Introduction / History

Regardless of where the Ersu may have originated, it is known that they have lived in their present location for many centuries. Qiang nomads once ruled western China as far as today's Inner Mongolia. Gradually their kingdoms broke up and they migrated south and west. The present official Qiang nationality in China only represents a fraction of the original Qiang cluster of peoples. Most were assimilated by larger groups long ago.

The Ersu are officially part of the Tibetan nationality, but in the 1980s they asked the government to create a new minority, called the Xifan, and to include them under it. The authorities declined. The linguist Sun Hongkai says, "Ersu speakers at different localities have different autonyms.”

What Are Their Lives Like?

Culturally, the Ersu have been swallowed up by the Tibetans. Almost every aspect of their lives reflects their belief in Tibetan Buddhism.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Ersu believe they will be reincarnated when they die and will come back to the earth as a person in a higher social position if they have lived a virtuous life. They will come back as an animal if they lived a wicked life. This belief results in the Ersu having little motivation to help the afflicted among them, as suffering is considered the consequence of a person's bad karma.

There has never been a known church or Christian among the Ersu. The Border Mission of the Church of Christ in China and the American Baptists worked among the related Jiarong people until 1949, reporting 34 converts in 1934. No outreach, however, was ever undertaken to the Ersu.

What Are Their Needs?

These people will be spiritually lost in this life and the life to come without the

guidance of Christ. They need Christ-bearers in their communities.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord’s influence in their families, calling Ersu people to himself.
Pray for loving, workers obedient to the Holy Spirit.
Pray for Ersu hearts to be drawn to the Lord.
Pray for a thriving church planting movement in their communities.

Scripture Prayers for the Ersu in China.

References

Operation China, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission.