Presenting the Baoan

The Baoan are one of the minorities of China with minor population, since they were only 9.000 persons in 1982 and 16.500 according to the census of the year 2000.

They live in the northwest of China, in the province of Gansu, Autonomous Prefecture I Fled of Lingxia. In the autonomous district of Jishishan de los Baoan, Dongxiang and to Salt.

Are named themselves as Baoan, but given his Moslem religion, sometimes they have been named "Baoan Hui" or "Huihui". (I fled it is a term that is applied in China to the Muslims). It is thought that they receive this name because approximately 150 years ago were inhabiting the outskirts of the city of Baoan, in the Qinghai province.

His principal activity is the agriculture, although his grounds are very poor and give bajísimos yields. They have cattle, generally familiar developments, and a slightly developed forestry.

Inside his crafts generally limited to the self-sufficiency, they emphasize the swords Baoan, with a certain reputation in the nearby regions.

They have their own language, although all the Baoan are bilingual with the Chinese, whose writing they use. His language belongs to the Altaian family, branch mongola. It presents big resemblances with the language of the Dongxiang and of You.

It is not known very much about the origin of the Baoan. It is thought that they can come from the frontier area between Sichuan, Gansu and Qinghai, being the result of the merger of the local populations with Mongolian and Tibetan immigrants. From the dynasty Yuan they embrace the Moslem religion, differing from his neighbors.

One believes that during the dynasty Qing they took part in some of the big rebellions produced in the area, emigrating the survivors up to his current hearth.

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