Han Chinese, April 10

Location: A 1987 study listed 3.12 their long history. million speakers of the Huizhou During this time the .1 The majority are great Chinese located in the southern part of philosophers Province — in an area previously Confucius and Laozi known as Huizhou Prefecture — on roamed the the banks of the Xi’nan River. Since countryside. Since 1912 the city of Huizhou has been then, Confucianism, known as Shexian. In addition, and the Daoist 800,000 Huizhou live in the northern religion founded by part of Province, especially in Laozi, have left their Wuyuan, Yuanling, and Dexing mark on every counties. Small numbers also live in generation of Chun’an County of Province. Chinese thought The Huizhou region was badly hit by and their religions. the Taiping Rebellion and lost as During this era the much as half of its population.2 “mandate of heaven” was Identity: One linguist believes the instituted. Political Huizhou Chinese should be treated rulers were believed “as a separate sublanguage and its to have gained their speakers as a distinct entity within position from the mosaic of Sinitic peoples.”3 heaven itself.

Language: Huizhou is unintelligible Customs: The Paul Hattaway with other Chinese languages. It is Huizhou have a reputation as expert slaves of capitalism drown their spoken in a widespread geographical merchants and businessmen. A human shape and their claim for any area of 25,000 sqare kilometers Chinese saying states: “No decent human life.” But it begs the (9,750 sq. mi.). The five dialects marketplace is so small there are no question whether the Communist reportedly “differ greatly from each Huizhou people.” By the sixteenth system functions merely as a political other.”4 century, Huizhou merchants “began to system, or whether it also has some assume a major role in the entire of the characteristics of a dynamic History: The Western Zhou Dynasty national economy [and] soon came to missionary movement with aspirations (1100–771 BC): It is thought that the control much of the nation’s rice, for world conquest. Western Zhou rulers were a nomadic lumber, and tea trade.”5 tribe who based their capital in Hao, Christianity: Since 1949 Christianity near present-day Xian. The Western Religion: After taking control of the has boomed in the region where the Zhou Dynasty came to an abrupt end country, the Communists gradually Huizhou live. There are an estimated in 771 BC, when barbarian tribes implemented the atheistic, antireligion 120,000 Huizhou believers. The three destroyed the capital of Hou. The policies of Soviet Marxist Vladimir provinces where Huizhou is spoken Eastern Zhou Dynasty (770–221 BC): Lenin, who had stated, “Religion is contain some of the highest The Chinese consider the Eastern the opium of the people. Religion is a concentrations of Christians in . Zhou period as one of the greatest in kind of spiritual vodka in which the

Language: Chinese, Huizhou Overview of the Status of Evangelization JIANGSU Huizhou Chinese Dialects (5): Jishe (850,000), HUBEI ANHUI Xiuyi (750,000), Qide (700,000), 50% Countries: China Yanzhou (700,000), Jingzhou 46% ZHEJIANG (200,000) HUNAN JIANGXI Pronunciation: “Hway-joe” FUJIAN Other Names: Chinese: Hui, Religion: No Religion, Daoism, Wannan, Huichou, Hewichow Buddhism, Christianity GUANGDONG 4% Scale HONG KONG Population Source: Christians: 120,000 0 KM 400 3,120,000 (1987 LAC); Scripture: Chinese Bible A B C Out of a total Han population of Population in China: 1,042,482,187 (1990 census) Jesus film: None A = Have never heard the gospel 3,120,000 (1987) B = Were evangelized but did not Location: Gospel Recordings: None 3,647,300 (2000) become Christians S Anhui; N Jiangxi; Zhejiang Christian Broadcasting: None 4,121,400 (2010) C = Are adherents to any form of Location: Anhui, Jiangxi, Status: Officially included under ROPAL code: CZH00 Christianity Zhejiang Religion: No Religion Christians: 120,000

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