The Korean People

The approximately 2 million Koreans that live in China are found primarily in the north-eastern areas of the country nestled between North Korea and Russia. The majority live in the Yanbian Korea Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province, but they are also found in the Heilongjiang and Liaoning Provinces. They speak and write Korean, which is thought to be an Altaic language. Their dialect is closer to the North Korean than South Korean.

The first Koreans began arriving in China in the late 1600's as they fled oppressive feudal landlords. An even greater flow of immigration occurred after a severe famine in Korea in 1869. Most who moved to China began working for Chinese landlords, which put them into debt and caused them to move often. During Japanese control of Korea and Northern China, many more Koreans fled Japanese oppression choosing to find safety in China. Many were cut off from family and could not travel back to Korea when the Chinese-Korean border was closed in the late 1940's.

Korean dress is traditionally white, the symbol of simplicity and serenity, and men wear baggy pants fastened at the ankles and a jacket that fastens on the right. Women typically wear voluminous skirts with a tight jacket. Their food is very spicy and often includes pickled vegetables, cold noodles, and sticky rice cakes.

Koreans are known for their customs of respecting the old and cherishing the young. A man of a younger generation must show proper respect and modesty when he speaks to a man of the older generation. Often the older members of the family sit at a special table reserved for honorable guests. Children always wait to eat until after their parents have eaten. When an elder dies, those of the younger generation do not wash their faces or cut their hair; they must eat dry food for three days to demonstrate filial piety.

Koreans celebrate many festivals common to the Chinese such as New Year's, Spring Festival, and National Day. Much is also made of Prefecture Day (September 3), International Children's Day, and Senior Citizens Day. The festivals are often filled with traditional Korean songs and dances as well as official ceremonies commemorating the day.

Koreans have the highest education rate of all of China's minorities, demonstrating the cultural value placed on education. They have complete school systems set up for educating their children in their language and culture and have set up many artistic and cultural performing troupes to pass on their culture to the next generation.

The majority of Koreans in China claim atheism or no religion, but there are large groups of Mahayana Buddhists and Christians.