Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County
Jinxiu is a county of eastern Guangxi, China, located in an area of relatively high concentrations of the Yao people. It is administered as the Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County of Laibin City. Established in 1952, with the name of Dayaoshan Autonomous Zone, in 1966, it was renamed as Jinxiu Yao Autonomous County. It has an area of, much of it mountainous, and a population in 2004 of approximately 150,000.
Administrative divisions
The county administers 3 towns and 7 townships:Towns:
Townships:
- Sanjiao Township, Zhongliang Township, Luoxiang Township, Changdong Township, Dazhang Township, Liuxiang Township, Sanjiang Township
Ethnic groups
Practically isolated from the outside world until the 1930s, Jinxiu was inhabited by five different branches of Yao: Chashan 茶山, Ao 坳, Hualan 花蓝, Pan 盘, and Shanzi 山子. The first three branches were considered the owners of the lands, as the dates of their first arrivals are estimated at 1,000 years ago. They lived in settled villages and enjoyed some economic stability. The Pan 盘 and Shanzi 山子 are more recent arrivals, and they lived as tenants of the other established Yao people, living a nomadic life that did not allow them to accumulate many material possessions.Languages
The languages spoken by each five Yao groups are as follows. Unless indicated otherwise, all locations are in Jinxiu County.- Chashan 茶山 : Lakkja ; spoken in Jinxiu township
- Ao 坳 : Bjao Muen; a divergent language spoken in Hengcun 横村, Liucang, and Luoxiang 罗香. The speakers claim to have migrated from Guizhou before they settled in Jinxiu County.
- Hualan 花蓝 : Ciəmdi Mun ; spoken in parts of Jinxiu County, with similar dialects in Naxin and Pingli in Baise
- Pan 盘 : Mien language|Iu Mien]; spoken in Shibajia, Jingui'ao 金龟坳, and Fenzhan 奋战; also in Gunhuai, Baise; an East Mien dialect of Xin'an 新安 and Nadui 纳兑 in Lipu County; and a North Mien dialect of Longwei 龙尾村, Yangshuo County
- Shanzi 山子 : Kimdi Mun ; spoken in Guzhan 古占 and Wangluan
L.-Thongkum proposes the following classification scheme for the languages of the four Mienic-speaking groups, which go back to what she calls the Proto-Mjuenic language.