was bor ...

(1872–1955), political activist *

Zhang Yong (restaurateur) Zhang Yong () is a Chinese-born Singaporean billionaire business magnate who is the founder of the Haidilao restaurant group, best known for its chain of hot pot restaurants. At the end of 2018, Haidilao Hot Pot had 466 direct-operated stores in ...

(1969/1970–), Singapore's richest man in 2019 * Zhao Yiman (1905–1936), resistance fighter * Zheng Ji (1900–2010), nutritionist and pioneering biochemist *

Zhu De Zhu De (; ; also Chu Teh; 1 December 1886 – 6 July 1976) was a Chinese general, military strategist, politician and revolutionary in the Chinese Communist Party. Born into poverty in 1886 in Sichuan, he was adopted by a wealthy uncle at ...

(1886–1976), general, warlord, politician, and revolutionary *

Zhuo Wenjun Zhuo Wenjun (; fl. 2nd century BC) was a Chinese poet of the Western Han dynasty. As a young widow, she eloped with the poet Sima Xiangru. The poem ''Baitou Yin'' (白頭吟, White-Haired Lament) which complains at the inconstancy of male love ...

(), poet * Zou Rong (1885–1905), revolutionary martyr

References