Shui
Encyclopedia
The Sui people are an ethnic group
Ethnic group
An ethnic group is a group of people whose members identify with each other, through a common heritage, often consisting of a common language, a common culture and/or an ideology that stresses common ancestry or endogamy...

 living mostly in Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

 Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. They are counted as one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...

.

History and demographics

The Sui are descended from the ancient Baiyue peoples, who had inhabited southern China before the Han dynasty
Han Dynasty
The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China, preceded by the Qin Dynasty and succeeded by the Three Kingdoms . It was founded by the rebel leader Liu Bang, known posthumously as Emperor Gaozu of Han. It was briefly interrupted by the Xin Dynasty of the former regent Wang Mang...

 (Wei 2003:viii). The name "Sui," which means "water" in Chinese, was adopted during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

.

Today, 93% of all Sui people (322,000 individuals) reside in Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

, with about half of them living in Sandu Shui Autonomous County
Sandu Shui Autonomous County
Sandu Shui Autonomous County is a county of Guizhou, China. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture....

. To the south, 10,000 Sui live around Yingdong village in Rongshui County, Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 (Edmondson 2008). Small pockets of Sui people also live in Fuyang and Yiliang
Yiliang County, Zhaotong
Yiliang County is located in Zhaotong prefecture-level city in Yunnan Province, China.-External links:*...

 Counties, Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

. Additionally, there are 120 Sui living in Hồng Quang District, Tuyên Quang Province
Tuyên Quang Province
Tuyên Quang is a province of Vietnam, located in the northeastern part of the country to the northwest of Hanoi, at the centre of Lo River valley, a tributary of the Red River. The delta formation in the province is called the Tonkin Delta. Its capital is Tuyên Quang Township...

, northern Vietnam
Northern Vietnam
For the former country, see North VietnamNorthern Vietnam is one of the three regions within Vietnam ....

 who are the descendants of Sui people who had left Sandu County 8 generations ago (Wei 2003:vii).

Society

The Sui are organized around family clans. Villages usually have a few hundred inhabitants, most of whom have the same family name (Wei 2003:ix).

Traditional Sui houses are usually made of fir or pine, although today the houses are increasingly made with bricks. There are three main types of traditional Sui housing (Wei 2003:ix):
  1. ɣaan2 faaŋ1 (Chinese: ganlan mulou) - The ganlan stilted house, which has two or three stories. The second floor is used for the living quarters whereas the first floor is used primarily as a stable and storage area.
  2. ɣaan2 hum5 - The ground house, which has one story.
  3. The split level house - a "hanging foot" building called diaojiaolou in Chinese. These houses are built on hillsides, with longer pillars supporting the downhill-facing side of the house, and are called "hanging house" (diaojiao) since the pillars supporting the house are sometimes located outside the walls.


If a woman is widowed, she covers her hair with a fabric of white color for three years. The Sui possess a lunar calendar that is initiated in the ninth lunar month. Their funeral services are elaborate and long ceremonies where animal sacrifices are carried out in honor of the dead. Except for fish, Sui villagers usually refrain from eating meat after the death of a person (Wei 2003:xvi).

Cuisine

The staple food of the Sui people is glutinous rice
Glutinous rice
Glutinous rice is a type of short-grained Asian rice that is especially sticky when cooked. It is called glutinous Glutinous rice (Oryza sativa var. glutinosa or Oryza glutinosa; also called sticky rice, sweet rice, waxy rice, botan rice, biroin chal, mochi rice, and pearl rice, and pulut) is a...

. Supplementary grains and tubers include corn, wheat, barley, millet, and sweet potatoes. Rice is either steamed in a bamboo steamer or cooked in a covered pot over a low fire. Popular rice-based dishes include ʔjut7 (Chinese: zongzi) and cooked glutinous rice with chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...

 and puffed rice (Wei 2003:xiv). Sui women also give glutinous rice to relatives when visiting them.

Fish is one of the most important sources of food. Like the Dong people
Dong people
The Dong , a Kam–Sui people of southern China, are one of the 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by the People's Republic of China. They are famed for their native-bred Kam Sweet Rice , carpentry skills, and unique architecture, in particular a form of covered bridge known as the "wind and rain...

