Pinyin Romanization | Names in Chinese characters and Pronunciation | Approximate residing areas according to Chinese texts | Time of appearance in Chinese history | Equivalence(s) in World history | Time of appearance outside China | Descendant(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Miao | 苗 (miao2) | Various areas stretching from provinces (Hebei, Shanxi) north of Huang he to Yunnan province | As early as 25th century B.C to present | Miao | see Miao | Laotians, ethnic groups in China, America and Europe |
Xiongnu, Xianyun | 匈奴 (xiong1 nu2), 玁狁 (xian3 yun3) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, northern portions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and eastern portion of Xinjiang | 6th century B.C ? to late 1st century for Northern Xiongnu who migrated westward after that period. Southern Xiongnu remained active until mid 5th century then assimilated into Chinese | Huns | late 4th century to mid 6th century in Europe | No known descendants |
Wuhuan | 烏桓 (wu1 huan2) | western portions of Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning provinces) and Inner Mongolia | 4th century B.C to late 3rd century, assimilated into Chinese | No known equivalence | N/A | No known descendants |
Xianbei | 鮮卑 (xian1 bei1) | Manchuria (Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning provinces), Mongolia and Inner Mongolia. Moved into areas north of Huang he as they founded a dynasty there. | 4th century B.C ? to mid 6th century, assimilated into Chinese | No known equivalence | N/A | No known descendants |
Qiang | 羌 (qiang1) | Gansu, Qinghai, westren portion of Sichuan, eastern portion of Xinjiang and northeastern portion of Tibet | 4th century B.C ? to late 5th century, assimilated into Chinese | No known equivalence | N/A | as minorities in Sichuan |
Di | 氐 (di1) | Areas of neighboring borders of Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and Shaanxi | 8th century B.C ? to mid 6th century, assimilated into Chinese | No known equivalence | N/A | as minorities in Sichuan |
Jie | 羯 (jie2) | Shanxi province | late 2nd century to mid 4th century, assimilated into Chinese | No known equivalence | N/A | No known descendants |
Dingling, Gaoche, Shule | 丁零 (ding1 ling2), 高車 (gao1 che1), 疏勒 (shu1 le4) | banks of Lake Baikal and on the borders of Today Mongolia and Russia then migrated to Shanxi province and Xinjiang region | 1st century BC to late 5th century, assimilated into Chinese | ? | ? | some descendants still living by the lake ? |
Gaogouli | 高勾驪 (gao1 gou1 li2) | central and southeastern Manchuria (Today Jilin and eastern portion of Liaoning province) | 1st century BC to mid 7th century, dissipated | Goguryeo or Koguryo | 1st century to mid 7th century in Korea | Bohai |
Rouran, Ruru, | 柔然 (rou2 ran2), 蠕蠕 (ru2 ru2), 茹茹 (ru2 ru2) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, northern portions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia and eastern portion of Xinjiang | early 3rd century to early 6th century | Avars? | late 6th century to early 9th century | descendants living in today Daghestan? |
Tujue | 突厥 (tu2 jue2) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, northern portions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, Xinjiang, eastern portion of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan | late 5th century to mid 10th century | Gokturks | mid 6th century to early 9th century | The western Turks migrated to modern-day Turkey while the eastern Turks assimiliated to the Uighurs in Xinjiang |
Huihe | 回紇 (hui2 he2) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, northern portions of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia | early 7th century to mid 10th century | Uighurs | early 9th century to present | largest ethnic group in Xinjiang region |
Tubo | 吐蕃(tu3 fan1) sometimes pronounced as 吐播 (tu bo1) | Today Tibet, Qinghai, western border of Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi and Southern border of Xinjiang | mid 6th century to present | Tibetans | early 6th century to present | Tibetans |
Qidan | 契丹 (qi4 dan1) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, Manchuria, Liaoning, northern border of Shanxi and Hebei and later in Xinjiang and eastern border of Kazakhstan | late 5th century to mid 13th century | Khitan | early 6th century to present | No known descendants |
Xi | 奚 (xi1) | more or less the same residence of the Khitans since regarded as two ethnic groups with one unique ancestry | mid 6th century to mid 12th century | No known equivalence | N/A | No known descendants |
Shiwei | 室韋 (shi4 wei2) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, western Manchuria and southern Siberia | late 6th century - late 10th century | No known equivalence | N/A | conquered by Khitans, splinter groups and remnants re-emerged as Mongols |
Menggu | 蒙古 (meng2 gu3) | Today Mongolia, Inner Mongolia, western Manchuria, southern Siberia, eastern and central Xinjiang before Genghis Khan | since late 8th century (?) | Mongol | late 12th century to present | Mongol |
Dangxiang | 黨項 (dang3 xiang4) | Ningxia, Gansu, northern portions of Shanxi, southwestern portion of Mongolia, Southeastern portion of Xinjiang | mid 8th century to early 13th century | Tanguts | ? | No known descendants |
Mohe | 靺鞨 (mo4 he2) | Manchuria and northern portion of Inner Mongolia, established Bohai | early 7th century to early 10th century. | No known equivalence | N/A | Jurchen (see entry below) |
Nüzhen or Manzhouren | 女真 (nü3 zhen1), 滿洲人 (man3 zhou1 ren2), 滿人 (man3 ren2) | Manchuria and northern portion of Inner Mongolia | early 10th century to present, established Jin Dynasty and Qing Dynasty | Jurchen, Mancho, Manchus or Manchurian | Since mid 17th century, first encountered by Russians | largest ethnic group in Dongbei region or Manchuria. Their culture has very much assimilated with the Chinese but some distinctive aspects still remain. |
See also: