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Population and Distribution
The Tu ethnic group, with a population of about 191,624, is concentrated
in the Minhe and Datong counties and the Huzhu Autonomous County
in the eastern part of Qinghai Province. Others live sparsely in
Ledu and Menyuan in Qinghai Province and in the Tianzhu Tibetan
Autonomous County in Gansu Province.
History
The Tus call themselves "Mongguer", "Chahan Mongguer",
and other names. There are different versions regarding the origin
of the Tus, but most people believe that the Tus evolved from the
Tuguhun people in ancient times. During their long history, they
formed their own unique group by absorbing members of the Han, Tibetan,
Mongolian, and other neighboring tribes.
Language
The Tu people have their own spoken language. Their language, which
is comprised of three dialects, belongs to the Mongolian branch
of the Altaic language family. The Tu people have no written alphabet.
Chinese and Tibetan alphabets are in common use, although a new
written system based on the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet was created
for them in 1979.
Economy
In ancient times, the Tu people engaged in sheep ranching and other
animal husbandry. In the late Yuan Dynasty and early Ming Dynasty
(1368 - 1644), farming developed very quickly and the Tu people
transitioned to farming with animal husbandry as a secondary form
of livelihood. Major crops include wheat, highland barley, and potatoes.
Religion
As a result of generations of close contact with the Tibetans and
Mongolians, most Tus practice Tibetan Buddhism (Lamaism). Under
the influence of the Han people, they also worship their ancestors
and believe in the God of Wealth, the kitchen god, the door-god
and others. The Family God is also revered in all households as
the family protector.
Diet
The Tus eat three meals per day. Ranchers enjoy meat and dairy
products as their staple food while farmers mainly live on highland
barley, buckwheat, and potatoes. The Tus enjoy noodles fried in
butter, pan-fried steamed buns, and meat eaten with their fingers.
They are also fond of drinking milk-tea, oil-tea, and homemade wine
from highland barley.
The Tus are especially hospitable. All guests, including passersby
and anyone that should ask for an accommodation, are welcomed with
open arms. Traditionally, guests are treated to a five course meal.
The first course consists of buttered tea (made by mixing tea with
butter and salt in a churn), deep fried buns, and steamed twisted
rolls made of flour. The second course includes fried puffy shredded
dough (or deep fried noodles) with stewed beef ribs. The third course
includes a variety of stuffed buns, followed by the fourth-course
of meat eaten with the fingers. The meal isn't complete without
the last course of the Tus' speciality of homemade long noodles.
Residence
Tu villages are close-knit communities made up of extended families.
Most villages are located at the foot of hills and near rivers.
Every household is constructed of rooms surrounding a quadrangular
called Ma, on three sides. Characteristic of the traditional style
of the houses in China's Northwest, it is distinguished by high
walls, four strikingly angular caves, and white stone pillars erected
to "subdue the evil spirits." The main part of the house,
where elder members of the family live, face south towards the courtyard
gate, and the kitchen lies in the east or the northeastern corner
of the compound. The family shrine is usually erected against the
wall just opposite the door of the main-room.
Fashion
The clothes of the Tu people are unique in their colors and styles.
Both men and women wear delicately embroidered clothes with high
collars.
Tu men like to wear dark robes on top of a white short gown, with
a green waistband and a felt hat. Felt hats with brocade brims are
popular.
Women's clothes are more colorful than men's. Their usual costume
is a short jacket with buttons down the side, with a black sleeveless
garment worn outside. Their jackets have sleeves made up of cloth
in the five colors of the rainbow: red, yellow, green, blue and
violet. Young women often wear colorful skirts in reds while middle-aged
women prefer blue ones.
The Tu people used to be very particular about their hair, limited
to seven or eight particular styles. However, nowadays any simple
hairstyle topped by a brocaded felt hat is accepted among Tu women.
Festival
Ceremonious festivals of the Tu people include the Spring Festival,
the Dragon Boat Festival, the Nadun Festival, and others.
The Nadun Festival, also known as "July Meeting", is
popular among the Tus living in the Minhe County in Qinghai. It
lasts nearly two months, from July the thirteenth to early September
and is said to be the longest lasting festival in the world. The
festival originally was held in memory of a carpenter well known
for his wit, but it has now become a carnival celebrating good harvests.
Throughout the festival, the entire Tu nationality celebrates, and
all the villagers enjoy themselves by singing and dancing to the
lively rhythm of drums.
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