Han
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- See also: Nationalities of China
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1,300,000,000 |
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| Chinese Buddhism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism,Mahayana, atheism and Muslim (in some areas). |
Han (simplified Chinese: 汉族; traditional Chinese: 漢族; pinyin: hàn zú) is an ethnic group from China. 90% of the people living in China and more than 97% of the people in Taiwan are Han. Out of the entire human population in the world, 19% are Han. Han Zu in Chinese means "Han ethnic group." Another name for Han Zu can be Han Ren, which means "Han people," which is written as 汉人 in simplified Chinese or 漢人 in traditional Chinese.
[change] The Name
The name "Han" comes from the Han Dynasty that united China as one country. During the Han Dynasty, many tribes felt that they belonged to the same ethnic group. Also, the Han Dynasty is said to be the high point in Chinese civilization. During the Han Dynasty, China was able to increase its power and influences to other parts of Asia.
There are some slangs and different names for Han amongst some Han people, esppecially in southerm China and in Vietnam. In languages like Cantonese, Hakka and Min Nan, the word "Táng Rén" is also used. "Táng Rén" is written as "唐人" and it literally means "the people of Tang." It is pronounced "Tong Yan" in Cantonese. "唐人" comes from another Chinese dynasty, the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty is also another peak point of the Chinese civilization. Within English-speaking Han communities, the word "Chinatown" in Chinese is "Táng Rén Jiē" which means "street of the Tang people."
Another phrase used by the Han people, especially overseas Chinese, is "Hua Ren" (simplified Chinese: 华人; traditional Chinese: 華人; pinyin: huá rén). It comes from "Zhong Hua" (simplified Chinese: 中华; traditional Chinese: 中華; pinyin: zhōng huá), a poetic name for China. The translation of this is "ethnic Chinese".
[change] Culture
- See also: Confucianism and Confucius
Han China is one of the world's oldest civilizations. Chinese culture dates back thousands of years. Some Han people believe they share common ancestors, distantly related to the Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, who existed thousands of years ago. Hence, some people of Han call themselves "Descendants of the Yan Emperor" or "Descendants of the Yellow Emperor."
Throughout the history of China, Chinese culture has been influenced by Confucianism. Confucianism was the official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China's history, and becoming a professional of Confucian texts was needed to be part of the imperial bureaucracy.