, many Sui raise carp
Carp
Carp are various species of oily freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae, a very large group of fish native to Europe and Asia. The cypriniformes are traditionally grouped with the Characiformes, Siluriformes and Gymnotiformes to create the superorder Ostariophysi, since these groups have certain...

 in village fishponds (Wei 2003:xiv). A popular dish consumed during the summer is a kind of sour broth called lu5 hum3. Sui families also regularly hold communal hot pots. Kippered fish (hum3 mom6), kippered meat (hum3 naan4), and the meat of suckling pigs are also popular. Rice spirits are popular among the Sui, and are also consumed during marriages, funerals, festivals, and building raising events. The Sui are also famed for their jiuqian wine.

Festivals

Festivals include (Wei 2003:xix):
  • tsjə1 twə3 (Duan festival) - This harvest festival is similar to the Chinese New Year
    Chinese New Year
    Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...

    . It is held from around September (start of the Sui New Year) to November (second month of the Sui calendar). Livestock meat is not eaten during the Sui New Year's Eve (hət7). On New Year's Day (ʁaai3), antiphonal choirs, horse racing, and other festivities are held. Since Sui in different areas celebrate Duan at different times, this festival actually lasts for more than two months when festivities from various locations are combined together. A total of five different Duan's are celebrated in the following locations (Wei 2003:xx).
  1. Wangsi in Duyun (Pandong) City
  2. Malian, Layou, Miaocao, Shuidong in Sandu County
  3. Tingpai, Hengfeng, Heyong, Tianxing in Sandu, Libo, Dushan Counties
  4. Zhonghe, Dixiang, Jiuqian in Sandu County
  5. Sandong, Shuinian, Xingxiang in Sandu County.
    • tsjə1 mau4 (Mao festival) - This four-day festival is celebrated by those who do not celebrate the Duan festival. It occurs after the transplanting of rice seedlings on the tenth month of the Sui calendar. Mao Day is celebrated in the Libo County
      Libo County
      Libo County is a county of Guizhou, China. It is under the administration of the Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture.-Geography:The county is located in the remote southeastern corner of the prefecture, on the border with Guangxi...

       villages of Shuili, Yaoqing, Shuirao, Shuipu, and Yongkang. Antiphonal-style choirs sing traditional Sui love songs during this festival. However, by tradition married women are not allowed to perform in the choirs.
    • tsjə1 tseŋ1 (spring festival) - This festival is especially elaborate in the Sandu County locales of Bannan, Shuimei, Yanggong, Zhouqin, and Yang'an. These villages, however, do not celebrate either the Duan or Mao festivals.
    • su3 njen2 hi5 (small Sui new year's festival)
    • tsjə1 ʔau4 hmai5 ("eat new rice" festival)
    • Liuyueliu ("six month six day," or June 6, festival)
    • si3 ming2 (Qingming) festival
    • Duanwu
      Dragon Boat Festival
      Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival and the Double Fifth, is a traditional and statutory holiday originating in China and associated with a number of East Asian and Southeast Asian societies...

    • sup8 hi5


The bronze drum is often played during festivals, and singing, dancing, slaughtering livestock for food, and giving thanks to family ancestors are typical of these festivals (Wei 2003:xxii).

Religion

The Sui are mainly polytheists and practice ancestor worship as well. Shamans were traditionally hired to carry out prayers and sacrifices in the houses of those that were sick or close to death. The Sui religion has more than 900 ghosts and gods that can cause both good fortune or misfortune (Wei 2003:xxii). Some deities and legendary figures are also borrowed from Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion
Chinese folk religion or Shenism , which is a term of considerable debate, are labels used to describe the collection of ethnic religious traditions which have been a main belief system in China and among Han Chinese ethnic groups for most of the civilization's history until today...

.

The Sui people have a wide array of taboos and superstitions, such as (Wei 2003:xxiv-xxv):
  • During the first thunderclap of the start of the spring season, the ground cannot be plowed for three days. Breaking this taboo would anger the thunder god, resulting in abnormal rain patterns.
  • Oaths should not be said when seeds are being sown lest there is crop damage.
  • The lusheng
    Lusheng
    The lusheng is a Chinese musical instrument with multiple bamboo pipes, each fitted with a free reed, which are fitted into a long blowing tube made of hardwood. It most often has five or six pipes of different pitches, and is thus a polyphonic instrument...

     should not be played after the seeds are sowed during the beginning of spring, or else the seeds might be blown away later.
  • On the first morning of the Duan festival as well as the preceding evening, meats of land animals cannot be eaten. Violating this taboo is seen as disrespect towards ancestors and will result in fewer descendants.
  • Dogs should not be killed during festival days.
  • On the first day of the Spring Festival, houses should not be cleaned, food should not be cooked, and hair may not be cut. Instead, New Year's Eve leftovers are eaten.
  • During a wedding procession, bad luck may result for a couple if the procession chances upon a coffin (couple may die soon), bird crossing the road (couple may be ill soon), thunder (a sorcerer must be invited to drive out ghosts), or a pregnant woman (the bride will be infertile).
  • Remarried widows cannot return to their former husbands' villages, and cannot visit their parents' homes for an entire year, or else her parents' village will not prosper.
  • Pregnant women cannot bear children in their parents' villages, or else her parents' family and livestock will be harmed.
  • After just having a child, if a woman visits another person's village or house, that person will fall ill.
  • Members of a clan cannot eat meats of land animals after one of their elders has died. The deceased elder's clothing and personal items cannot fall to the ground, and he must have an odd number of belongings.
  • People born on the same day as a recently deceased person should not visit him, or else the dead may take their souls into the grave.
  • Names should not be called out when people are being buried, or the dead may take their soul.
  • After the death of a male, sows or cows cannot be killed. After the death of a female, horses or bulls cannot be killed.
  • Pregnant women and babies should not be buried in areas which receive much sunshine.
  • Solar and lunar eclipses, as well as calls of birds, are not liked by the Sui people.

Provinzebene

Beim Zensus im Jahre 2000 wurden in China 406.902 Sui gezählt.
Verteilung der Sui-Bevölkerung in China:
Verwaltungsgliederung Anzahl Sui %-Anteil aller Sui Chinas
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

 
369.723 90,86 %
Autonomes Gebiet Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 der Zhuang
15.476 3,80 %
Provinz Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

 
12.533 3,08 %
Provinz Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...

 
2.775 0,68 %
Provinz Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

 
1.948 0,48 %
Provinz Zhejiang
Zhejiang
Zhejiang is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. The word Zhejiang was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the provincial capital...

 
1.421 0,35 %
Rest Chinas 3.026 0,74 %

Kreisebene

Verbreitungsgebiete der Sui auf Kreisebene (2000)

Hier wurden nur Werte ab 0,5 % berücksichtigt. AG = Autonomes Gebiet, AB = Autonomer Bezirk, AK = Autonomer Kreis, RB = Regierungsbezirk.
übergeordnete Provinzebene übergeordnete Bezirksebene Kreis, Stadt, Stadtbezirk Anzahl der Sui % aller Sui Chinas
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiannan der Bouyei und Miao AK Sandu der Sui 189.128 46,48 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiannan der Bouyei und Miao Kreis Libo 35.407 8,70 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Rongjiang 33.678 8,28 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiannan der Bouyei und Miao Stadt Duyun
Duyun
Duyun is the capital of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China.The area surrounding the city was affected by the Miao rebellion of 1736-36. The city participated in the uprising from the early stages until is was forcefully repressed the...

32.702 8,04 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiannan der Bouyei und Miao Kreis Dushan
Dushan County
Dushan County is a county of 346,000 people in Guizhou province of Southwest China. It is under the administration of Qiannan Buyei and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, in the south of the province, bordering Guangxi to the south. The county seat is located in the of Chengguan .Dushan is located in a...

26.299 6,46 %
Provinz Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...

Stadt Qujing
Qujing
Qujing is a prefecture-level city in eastern Yunnan province of Southwest China. It is an important industrial city, and is Yunnan's second largest city by population, after Kunming....

Kreis Fuyuan 10.567 2,6 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Danzhai 10.501 2,58 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Leishan 5.227 1,28 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

Stadt Liupanshui
Liupanshui
Liupanshui is a city whose urban area has 251,900 inhabitants in Western Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. The population of its jurisdictional area has exceeded 2,830,000 as of 2006, and it is the second largest city in Guizhou...

Kreis Pan 5.164 1,27 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Liping
Liping County
Liping County is a county-level administrative district in southwestern China, part of the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture within the Guizhou province.The county was affected by the Miao rebellion of 1736-36....

