The Xiang are traditionally acknowledged as the most stubborn and proud of all Chinese peoples. "The people themselves are the most clannish and conservative to be found in the whole empire and have succeeded in keeping their province practically free from invasion by foreigners and even foreign ideas."
Xiang is a distinct Chinese language in transition. It is exposed to Mandarin from several directions. Hunanese women once possessed their own writing system. It was taught by women to women and could not be read by men.
The People's Republic of China (1949- ): The communists seized control of China in 1949. Initial euphoria among the people soon vanished as famine, economic mismanagement, and the suppression of all opposition became the norm. The darkest period came between 1966 and 1976 when millions of innocent people were butchered in the name of progress. After Mao's death in 1976 a power struggle ensued. Deng Xiaoping, who stood alone with an agenda of economic reforms, took power and China gradually reopened to the outside world. A demonstration held in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, to demand political reform was forcefully broken up by the army on June 4, 1989. Fears that China would revert to the excesses of the 1960s and 1970s proved unfounded, however, and China continued to open up and become a thriving part of the world community throughout the 1990s.
In 1911 the Xiang were described as "the best haters and best fighters in China. Long after the rest of the empire was open to missionary activity, Hunan kept its gates firmly closed against the foreigner." The Xiang are renowned for their theaters and opera.
The Xiang follow a mix of Chinese folk religion and traditional Asian religious beliefs.
Recently there has been an upsurge in religious interest in Hunan, as people seek to fill the spiritual void in their hearts. "A monastery in Hunan has witnessed tens of thousands of pilgrims arriving to worship the three 'gods' of Communist China - Chairman Mao, Zhou Enlai and Zhu De. This pilgrimage has set alarm bells ringing in the local government over the revival of superstition."
In 1861 Welsh missionary Griffith John met a Hunan military mandarin, who "boasted of the glory and martial courage of the Hunan men and said there was no danger of their ever believing in Jesus or of His religion taking root there." The pride of the Xiang has made them the most unreached of all Han Chinese peoples. Today only 80,000 of the Xiang are Christians. The entire Christian population of Hunan is numbered at no more than 120,000. Because of internal strife, the Hunan church has been described as a "disaster area."
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 spiritual blindness and bondage to the evil one to be removed so they can understand and respond to Christ.
Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love.
Pray that the Xiang people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings.
Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.
Scripture Prayers for the Han Chinese, Xiang in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2013/04/05
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2008/07/14
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Han Chinese, Xiang |
People Name in Country | Han Chinese, Xiang |
Natural Name | Xiang Chinese |
Pronunciation |
shahng
|
Alternate Names | Han Chinese; Hsiang; Huanese; Hunan; Hunan Chinese; Hunanese |
Population this Country | 35,647,000 |
Population all Countries | 35,763,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 5 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 713 |
People ID | 18484 |
ROP3 Code | 114092 |
ROP25 Code | 301734 |
ROP25 Name | Chinese |
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 | Approximately 35 million speakers of Xiang Chinese - or Hunanese - live in China. The majority are located in Hunan Province. Others inhabit 20 counties of western Sichuan and parts of northern Guangxi and northern Guangdong provinces. 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 | Approximately 35 million speakers of Xiang Chinese - or Hunanese - live in China. The majority are located in Hunan Province. Others inhabit 20 counties of western Sichuan and parts of northern Guangxi and northern Guangdong provinces.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
20.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 2.00 %) |
3.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
43.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
34.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Chinese, Xiang (35,647,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hsn Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Chinese, Xiang (35,647,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hsn Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Chinese, Xiang |
Primary Language: Chinese, Xiang
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1999-2001) |
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 | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Chinese, Xiang | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Didit Art - Pixabay |
Map Source | People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |