During the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC-AD 220) there were numerous tribes scattered across southern China. At that time the ancestors of today's Dong were slaves. The slave society gradually eroded away during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). For countless centuries the Dong have lived alongside Miao and Zhuang people and have absorbed numerous aspects of their culture and language.
The Southern Dong speakers are counted as part of the official Dong nationality. The Southern Dong have retained more of their culture and ethnicity than the Northern Dong.
The Dong love to stage bullfights. Every Dong village raises its own bull. "As the bulls lock horns and clash and strain to topple each other, the Dong cheer on their favorite beasts and toast them in fiery mao tai [whisky]." A Dong girl is usually taught to weave and embroider at the age of seven. By the age of 12, she starts working on her wedding dress. Marriage usually occurs at the age of 17 or 18. After marriage, a woman lives with her parents until after the birth of the first child. At that time, she is allowed to move into her husband's home.
The Dong worship a host of demons and gods. They make annual offerings to the spirits of their village, homes and crops. Ancestral altars are usually in the main room of most homes.
The China Inland Mission commenced work among the Dong around 1910. In the 1930s missionaries from Liuzhou in Guangxi traveled to northern Guangxi and won 80 Southern Dong to Christ near Fuluh Township. In 1998 one ministry led several of this group to Christ. They returned to their village and started a house fellowship of 40 people.
Without the guidance of Christ, these people will be lost in this life and the life to come. They need someone to go to them as Christ-bearers.
Pray for the Lord to intervene in their families, calling people to his side.
Pray for loving workers.
Pray for their hearts to be drawn to the Lord of lords.
Pray for a church planting movement to thrive in their communities.
Scripture Prayers for the Dong, Southern in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Dong, Southern |
People Name in Country | Dong, Southern |
Natural Name | Southern Dong |
Pronunciation | Dong |
Alternate Names | Dong; Gam; Kam; Southern Tung; Tong; Tongjia; Tung; Tungchia; Tungjen |
Population this Country | 1,251,000 |
Population all Countries | 1,251,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 25 |
People ID | 18443 |
ROP3 Code | 114043 |
ROP25 Code | 302168 |
ROP25 Name | Dong (China) |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | The Southern Dong are the larger of the two Dong language groups in China. Almost 1.5 million speakers of Southern Dong were counted in the 1990 language census, from a total of 2.5 million people in the Dong nationality. The Southern Dong live primarily in the Rongjiang, Jinping, Liping, Zhenyang, and Congjiang counties in Guizhou Province; Longsheng, Sanjiang, and Rongshui counties in northeastern Guangxi; and Tongdao County in Hunan Province. Two villages of Dong are also located in northern Vietnam, although only one individual in Vietnam is still able to speak Dong. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 16 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | The Southern Dong are the larger of the two Dong language groups in China. Almost 1.5 million speakers of Southern Dong were counted in the 1990 language census, from a total of 2.5 million people in the Dong nationality. The Southern Dong live primarily in the Rongjiang, Jinping, Liping, Zhenyang, and Congjiang counties in Guizhou Province; Longsheng, Sanjiang, and Rongshui counties in northeastern Guangxi; and Tongdao County in Hunan Province. Two villages of Dong are also located in northern Vietnam, although only one individual in Vietnam is still able to speak Dong.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.40 %) |
0.50 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
92.50 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
7.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Dong, Southern (1,251,000 speakers) |
Language Code | kmc Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Dong, Southern (1,251,000 speakers) |
Language Code | kmc Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Dong, Southern |
Primary Language: Dong, Southern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2006) |
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 |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Dong, Southern | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | My Last Day video, anime | Jesus Film Project |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source | Arian Zwegers - Flickr Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project. |
Video Source | Asia Harvest |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |