Manchu in China

The Manchu have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Identity

Although they are considered China's second largest minority, most Manchu today are indistinguishable from the Han Chinese. As one historian notes, "The Manchus' political and military successes were purchased at the expense of losing their ethnic identity. Long before the Qing Dynasty collapsed in 1911, most Manchus had ceased to be Manchus ethnically, linguistically, and culturally."

The Manchu language is practically extinct. Various studies have listed "less than 20," "70," and "1,000" speakers of Manchu remaining among the entire ethnic group. Manchu speakers are located in a few villages in Heilongjiang - Sanjiazi Village in Fuyu County and Dawujia Village in Aihui County. Most of the Manchu speakers use Mandarin as their first language and speak Manchu "with a pronounced Chinese accent." Manchu was the only Tungus language to possess an orthography, but this too is now extinct.


History

Although the name Manchu was first used in the early 1600s, their descendants date back 3,000 years to the Suzhen tribe. In 1644 the Manchu broke through the Great Wall and, after several decades of conquest, established the Qing Dynasty which ruled China for 267 years.


Customs

All but about 200,000 Manchu have lost their cultural identity. Traditional Manchu dress is now reserved solely for tourist performances.


Religion

Before the Manchu were assimilated, they were known as shamanists who also worshiped their ancestors. Some aspects of these practices remain, but today most Manchu are considered nonreligious.


Christianity

The Catholics commenced work in Manchuria in 1620. By 1922 they numbered 56,000 converts, most of whom were Han Chinese. Protestant work among the Manchu began in 1869. A revival swept through Manchuria in the early 1900s. A blind evangelist, Chang Sen, traveled from village to village winning hundreds of converts to Christ. "Missionaries followed after him, baptizing converts and organizing churches." In the first half of this century many Manchu Christians suffered severe persecution and torture, especially between 1931 and 1945 when northeast China was annexed by Japan and renamed Manchukuo. Today there are at least 10,000 scattered Manchu believers who meet in Chinese churches. Many have come to Christ as the result of the great Heilongjiang revival in the 1990s.


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Manchu in China.


People Name General Manchu
People Name in Country Manchu
Pronunciation MAN-choo
Alternate Names Man; Manchou; Manju
Population this Country 149,000
Population all Countries 149,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
PeopleID3 13481
ROP3 Code 106218
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The majority of the Manchu are concentrated in China's northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang - all of which were formerly part of Manchuria. For centuries the Manchu separated themselves from the Chinese and even erected a wooden stockade to keep them out. In 1859 the Chinese were finally allowed to migrate into Manchuria. The Chinese entered in such massive numbers that today the Manchu are a minority in their homeland. Small numbers of Manchu may also live in Siberia and North Korea.   Source:  Operation China, modified
Country China
Region Asia, Northeast
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 19  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Location in Country The majority of the Manchu are concentrated in China's northeastern provinces of Liaoning, Jilin, and Heilongjiang - all of which were formerly part of Manchuria. For centuries the Manchu separated themselves from the Chinese and even erected a wooden stockade to keep them out. In 1859 the Chinese were finally allowed to migrate into Manchuria. The Chinese entered in such massive numbers that today the Manchu are a minority in their homeland. Small numbers of Manchu may also live in Siberia and North Korea..   Source:  Operation China, modified
Primary Religion: Non-Religious
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
10.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 5.50 %)
6.80 %
Ethnic Religions
40.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
43.20 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Manchu (149,000 speakers)
Language Code mnc   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Manchu (149,000 speakers)
Language Code mnc   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Manchu

Primary Language:  Manchu

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1822)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1835-1929)
Bible-Complete No
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Photo Source Šolon - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group Location from IMB. Other map data / geography from GMI. Map by Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Operation China, Asia Harvest, et al. 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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