Ancient peoples of China

The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 209 BC, founded the Xiongnu Empire.

nomadic people originally from Mongolia and Manchuria

Hotan is a major oasis town in southwestern Xinjiang, an autonomous region in Northwestern China. The city proper of Hotan broke off from the larger Hotan County to become an administrative area in its own right in August 1984. It is the seat of Hotan Prefecture.

East Asian Tungusic-speaking peoples who lived in the northeast of China, later known as Manchuria

The Yuezhi were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat at the hands of the Xiongnu in 176 BC, the Yuezhi split into two groups migrating in different directions: the Greater Yuezhi and Lesser Yuezhi. This started a complex domino effect that radiated in all directions and, in the process, set the course of history for much of Asia for centuries to come.

The Xianbei (Mongolian:Сүнбэ; ; ) were an ancient nomadic people in northern East Asia who developed a distinct cultural and political identity by the 1st century BC. They inhabited regions spanning parts of present-day northeastern China, Inner Mongolia, and the eastern Eurasian steppe. Several Xianbei groups formed ruling regimes, with early political center around present-day Datong in Shanxi. The Xianbei were likely not of a single ethnicity, but rather a multilingual, multi-ethnic confederation consisting of mainly Proto-Mongols (who spoke either pre-Proto-Mongolic, or Para-Mongolic langu

ancient kingdom in modern China

The Wusun ( ) were an ancient semi-nomadic steppe people mentioned in Chinese records from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD.

thumb|A Northern Wei officer. Tomb statuette, [[Luoyang Museum.]] The Tuoba (Chinese) or Tabgatch (, Tabγač), also known by other names, was an influential Xianbei clan in early imperial China. During the Sixteen Kingdoms after the fall of Han and the Three Kingdoms, the Tuoba established and ruled the Dai state in northern China. The dynasty ruled from 310 to 376 and was restored in 386. The same year, the dynasty was renamed Wei, later distinguished in Chinese historiography as the Northern Wei. This powerful state gained control of most of northern China, supporting Buddhism while increasin

Five ancient non-Han ethnic groups during the Eastern Han Dynasty (4th-5th centuries) waged war against Western Jin, establisehd sixteen kingdoms

Karasahr or Karashar (), which was originally known in the Tocharian languages as Ārśi (or Arshi), Qarašähär, or Agni or the Chinese derivative Yanqi (), is an ancient town on the Silk Road and the capital of Yanqi Hui Autonomous County in the Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Xinjiang.

Kucha ( , also: Kuche, Kuchar, Kuçar; , Кучар; , ; ) was an ancient Buddhist kingdom located on the branch of the Silk Road that ran along the northern edge of what is now the Taklamakan Desert in the Tarim Basin and south of the Muzat River.

Nomadic confederacy, 697-150 BCE

Huaxia is a historical concept representing the Chinese nation, and came from the self-awareness of a common cultural ancestry by ancestral populations of the Han people.

The Man, commonly known as the Nanman or Southern Man (, lit. Southern Barbarians), were ancient indigenous peoples who lived in inland South and Southwest China, mainly around the Yangtze River valley. In ancient Chinese sources, the term Nanman was used to collectively describe multiple ethnic groups, probably the predecessors of the modern Miao, Zhuang, and Dai peoples, and non-Chinese Sino-Tibetan groups such as the Jingpo and Yi peoples. It was an umbrella term that included any groups south of the expanding Huaxia civilization, and there was never a single polity that united these people

Xirong () or Rong were various people who lived primarily in and around the western extremities of ancient China (in modern Gansu and Qinghai). They were known as early as the Shang dynasty (1765–1122 BCE), as one of the Four Barbarians that frequently (and often violently) interacted with the sinitic Huaxia civilization. They typically resided to the west of Guanzhong Plains from the Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BCE) onwards. They were mentioned in some ancient Chinese texts as perhaps genetically and linguistically related to the people of the Chinese civilization.

thumb|400px|A mid-15th century Republic of Florence|Florentine world map based on the 1st (modified conic) projection in [[Jacobus Angelus's 1406 Latin translation of Maximus Planudes's late-13th century rediscovered Greek manuscripts of Ptolemy's 2nd-century Geography. Serica is shown in the far northeast of the world.]]

thumb|right|Location of the Wuhuan in 87 BC thumb|right|Mural depicting horses and chariots from the tomb of a Wuhuan official and military commander from the Eastern Han dynasty in [[Inner Mongolia.]] The Wuhuan (, < Eastern Han Chinese: *ʔɑ-ɣuɑn, < Old Chinese (): *ʔâ-wân < *Awar) were a Proto-Mongolic or para-Mongolic nomadic people who inhabited northern China, in what is now the provinces of Hebei, Liaoning, Shanxi, the municipality of Beijing and the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia.

historical ethnic group in Chinese history

The Dingling were an ancient people who appear in Chinese historiography in the context of the 1st century BCE.

ethnic group in ancient China

The Di or Beidi (Northern Di) were various ethnic groups who lived north of the Chinese (Huaxia) realms during the Zhou dynasty. Although initially described as nomadic, they seem to have practiced a mixed pastoral, agricultural, and hunting economy and were distinguished from the nomads of the Eurasian steppe who lived to their north. Chinese historical accounts describe the Di inhabiting the upper Ordos Loop and gradually migrating eastward to northern Shanxi and northern Hebei, where they eventually created their own states like Zhongshan and Dai. Other groups of Di seem to have lived inter

The Xueyantuo or Sir Tardush were an ancient Turkic tribe from the Tiele confederation and a khaganate in Northeast Asia who were at one point vassals of the Göktürks, later aligning with the Tang dynasty against the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.

The Shatuo, or the Shatuo Turks (; also transcribed as '''Sha-t'o, Sanskrit Sart''') were a Turkic tribe that heavily influenced northern Chinese politics from the late ninth century through the tenth century. They are noted for founding three, Later Tang, Later Jin, and Later Han, of the five dynasties and one, Northern Han, of the ten kingdoms during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Northern Han would later be conquered by the Song dynasty. Sometime before the 12th century, the Shatuo disappeared as a distinct ethnic group, many of them having become acculturated and assimilat

ancient ethnic group in Manchuria

The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula and Japanese Archipelago. Dongyi refers to different group of people in different periods. As such, the name "Yí" () was something of a catch-all and was applied to different groups over time. According to the earliest Chinese record, the Zuo Zhuan, the Shang dynasty was attacked by King Wu of Zhou while attacking the Dongyi and collapsed afterward.

ethnic group mentioned in ancient Chinese history

former country

pre-Genghis Khan term for Mongolic peoples

Chouchi (), or Qiuchi (), was a polity in China ruled by the Yang clan of Di ethnicity in modern-day Gansu Province. Its existence spanned both the Sixteen Kingdoms and Northern and Southern dynasties periods, but it is not listed among one of these regimes in historiography.

ethnic grouping in Siberia

The Yuwen ( B-mun < Old Chinese *waʔ-mən) is a Chinese compound surname which originated from a pre-state clan of Xianbei ethnicity of Xiongnu origin during the era of Sixteen Kingdoms in China, until its destruction by Former Yan's prince Murong Huang in 345. Among the eastern Xianbei clans that ranged from the central part of the present day Liaoning province and eastward, Yuwen clan was the largest, and was awarded the position of the leader of eastern Xianbei (東部大人) by Chinese rulers. A descendant of the Yuwen tribe, Yuwen Tai, established the Northern Zhou dynasty in the 6th century.

Sushen is the historical Chinese name for an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in the northeastern part of China (in the area of modern Jilin and Heilongjiang) and what is in modern times the Russian Maritime Province and some other Siberian provinces. They were active during the Zhou dynasty period. Archeological relics in the area are attributed to the Xituanshan Culture. Chinese Bronze Age archaeologist Zou Heng of Peking University believed that the Sushen were also related to the Lower Xiajiadian culture. The Sushen are thought to have been Tungusic speakers.

ancient conglomeration of Baiyue tribes

county-level city in Xinjiang, People's Republic of China

thumb|upright=1.5|Anthropomorphic axe, bronze, excavated in the tomb of Heibo (潶伯), a military noble in charge of protecting the northern frontier, at Commons:Category:Baicaopo|Baicaopo, [[Lingtai County, Western Zhou period (1045–771 BCE). Gansu Museum. This is considered as a possible depiction of a Xianyun (who may be identical with the Quanrong) or Guifang.]] The Quanrong () or Dog Rong were an ethnic group, classified by the ancient Chinese as "Qiang", active in the northwestern part of China during and after the Zhou dynasty (1046–221 BCE). Their language or languages are considered to h

derogatory Chinese name for various peoples bordering ancient China, namely, the Dongyi 東夷 "Eastern Barbarians", Nanman 南蠻 "Southern Barbarians", Xirong 西戎 "Western Barbarians", and Beidi 北狄 "Northern Barbarians"

The Sumpa () were a tribe living in northeastern Tibet from ancient times. Chinese historical sources refer to them as "Qiang", a term for people living in what is now southwest China, and their actual ethnic identity is not known. Their territory was absorbed by the Tibetan Empire in the late 7th century, after which point they gradually lost their independent identity.

