Hu (people)
Hu also Huren or Huzu, was a rather vague term to designate ancient groups of people, namely populations beyond the Central Plains, generally to the north and west of the Huaxia realm. The Hu were usually horse-mounted nomads.
According to Hill :
Ancient Chinese dynasties such as the Shang dynasty and Zhou dynasty, into the Spring and Autumn period, recount of numerous encounters with the nomadic tribes of the northern steppes and other alien tribes. At that time, the preferred term to designate them was the "Four Barbarians", each was named for a cardinal direction: the Dongyi, Nanman, Xirong, and Beidi.
According to Di Cosmo, the Chinese considered the Hu as "a new type of foreigner" and that "this term, whatever its origin, soon came to indicate an 'anthropological type' rather than a specific group or tribe, which the records allow us to identify as early steppe nomads. The Hu were the source of the introduction of cavalry in China."
During the pre-Qin dynasty period, the term "Hu" came to be used to designate the Xiongnu barbarians to the north of China. The vassal of the Xiongnu, and later confidant of Emperor Han Wudi, Jin Midi would be described as both a Hu, and a Yidi. Indo-European "Scythian" Sakas from Central Asia, or the Yuezhi would also be referred as "Hu". Some northeastern barbarians were also referred as the Donghu.
During the Han dynasty and Jin dynasty "Hu" tends to refer to the Five Barbarians, which are the Xiongnu, Xianbei, Jie, Di, and Qiang.
Later, "Hu" was also used to designate various groups of Iranians in China, especially the Sogdians, whose cultural practices would be qualified as "Hu", such as their dance the "Huteng", or the Sogdian Whirl dance, but known as "Sogdian Whirl dance" or simply "Sogdian whirl" to Western scholars. The "Jihu" were indigenous inhabitants of Shaanbei and Western Shanxi in the 7th century CE.