The Hunanese people (; ), also known as Xiang people, are a Han Chinese ethnic subgroup originating from Hunan who speak Hunanese (Xiang Chinese).Original from the University of Michigan Digitized Dec 21, 2006 Some Hunanese communities are also found in the areas of Guilin, Guangxi and Guizhou.
Culture
Language Xiang, or Hunanese, is a Sinitic language that originates from Hunan. According to Yang Xiong's Fangyan, people in what is the Xiang River region spoke the Southern Chu language, which is considered to be the ancestor of Xiang Chinese today.
Cuisine Hunan cuisine uses chili peppers and has a history of cooking skills employed in it dating back to the 17th century.
Here’s a saying: “The food of the true revolutionary is the red pepper, and he who cannot endure red peppers is also unable to fight.”
Opera Huaguxi is a local form of Chinese opera that is well-known in Hunan province.
History Ancient history Prehistorically, the main inhabitants were the ancient country of Chu, Luo, tribes of Nanman, Baiyue and other tribes whose languages cannot be studied. During the Warring States period, large numbers of Chu migrated into Hunan. Their language blended with that of the original natives to produce a new dialect Southern Chu. During Qin and Han dynasty, most part of today's eastern Hunan belonged to the Changsha Kingdom. According to Yang Xiong's Fangyan, people in this region spoke Southern Chu, which is considered the ancestor of Xiang Chinese today.
19th and 20th centuries Hunanese people are associated with political leaders in 19th and 20th centuries China. The Xiang Army, commanded by Zeng Guofan, was instrumental in defeating the Taiping Rebellion. The Hunanese Huang Xing was the leader of the Wuchang Uprising and the first commander-in-chief of the Republic of China. In the 1920s, locals inspired by Wang Fuzhi, a seventeenth-century scholar who had advocated for "Western" ideas of progress, humanism, and provincialism, created the Hunanese self-government movement, which was championed by Peng Huang and the young Mao Zedong. Three of the "Big Five" original Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party members were from Hunan.
Notable people This is a list of people with either full or partial Hunanese ancestry. Cai Lun — paper innovator Liu Shaoqi — second President of the People's Republic of China Ma Ying-jeou — sixth President of the Republic of China Zhou Dunyi — philosopher Wang Fuzhi — philosopher Zeng Guofan — leader of the Xiang Army Zuo Zongtang Qi Baishi — regarded as one of the best Chinese painters in Chinese style Huang Xing — leader of the Wuchang Uprising and the first army commander-in-chief of the Republic of China Chen Tianhua — Han nationalist He Long Mao Zedong — founder and first Paramount leader of the People's Republic of China Peng Dehuai — considered one of the most successful and highly respected generals in the early Chinese Communist Party Hu Yaobang Zhu Rongji James Soong — founder and current chairman of the People First Party Peng Shuai Qiong Yao — regarded as the best romance novelist in the 20th century Liu Wen — model Song Jiaoren — anti-Qing Revolutionary Lung Ying-tai Loretta Yang
References
External links History of Hunanese on Commons (link)