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The Manchu, with a population of 9.8 million, are mainly distributed
in Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces, of which Liaoning
has the most Manchus.
Manchu history can be traced back to the Sushen people who lived
2000 years ago. They were the earliest ancestors of the Manchu.
In the Liao, Song, Yuan and Ming dynasties, they were called "Nuchen".
At the end of the 16th century, with the appearance of Nurhachi,
the tribes of Nuchen were unified and a new nationality - Manchu
- came into being, consisting of Nuchens, Hans, Mongolians and Koreans.
With the founding of the Qing Dynasty in 1644, the Manchu reached
its golden age.
Most Manchu are engaged in agricultural-related jobs. Their main
crops include soybean, sorghum, corn, millet, tobacco and apple.
They also raise silkworms.
Manchu has its own language and letters, which belong to the Manchu-Tungusic
group of the Altaic language family. Manchu letters were created
in the 16th century on the base of Mongolian letters. With more
and more Manchus settling in the Central Plains since the Qing Dynasty,
the economic and cultural exchange between Hans and Manchus became
more and more frequent and the Manchus gradually adopted the Han
language.
The Manchus like to eat millet. Their festivals were traditionally
celebrated with dumplings, and, on New Year's Eve, with a treat
of stewed meat. Boiled and roast pork and Manchu-style cookies were
table delicacies. As a kind of royal food, the Manchu snack "Saqima"
(a kind of candied fritter) now is welcomed by other nationalities.
The traditional costumes of a Manchu man are a narrow-cuffed short
jacket over a long gown with a belt at the waist to facilitate horse-riding
and hunting. Manchu women used to wear loose-bodied Cheongsams and
embroidered shoes or pattens. In past times, Manchu men wore their
hair long. They braided their hair and let the braids droop behind
their heads. Women coiled their hair on top of their heads and wore
earrings and headgear.
Manchu women didn't need to suffer from footbinding. Manchus is
striped-pants in formality. In the past days, the junior would send
their formal regards to the eldership every day. In greeting their
superiors, men were required to extend their left hand to the knee
and idle the right hand while scraping a bow, and women would squat
with both hands on the knees. Embracing the waist and touching faces
were regarded as the necessary behaviors when relatives or friends
met. Kowtow is one of the formal salutes of Manchu. On the occasions
of a wedding ceremony, funeral or facing emperor or officials, kowtow
would be sent.
The Manchus have different beliefs. Most of the Manchus believe
in Shamanism. Thinking that there are many gods commanding the world,
they also worship the Big Dipper, their ancestors and nature such
as forests and mountains.
Manchu and Han basically share the same festivals and holidays,
although there are still some differences in respect to celebrating
ceremonies.
Regarding taboos, killing and eating dog meat is forbidden to Manchus.
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