4.710 1,16 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

Stadt Liupanshui
Liupanshui
Liupanshui is a city whose urban area has 251,900 inhabitants in Western Guizhou province in the People's Republic of China. The population of its jurisdictional area has exceeded 2,830,000 as of 2006, and it is the second largest city in Guizhou...

Kreis Shuicheng 3.875 0,95 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Congjiang
Congjiang
thumb|right|A view of one half of the city from the bridge Congjiang County is a county in Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture, Guizhou, China. It is divided by a river on the southeastern border of Guizhou, near Guangxi province....

3.300 0,81 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

AB Qiandongnan der Miao und Dong Kreis Jianhe 3.293 0,81 %
AG Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 der Zhuang
Stadt Liuzhou
Liuzhou
-History:thumb|Liuchow in 1945.Liuzhou has a history of more than 2,100 years. The city was founded in 111 B.C. when it was known as Tanzhong....

AK Rongshui
Rongshui Miao Autonomous County
Rongshui Miao Autonomous County is an autonomous county in the north eastern part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the People's Republic of China....

 der Miao
3.183 0,78 %
AG Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 der Zhuang
Stadt Hechi
Hechi
-Administration:Hechi has 1 urban district, 1 city, 4 counties, and 5 autonomous counties.City:*Yizhou Urban District:*Jinchengjiang District Counties:*Nandan County -Administration:Hechi has 1 urban district, 1 city, 4 counties, and 5 autonomous counties.City:*Yizhou (宜州市)Urban...

Kreis Nandan
Nandan County
Nandan County is a county in Hechi Prefecture, in northwest of Guangxi Province of China.Area: 3916 km2.Population: 276,000Postal Code: 547200.Telephone Area Code: 0778-External links:*...

3.083 0,76 %
AG Guangxi
Guangxi
Guangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...

 der Zhuang
Stadt Hechi
Hechi
-Administration:Hechi has 1 urban district, 1 city, 4 counties, and 5 autonomous counties.City:*Yizhou Urban District:*Jinchengjiang District Counties:*Nandan County -Administration:Hechi has 1 urban district, 1 city, 4 counties, and 5 autonomous counties.City:*Yizhou (宜州市)Urban...

Stadt Yizhou
Yizhou
Yizhou , formerly Yishan County , is a county-level city located in Hechi Prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, in the southern part of the People's Republic of China....

2.160 0,53 %
Provinz Guizhou
Guizhou
' is a province of the People's Republic of China located in the southwestern part of the country. Its provincial capital city is Guiyang.- History :...

RB Bijie Kreis Qianxi 2.102 0,52 %
Rest Chinas 32.523 7,99 %

Literature

Sui oral literature is rich in myths, songs, and folk tales. The list below is from Wei (2003:xxvi).
  • Ancient myths and songs
    • The creation of heaven and earth
    • The origin of humanity
    • The song of creating humans - involving a fight among humans, dragons and tigers
    • The origin of new life - A brother and sister plant a pumpkin from which new life sprouts.
  • Legends about individuals
    • The song of Pan Xinjian, a rich magnate
    • The story of Jingui
    • A man named Niu
    • A poor teacher
    • A stone horse who shot out the sun
  • Legends about customs
    • Origin of the Duan festival - A brother marries his younger sister, giving rise to the Duan festival.
    • Origin of the Mao festival
    • The planting of the fir upside down
  • Legends about scenery
    • Legends on the origins of the Duliujiang River
    • The legend of dinosaurs and the Yueliang (Moon) Mountain
  • Folk tales
    • The origin of bronze drums
    • The grape girl
    • Why the tiger hates the buffalo and tiger
    • The eye and the foot
  • Life-related songs
    • The song of creating cotton
    • The song of creating grain
    • The song of making wine
    • The song of planting trees
    • The song of suffering
  • Custom-related songs
    • The song of the Duan festival
    • The song of mourning
  • Love songs
    • The girl lovely as brocade
    • It is hard to miss you
    • Sister will go with the brother together
  • Sayings and singing
    • The crane and the crow
    • The sparrow and the thrush


Excerpts of Sui songs can also be found in Fang-Kuei Li's 1977 book Shuihua yanjiu (Research on the Sui language).

External links

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