The Han Ethnic Group is the largest among the
56 Han Ethnic Groups in China,
making up 92 percent of the total population.
The Han people are found in all parts of the
country, but mainly in the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River (Huanghe), the Yangtze River (Changjiang), and the
Pearl River (Zhujiang) as well
as the Songliao Plains.
The Han Ethnic Group has its own spoken and
written language, known as the Chinese language, which belongs to the Chinese-Tibetan language family. It is commonly used nowadays throughout
China and is the working
language of the United Nations. The Chinese language has a history of four
thousand years, originating from pictograph. Traditionally, agriculture was the
Hans' main occupation. Agriculture provided the nation's basic wealth and was
highly advanced, especially in irrigation and intensive farming. There was also
a high level of handicraft production, such as bronze, silk, porcelain,
architecture, and painting. The Han culture belongs to the world's oldest
civilizations, boasting a lot of outstanding achievements in many fields
including politics, military affairs, philosophy, literature, history, art and
natural science, etc. The rich Han culture has given birth to many notable
scientists, philosophers, artists and poets who, as the nation's elite, have
had great influence on the course of Chinese history. China's four great inventions -- compass,
papermaking, printing and gunpowder -- have exerted great influence on the
history of human development.
In Han culture, Confucianism, the oldest
form of Chinese religion whose concepts and teachings have dominated the Chinese
ruling class as well as intellectuals for the last two thousand years, is a
philosophy rather than a religion. Ancestor worship is widely practiced across
the entire country; although it has been simplified in modern time, it never
fades away from the Chinese community. Buddhism is the most popular form of
Chinese religion. Since its introduction in 400AD, Buddhism has slipped into and
occupies every aspect of the Chinese lifestyle. Daoism, named national
religion, originated in the Han Dynasty, but is not widely accepted. Besides,
there is an increasing number of Chinese who practices Roman Catholicism,
Christianism and Islamism.
The appellation of "Han" originated from the
Han Dynasty during the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the first
prosperous dynasty of Chinese history after Qin unifying China. And it continues to be the majority
population in China, merged with
many different tribal clans like the Yi, Qian, Di and Man. Before that, the people were called
"Huaxia".
The earliest Han people can be traced to the
Hua Xia tribe, who originally settled in the middle area of the Yellow River (Huanghe). The legendary leader
of the Hua Xia tribe was Huang Di (Emperor Yellow). The Chinese refer to
themselves as the descendants of Huang Di, and describe the Yellow River as the cradle of their
civilization development.