Baiyue tribe

thumb|290px|Hypothetical reconstruction of an early Eastern Eurasian chariot, of a type known since the Afanasievo culture in Southern Siberia and Mongolia, 3000–1500 BCE, and recorded among the [[Deer stones culture (1400–700 BCE) in northern and central Mongolia.]] The Xianyun (; Old Chinese: (ZS) *g.ramʔ-lunʔ; (Schuessler) *hɨamᴮ-juinᴮ < *hŋamʔ-junʔ) was an ancient nomadic tribe that invaded the Zhou dynasty. This Chinese exonym is written with xian 獫 or 玁 "long-snouted dog", and this "dog" radical 犭 is commonly used in graphic pejorative characters. "Xianyun" was the preferred designation

Yelang, also Zangke, was an ancient political entity first described in the 3rd century BC in what is now western Guizhou province, China. It was active for over 200 years. The state is known to modern Chinese from the idiom, "Yelang thinks too highly of itself" (). It was absorbed by the Han Dynasty in 111 BC with the conquest of Nanyue, after an attempted conquest by the former Qin Dynasty.

Guifang () was an ancient ethnonym for a northern people that fought against the Shang dynasty (1600–1046 BCE). Chinese historical tradition used various names in different periods for northern tribes such as the Guifang, Rong, Di, Xunyu, Xianyun, or Xiongnu peoples. They are seen as the ancestors of the Xiongnu and thus as one of the first proto-Turkic people. This Chinese exonym combines gui (鬼 "ghost, spirit, devil") and fang (方 "side, border, country, region"), a suffix referring to "non-Shang or enemy countries that existed in and beyond the borders of the Shang polity."

Shanrong (), or Rong () were an Old Chinese nomadic people of ancient China.

Dengzhi (), also known as the Dengzhi Qiang (鄧至羌) and Baishui Qiang (白水羌), was a state established by the Qiang ethnic group that existed during the Northern and Southern dynasties period in China. It was located west of Chouchi and south of Dangchang, which is equivalent to the northern part of present-day Sichuan, China. Its capital was Dengzhi City (west of modern day Jiuzhaigou County, Sichuan), and their rulers all had the surname "Xiang" (像/象).

state by the Qiang ethnic group

thumb|400px|Map of tribes and tribal unions in Ancient China. Yanhuang is shown as Hua Xia Tribal Union in the map. Yanhuang or Yan Huang () was the name of a legendary East Asian ethnic group who were said to have inhabited the middle Yellow River basin in ancient China. The name comes from their alleged descent from two early Bronze Age agrarian tribal confederacies from the Loess Plateau led by the Flame Emperor (Yandi) and Yellow Emperor (Huangdi), whose allied victory over the eastern Jiuli tribes led by the Chiyou at the mythical Battle of Zhuolu has been considered as the foundation for

thumb|upright=1.5|Anthropomorphic axe, bronze, excavated in the tomb of Heibo (潶伯), a military noble in charge of protecting the northern frontier, at Commons:Category:Baicaopo|Baicaopo, [[Lingtai County, Western Zhou period (1045–771 BCE). Gansu Museum. This is considered as a possible depiction of a Xianyun or Guifang.]] The Xunyu (; Old Chinese: (ZS) *qʰun-lug, (Schuessler): *hun-juk) is the name of an ancient nomadic tribe which invaded China during legendary times. They are traditionally identified with the Guifang, the Xianyun and the Xiongnu. They are seen as the ancestors of the Xiongn

Yiqu (; Old Chinese (444 BCE): > Eastern Han Chinese: *, or ), was an ancient Chinese state which existed in the Hetao region and what is now Ningxia, eastern Gansu and northern Shaanxi during the Zhou dynasty, and was a centuries-long western rival of the state of Qin. It was inhabited by a semi-sinicized people called the Rong of Yiqu (), who were regarded as a branch of western Rong people by contemporary writers, whom modern scholars have attempted to identify as one of the ancestors of the minority people in Northwest China.

ancient ethnic group

ethnicities of significance to the history of China

The Yangyue () were a tribe of the Yue people, one of the ancient peoples that inhabited in what is now modern South China. According to Chinese historical and classical texts, the earliest description about the Yangyue appeared during the Warring States period. The commonly accepted hypothesis is that they were a tribe of the ancient Yue people who originally lived in the Yang Province (Yang Zhou), one of the ancient Nine Provinces (Jiu Zhou); because of this, the tribe was called “Yangyue”, meaning the Yue people from the Yang Province.