It appears that the official division between the Bouyei and Zhuang in China is defined by provincial borders. The Northern Tai speaking groups in Guangxi are labeled Zhuang, and those in Guizhou, Bouyei. Until one generation ago, the Bouyei were more commonly known as the Chungchia, a name meaning "people in the middle." A 1945 study of the Bouyei revealed they were "divided into five distinct tribes."
Bouyei - which has eight tones - is a Northern Tai language, similar (and in some places identical) to Northern Zhuang. There are three Bouyei dialects in China, although as many as 40 dialects have been incorrectly reported in the past.7 In 1995 the Chinese government decided to discontinue education in the Bouyei language, and now all schooling is conducted in Chinese. Only 12% of the Bouyei have attended high school - one of the lowest rates among the 55 official minorities in China.
The Bouyei are one of the ancient peoples of Guizhou, having inhabited the province for more than 2,000 years. Thousands of Bouyei were burned at the stake during the Nanlang Rebellion in 1797. The horrific persecution forced many Bouyei to flee into Vietnam.
When a Bouyei woman is in the process of giving birth, a tree branch is placed across the door to prevent intruders from entering. An altar to the spirits is erected to ensure the delivery goes smoothly. After the birth, the placenta is buried under the bed.
The Bouyei are polytheists. They also practice an ancient form of exorcism called nuo. "A family will hire a shaman to cast out demons of illness or bad fortune. Ceremonies include climbing knife ladders, walking on fire or glass, and other activities to demonstrate the power of the spirits."
Catholic missionaries have worked among the Bouyei for 200 years. Many were martyred for their witness. The CIM missionary J. F. Braumton arrived in Guiyang in 1877. A mission station was opened in Dushan in 1895, but "the time of the missionaries was entirely given up to work among the Chinese." A recent estimate places the number of Bouyei Christians at 24,000, but missionaries among the Bouyei claim there to be no more than 5,000. In 1985 there were nine Catholic churches in the Qianxinan Prefecture. Recently, several mission agencies have commenced church planting efforts among the Bouyei, but few converts have been won so far.
Scripture Prayers for the Bouyei in China.
Profile Source: Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Bouyei |
People Name in Country | Bouyei |
Pronunciation | Boo-yee |
Population this Country | 3,326,000 |
Population all Countries | 3,326,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 2 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 67 |
Alternate Names | Bố Y; Bo-i; Bui; Buman; Buyayi; Buyi; Buyui; Buzhong; Chung-Chia; Dioi; Kuei; Kui; Pui; Pu-i; Pujai; Pu-Jui; Puyi; Puyoi; Quinjiang; Shuihu; Zhongjia |
People ID | 18421 |
ROP3 Code | 114016 |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 23 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | The Bouyei inhabit the rolling hills in the southern part of Guizhou Province. Bouyei villages are often located near streams and rivers. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 23 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | The Bouyei inhabit the rolling hills in the southern part of Guizhou Province. Bouyei villages are often located near streams and rivers.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Language | Bouyei (3,326,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pcc Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Qianzhong |
Dialect Code | 8343 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Bouyei (3,326,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pcc Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Qianzhong |
Dialect Code | 8343 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Bouyei |
Primary Language: Bouyei
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1904) |
Bible-New Testament | No |
Bible-Complete | No |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching (GRN) |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Bouyei |
Film / Video | My Last Day (Jesus Film Project Anime) |
Film / Video | The Story of Xiao Nong |
Film / Video | The Story of Xiao Nong |
Text / Printed Matter | Online Bible Text (Scripture Earth) |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
15.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.17 %) |
0.70 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
80.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
4.30 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Christian Segments ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Anglican |
0.0 %
|
Independent |
24.0 %
|
Orthodox |
0.0 %
|
Other Christian |
0.0 %
|
Protestant |
0.0 %
|
Roman Catholic |
76.0 %
|
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2021 Asia Harvest All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group Location from IMB. Other map data / geography from GMI. Map by Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |