The language and many customs of the Deqen Tibetans are distinct from other Tibetan peoples. One Chinese scholar was "surprised to find that the life and customs of the people of the Deqen Prefecture differ from those of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Besides traditional Tibetan customs, they have developed quite a few of their own."
Formerly located in Tibet, Deqen was annexed by the Chinese in 1703 and has since been a part of Yunnan Province. Tibetans had migrated south into the region many centuries earlier.
The extreme north of Yunnan is an isolated, mountainous region with abundant rain and snowfall. Hot springs located throughout the region help the people alleviate their winter struggles.
Although most Deqen Tibetans are Buddhists, this group also has the largest number of professing Christians among any Tibetan group in the world.
Three Deqen Tibetan villages numbering 600 people, located on the Tibetan side of the border, are Catholic. Another 700 Tibetans meet in a large Catholic church in Yanjing. The area was first converted by workers with the Paris Foreign Missionary Society in the late 1800s. The mission reached out in love to people all over the Tibetan world. In 1905 Tibetan lamas killed all of the French missionaries and the head of Father Dubernard was hung on the monastery gate. The Chinese authorities responded by demolishing several Tibetan temples in the region. Around the same time, emissaries of the Dalai Lama were dispatched to a Christian village near Yanjing to order the people to renounce Christianity. They shot several Christian families in a field that is called the "Field of Blood" to this day. Instead of intimidating the believers, this cruel act solidified their faith and helped them to renounce Buddhism. It has remained Christian ever since. By 1922 there were a reported 1,610 Tibetan Catholic converts in the area. The Pentecostal Missionary Union commenced work in Deqen in 1912 but gained few believers. In recent years Lisu evangelists have been sent to the Deqen Tibetans and have discipled hundreds of Tibetans in the ways of Christ. According to a Tibetan priest, Lu Rendi, there are 6,500 Tibetan Catholics in Southeast Tibet and at least a further 3,000 in neighboring areas of Yunnan Province.
Like people everywhere, the Deqen Tibetan people need to allow the loving Savior to direct their lives. They need his forgiveness for sin.
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 Tibetan, Deqen in China.
Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Tibetan, Deqen |
People Name in Country | Tibetan, Deqen |
Natural Name | Deqen Tibetan |
Pronunciation | Der-chen ti-BEH-ten |
Alternate Names | Anshuenkun; Atuence; Atuense; Atuentse; Deqen Tibetan; Deqin Tibetan; Kangba; Khamba; Mekong Tibetan; Nganshuekuan; Nganshuenkuan; Nyarong; Te-ch'in; Tibetan |
Population this Country | 121,000 |
Population all Countries | 122,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 18697 |
ROP3 Code | 114329 |
ROP25 Code | 308145 |
ROP25 Name | Tibetan |
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 | Much confusion surrounds the classification and population of the Deqen Tibetans, whom some researchers refer to as Atuence. Atuence is the old name for the Tibetan town of Deqen in northern Yunnan Province. Some sources list more than 500,000 Atuence speakers, but our research indicates there are only around 95,000. In addition, there are nine villages of Deqen Tibetans in the northernmost tip of Myanmar. 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 | Much confusion surrounds the classification and population of the Deqen Tibetans, whom some researchers refer to as Atuence. Atuence is the old name for the Tibetan town of Deqen in northern Yunnan Province. Some sources list more than 500,000 Atuence speakers, but our research indicates there are only around 95,000. In addition, there are nine villages of Deqen Tibetans in the northernmost tip of Myanmar.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
96.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.04 %) |
2.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
1.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
1.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Tibetan, Khams (121,000 speakers) |
Language Code | khg Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Southern Khams |
Dialect Code | 11927 Global Recordings Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Tibetan, Khams (121,000 speakers) |
Language Code | khg Ethnologue Listing |
Primary Dialect | Southern Khams |
Dialect Code | 11927 Global Recordings Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Tibetan, Khams |
Primary Language: Tibetan, Khams
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2020) |
Bible-Complete | No |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
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 | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Tibetan, Khams | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | The Hope Video | Mars Hill Media |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app as APK file | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Mobile App | Download audio Bible app from Google Play Store | Faith Comes by Hearing |
Text / Printed Matter | Tools for faith conversations | Campus Crusade for Christ |
Text / Printed Matter | Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies | World Missionary Press |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Suppawit Rmmabut - Shutterstock All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group location: Asia Harvest. 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. |