Meng in China

The Meng have only been reported in China
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Identity

The Meng are one of many distinct Hani groups in the region. Little is known of them because Honghe is a tightly controlled area which foreigners have only recently been allowed to enter. In mission literature the Meng have usually been listed as Menghua. Hua means "speech" in Chinese and refers to the name of the language rather than to the people. Note that the Meng are not the same as the Mongolian nationality, who call themselves Meng Zu in Chinese.


History

The Meng were originally part of a large race who are the ancestors of today's Hani and Akha peoples. The various Hani groups place great importance on being able to recite their genealogies. Research into the historical relationship between the Hani tribes found that they share an identical genealogical record for the first 20 to 22 generations. After that time the groups broke off and became separate peoples. Significantly, the timing coincides with the Mongol invasion of Yunnan and the destruction of the Nanzhao Kingdom in AD 1252.


Customs

Due to the horrific practice of female infanticide, the various Hani groups contained 126.5 men to every 100 women in 1987. This imbalance is the worst of any minority in China. Among the Meng, the last syllable of the father's name is used to start the names of his children. Many of the inhabitants of Honghe are employed in tin mines. "Both banks of the Honghe River abound luxuriantly in natural resources. This area is particularly important for the output of nonferrous metals. ... The yield of tin ranks the first in the country. Because of this, Gejiu is known as the Capital of Tin."


Religion

The majority of Meng are polytheists. For countless generations they have followed this...religion. In rice-growing areas the Thunder god and the wind ghost are the principal deities worshiped by the Meng.


Christianity

There is thought to be a small number of Christians among the Meng - the result of outreach by the neighboring Biyo and Kado. H. A. Baker, an independent Pentecostal evangelist, traveled extensively in the area throughout the 1930s and 1940s. "In spite of being short of funds, ... Baker, with his traveling bag on his back and a long stick in his hand, continued his preaching as usual. He slept wherever he was able to find a place and ate whatever he could get hold of; both the [minorities] and he himself almost forgot his national identity."


Prayer Points

Scripture Prayers for the Meng in China.


Profile Source:   Operation China, Asia Harvest  Copyrighted ©   Used with permission  

People Name General Meng
People Name in Country Meng
Pronunciation Mung
Alternate Names Mehua; Menghua; Menghwa; Mengwa
Population this Country 5,300
Population all Countries 5,300
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 4
Unreached No
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed
People ID 18574
ROP3 Code 114193
ROP25 Code 305393
ROP25 Name Meng
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 Approximately 4,000 Meng are located in Shuangjiang County in Yunnan Province's Honghe Prefecture. The precise location of the Meng within the county is uncertain. One source simply locates the Meng as "south of Dali." The Honghe (Red) River "meanders across the prefecture from northwest to southwest. Of the prefecture's 3.35 million inhabitants, 52.7% are minority people." In addition to the different Hani groups, Honghe is also home to the Yi, Miao, Dai, Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Bouyei, and Lahu.   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 Approximately 4,000 Meng are located in Shuangjiang County in Yunnan Province's Honghe Prefecture. The precise location of the Meng within the county is uncertain. One source simply locates the Meng as "south of Dali." The Honghe (Red) River "meanders across the prefecture from northwest to southwest. Of the prefecture's 3.35 million inhabitants, 52.7% are minority people." In addition to the different Hani groups, Honghe is also home to the Yi, Miao, Dai, Zhuang, Yao, Hui, Bouyei, and Lahu..   Source:  Operation China, 2000

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Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Ethnic Religions
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 4.89 %)
6.00 %
Ethnic Religions
90.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
4.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Hani (5,300 speakers)
Language Code hni   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Hani (5,300 speakers)
Language Code hni   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Hani

Primary Language:  Hani

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (2016)
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
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Hani Jesus Film Project
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Operation China, Asia Harvest  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.



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