The Ethnic Groups of China

I thought China based poddies might enjoy a few more links to those pics.

Here are vallance's VA pirates, lol - Long John Silver lives on!

Here are silktown's Ethnic Salar, complete with Bactrian home furnishing.

And here of course are The Han. Didn't they do well!?

bodawei,

谢谢，不过你真的过奖。其实，先前我不知道qwghlm和也不知道这个中文词“人格”；我看上网。

而，对不起，我从前开玩笑；我不是牙医；我的头像是"Peter Sellers"..演技为检察院Clouseau的时候他是牙医在一个镜头；我假装是他；我开玩笑。。再说。。对不起。

ah,now,getting back to the topic at hand [sorry tal;seem to have got a bit sidetracked mate], here's :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_groups_in_China

a wikipedia article that gives some figures on the population of the different ethnic groups.As you'll see the largest,the zhuang has 16million,the next largest the manchu just over 10.5 million,and the rest are all under 10 million,with the smallest group listed being the Lhoba ,coming in at 2,965.

@Barbs

All I can say is that you are a font of wisdom and a fount of knowledge.  I take it that dentistry gave you a lot of spare time to gab in the refectory?   

I think I can confirm that the Chinese IS pretty awful as you suspect, but I am, as always, unable to assist on anything beyond the pronunciation of 你好。(It's meaning I continue to be a little hazy on.  Chinese people seem to be becoming more and more comfortable with it as a greeting, particularly when they see a foreigner, but I wonder what they are thinking?)  

I suspect that 'anthropomorphic dragons' will even challenge the Chinese linguists?  I could ask the students in my economics classes.  They are apt to wax lyrical on the meaning of the dragon when discussing tariffs.  

add my mail:airsupply8126@hotmail.com we can learn languages together.

好的。不好意思我的不好中文，而且一点奇怪，呵呵。

..I was trying to say:

Perhaps it's because first someone had to slay all the anthropomorphic [here I used a bit of poetic licence to come up with 人格龙。。as 人格神..means anthropomorphic God...长夜。。我求你，请别骂我因为我的奇怪中文，哈哈 ：）] dragons,and only then [perhaps I should have used 才 instead of 就】 could the birds flourish afterwards and start twittering. Furthermore,I think those dragons might have been Welsh red dragons more or less.Why? ..Because I suspect they originated from qwghlm [a fictional place where they speak a language similar to Welsh] [look at the map].

Corrections,as always,welcomed.

@Barbs

aiyaah! 我看不懂！ Mate, do you mind giving me the gist in English?  My brains slowing down and I still have some work to finish tonight! 

 I don't see even a flicker of Twitter.   

..也许是因为先有人一需要都杀死了人格龙就鸟可以以后兴旺和叽叽喳喳

。。而且，我觉得那个龙可能是威尔士红龙差不多。为什么？。。因为我怀疑他们起源qwghlm【你看那个地图】

@Barbs

That map is a beauty BTW.  Dated Spring 2007 it has MySpace as the largest on-line community.  [sigh.. Remember MySpace and Rupert Murdoch's famous statement, in 2007 was it, that Facebook is just a passing fad?  Well he is right there but his implication was that MySpace would rule Cyberworld.]  Assuming a northern hemisphere origin that is about 2.5 years ago.  A whole generation in Internet time.  I don't see even a flicker of Twitter.   

China's version of the Loch Ness Monster

...well that just reminds me of one theory of Nessy being the vikings boats...and the dragon boats could be just scaled down version of that ,hey?

@Barbs

Ha, ha. I'm not up on my pop culture - should have consulted the ankle biters. So the gap year organisation that brings kids to SW China has done its own bit of pop culture referencing (but changed the wording.)  Their web site does not seem to have an explanation - perhaps that's how well known it is, and how out of touch I am.  I am still interested how they express it in Chinese (it is in part a Chinese language program.)    

Searching for extraterrestrials (Wiki link) reminds me that there is a popular show on Chinese TV about looking for China's version of the Loch Ness Monster.  Where there be dragons ...  :-) 

Sorry mate,it was actually "here be dragons"..这里有龙。。bit rusty.Just looked up a wiki article on it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_be_dragons

hehe,here's a modern day look at online communities with an area for dragons:

I like the outlet from noob sea into the sea of culture.Looks pretty easy to navigate for mine.I would have a series of passages ,each one getting harder to navigate [in part mirroring the infamous tricky transition from ellie to intermediate here].

"The famous Lenox Globe (ca. 1503-07) made of copper, has the phrase "HC SVNT DRACONES" on the eastern coast of Asia.":

Interesting article about it here.

I admit my ignorance about this expression where there be dragons - where have I been?  But I immediately loved it and imagined all those old maps where large areas were unknown. (Thanks Barbs!)  I assume that it is a Western expression, originating in Europe?  

If so, 那里有龙 adds more to the task than 有龙 - but this seems to me to be the problem with literal translations.  Neither really convey the meaning of 'where there be dragons' conveyed to a native English speaker, do they?  If it is actually a Chinese expression then I will have to re-think completely!  

Anyway, I will talk to a native Chinese speaker today about it and see what meaning these expressions convey to him.   I'm interested because dragons are perceived so completely differently in the East and West.  

Simon,

就是。你说的对。那里有龙。而且，多谢为你的链接。是很奇怪；现在我不能等星期一为了试试你的在线工具。晚安。

Bodawei: I think the problem for Baba wasn't that he didn't know how to write it (isn't it simply "有龙"?), but that he couldn't input hanzi at the computer he was at.

Bababardwan: I use this site for when I need to write hanzi at work, where the computer doesn't have Chinese input installed.

@Barbs

There is a summer program called 'Where There be Dragons' here in my city!  I've met the program director so I just asked him by email how they say it in Chinese - i'll let you know.  Great name for such a venture!  :-) 

bodawei,

clearly didn't catch on totally to the meaning.  It's the story of my conversational life in China ..

..for some reason this reminds me of doing a night dive.There is a kind of surreal and perverse joy in being totally in the dark and out of your element.Perhaps it's like the start of life all over.I love the element of wonder in little kids eyes when they see things for the first time.

The Hong Kong (women looking for a mate?) label my province in the west as 'No men over 175 cm'.

..hehe;that's really funny mate.I love maps like that.I think old maps are particularly interesting.I like the old ones that marked outer territories with "there be dragons" [just wish I could write hanzi at the moment as I'd like to write esp that last bit in chinese but alas I can't]

I like that you refer to "My province".It's good to see you getting settled in mate. :)

Thanks Zhen.  I think I did not see it - I should get into Media lessons but they are hard work for me.  I take a quick glance to see what its about and decide whether it is worth my time.  (Like the latest one on the stock market I will listent to when I get a moment - it promises an absurdist experience! And I like to surprise my students with my insights in Chinese.)  If I saw this one you have linked I clearly didn't catch on totally to the meaning.  It's the story of my conversational life in China .. 

Bodawei there was a Media lesson about that early this year, have you seen? Looks interesting.

Thanks Tal - great photos.  I wish I could pass on the photos from the books I was referring to - poddies would love them if they like your photos.  I'll have to look further.  

@Barbs

Of course, thanks mate.  I hope it was not a Freudian slip.  I've just been looking at a couple of funny maps of China from the perspective of Shanghai, Beijing, HK etc.  The Shanghai people label the Beijing area as the place where 'giant men' live.  The Hong Kong (women looking for a mate?) label my province in the west as 'No men over 175 cm'.  The Shanghai thing is pretty funny too because the cliche is that Shanghai people don't care about the rest of China anyway.  Shanghai people label my province as 'unknown parallel universe'.  Everyone agrees that Henan is full of 'thieves', the south is where people are only interested in making money, and dongbei is full of violent crime.  What makes this kind of funny if not pathetic is that these cliches are frequently voiced in China.  The 60th anniversary parade did not do much to educate people - the cliches came thick and fast.  My province was identified as the 'home to 26 of China's 56 minorities'.  Ho hum.  Having said that, I should know how to write 少数民族 shouldn't I?   

Tal, those are great! I like the Tujia best (of the ones I was able to see.) Gotta love a culture with great hats.

Hi tal

The photos are just great. The peoples in the photos are much more beautiful than 汉族 models/dancers wearing ethnic　minority costumes you often see on TV in the PRC. I want to see all the photos.

I agree the photos are striking. Thanks for sharing Tal.

那匹骆驼像一个巨大的针插吧。

See the Kazaks here. They'd do well in Las Vegas I'd guess, (not that I've ever been there!)

And see the Hui here. They all look... err... kind of underwhelmed.

The Tujia on the other hand are clearly enjoying themselves.

bodawei,

I dunno mate,but in the spirit of trying to help each other out if at all possible,I would just double check whether 小数民族 is correct.I had it as 少数民族 but you could well be right and both are valid.Actually,I'd be interested to find out myself.

zhen,

I agree with your description.They all had similar backdrops.Definitely not National Geographic style.They're all very posed,but still quite striking photos.

silktown,

是的，骆驼明显是假的，而且我感到得动物在其他照片可能是假的，虽然我认为狗在ethnic derung是真的。你们同不同意？

I particularly like the toy(?) stuffed camel in the "Ethnic Salar" picture. Maybe it's traditional ethnic furniture?

骆驼 luo4tuo2 camel

Over here I can still see the photos--quite interesting for me because I'm not familiar with many of the 55 other ethnic groups. These glossy graphics are more in the style of Vogue than National Geographic I think, and these are certainly not Han people (well except of course the Han people) dressing up Changye! Coffee-table book-esque.

@Changye

I still haven't seen the photos but I'm guessing that they are like several 'books' of photos of 小数民族 people available locally.  I do sympathise with your observation but it is a bit of an 'Eastern Seaboard' syndrome.  Out my way there are so many 小数民族 that I guess there is less incentive to dress up a 汉族人。 One thing that kind of amuses me is when you see the people dressed up for an event, performing together, it glosses over the fact that in the not too distant past they were often mortal enemies.  (Actually some are still not overly friendly!)    

bendidelaowai,

其实他们会经常穿这样的衣服

..真的吗？谢谢为告诉我。我很高兴听到这个。我同意。。很漂亮的。其实，我前怀疑少数的少数民族经常穿传统衣服但多数只穿这种的衣服节日的时候，可是我真的不知道，所以这是很有意思的新闻。

vallance,

That's taken as a given for most of us I think mate,at least it is for me anyway,so it doesn't detract one iota from still being a good effort.The cool thing about this language is that one is on that exciting learning curve for a long time and the challenge remains and doesn't wear thin,but every word or bit of knowledge behind you gives that little sense of achievement and makes it easier next time.Good to see you around.Jiayou. :)

@ barbs

Thanks for the encouragement but I have to admit I had a little help from Mr Google ;)

vallance,

well done mate.That was a challenge...my Chinese would be harder to follow than usual Chinese.This was one of those sentences that I was super confident was wrong.Cool that you could still get the gist.Sounds like you're doing fine.Keep it up :)

@barbs

Thanks for the challenge...I've worked out what you said and would reply in chinese but my level is still too basic for me not to have to spend the rest of the afternoon on it and i'm at work hehe!

Yeah, sorry. This link is blocked in China now. Shame, it's a great collection of pics, and all the text is in Chinese. When I have time I might upload some of the pics to another site and link to them here.

@silktown - 没错！What goes around comes around.

长夜，

很有意思的评论，可是在这个场合我不同意。如果你能看到都那个照片，你就看到他们都不是汉人。

@babardwan

其实他们会经常穿这样的衣服。他们平时穿最漂亮的衣服就是过他们节日的时候。至少有藏族这样做。其他我不了解。我去过了中国西部的时候我看到了少数民族的人民都会穿自己族的传统衣服。

I can't open the link. Maybe it's blocked in China.......(?). Anyway, I imagine they are photos of 汉族人 who wear ethnic clothing of minority peoples, as is always the case in the PRC.

vallance,

我可看你样的意思。

我看到台湾的少数民族都一起在一张照片。

Tal, as a kid, I had a guide to the British Empire (published circa 1920?). It fell open at the pictures of bare-breasted ladies. Such pictures from such latitudes were allowed. I learned a lot about diversity from those pictures.

My "favourite" was a row of smiling naked people with the caption: "None of these people can count beyond ten." Ugh. It's all relative, isn't it?

Thanks for the link..Some good pics here.

Is it me or have the "VA" people accidentally ended up in the set of a pirate movie? ;)

Woah, that's funny, it wasn't blocked an hour ago but it seems to be now.

I'll check for another. Bear with me.

PS. Sheesh, I'm getting nowhere here. Get a VPN bodawei, it's the only way to go!

玩游戏叫在英文“点区别”。。呵呵。。很不好的。。也许说“鉴定差异”

@tal

your link is blocked - is there another?

Doh! 我真是个二百五。

This wikipedia entry gives a list with population figures.

这个意思：

你看你的链接

ewenki? 什么意思？

哇，了不起。非常好的照片，不过我怀疑他们经常穿那么很漂亮的传统的衣服。多谢tal.

谁可以看到ethnic ewenki 和 ethnic ewenki 有什么区别？

I tried to avoid any 'Yellow Paper Headlines' this time changye! ;)

This is a nice post. At least, it's "lingistic" this time, hehe.