The Gan Chinese are part of the great Han Chinese nationality - the largest ethnic group in the world. Gan, however, is a distinct language that differs from Mandarin and other Chinese varieties.
The Xia Dynasty (2200-1700 BC): The Chinese claim 5,000 years of continuous history, beginning with the mythological Xia Dynasty. The very existence of the Xia is doubtful, as archaeological evidence has not been found to support the written accounts of the time. According to legend, the Xia was preceded by three sovereigns. The first sovereign, Fuxi, was thought to be half human and half dragon. His wife, Nugua, is credited with having created humans from clay. Fuxi taught men how to hunt, fish, and farm. The first emperor, Huang Di, is said to have invented the calendar, boats, and pottery. After 500 years, the Xia leaders "became corrupt and were ... overthrown by the Shang." Jiangxi, where most Gan live, was incorporated into the Chinese empire at any early date but remained sparsely populated until the eighth century.
Jiangxi is famous for its abundance of silver. Extensive mining caused the formation of a wealthy ruling class. Today, Jiangxi is one of the most densely populated provinces in China.
Although the majority of Gan are nonreligious, there has been a revival of Buddhism and Daoism since the relaxing of restrictions on religion in recent years. Zhuangzi (369-286 BC) was an early leader of Daoism. His writings introduced the idea of the unity of opposites, ying and yang. This led to the notion of accepting life without struggle.
In 1900 the diabolical Boxer Rebellion broke out across China. Thirty thousand Chinese Catholics and 2,000 Protestants were massacred, as anti-foreign and anti-Christian feelings ran hot. The number of Christians in China more than doubled in the six years following the massacres. In 1901 one missionary in Jiangxi reported 20,000 converts. There are an estimated 400,000 Christians among the Gan Chinese today. The Jesus film has recently been translated into the Gan language, although most Gan are adequately bilingual in Mandarin.
Scripture Prayers for the Han Chinese, Gan in China.
Profile Source: Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Han Chinese, Gan |
People Name in Country | Han Chinese, Gan |
Natural Name | Gan Chinese |
Pronunciation | Gahn |
Alternate Names | Gan; Han Chinese; Kan |
Population this Country | 22,169,000 |
Population all Countries | 22,169,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 4 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 5 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 18474 |
ROP3 Code | 114080 |
ROP25 Code | 301734 |
ROP25 Name | Chinese |
Country | China | ||
Region | Asia, Northeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | 19 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||
Location in Country | More than 35 million speakers of Gan Chinese live in Jiangxi Province and the southeastern corner of Hubei Province, including Dachi, Xianning, Jiayu, and Chongyang counties. The Gan account for approximately 3% of all Chinese in China. The greatest concentrations live along the Fuhe River, the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River, and around Poyang Lake. Small numbers of Gan speakers also live in eastern and southwestern Hunan, southern Anhui, and the northwestern part of Fujian Province. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
Country | China |
Region | Asia, Northeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 19 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | More than 35 million speakers of Gan Chinese live in Jiangxi Province and the southeastern corner of Hubei Province, including Dachi, Xianning, Jiayu, and Chongyang counties. The Gan account for approximately 3% of all Chinese in China. The greatest concentrations live along the Fuhe River, the lower reaches of the Ganjiang River, and around Poyang Lake. Small numbers of Gan speakers also live in eastern and southwestern Hunan, southern Anhui, and the northwestern part of Fujian Province.. Source: Operation China, 2000 |
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Primary Religion: | Ethnic Religions |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
15.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 6.50 %) |
8.50 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
52.50 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
24.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Chinese, Gan (22,169,000 speakers) |
Language Code | gan Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Chinese, Gan (22,169,000 speakers) |
Language Code | gan Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Chinese, Gan |
Primary Language: Chinese, Gan
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1940) |
Bible-New Testament | No |
Bible-Complete | No |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation | Create International |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2024 Create International All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Profile Source | Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |