The Manchu People

The majority of the Manchus are located in the northeast of China from Beijing on into Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang provinces. Smaller numbers live in central and western China with even smaller pockets scattered here and there. Manchus live as communities within the larger Han community. According to several reports the Manchus are primarily agriculturists with some 60% living in rural communities.

The Manchu descend from a warrior class in north China. At one time they ruled the Mongols but were driven out and, after absorbing several Caucasoid races of Siberia, moved southward and defeated China. They established the Qing Dynasty and gradually lost some of their distinctiveness as they assimilated to Chinese culture.

The last emperor of China was the Manchu Aisin Gioro Puyi. The Manchus led China to its peak of wealth and influence from 1644 to 1911 under the Qing, but Sun Yatsen and the Nationalists deposed them in 1911. In 1931, the Japanese proclaimed Puyi emperor of Manchukuo, a territory Japan conquered, but the Japanese defeat in World War II also led to Puyi's downfall. His situation was much the case for all Manchus. The Manchus have full status as an ethnic minority in China, which means they receive government encouragement for their culture.

In general the Manchu tend to be taller and lighter in color than Chinese. The Manchu are a Mongoloid race with yellow skin and black hair. Listed as one of China's 55 ethnic minorities, the Manchu are one of two minority groups who use Mandarin rather than their traditional language.

The Manchu diet includes cooked millet, glutinous millet, a steamed bun made of glutinous millet, rice and meat-filled dumplings. At New Years festivals they eat large chunks of boiled meat. Other festival foods include boiled and roast pork and a fried cake made of sesame seeds and flour.

Urban Manchus still live in communities called "hutong" (alley), one-story shelters grouped closely and connected by narrow alleyways. Rural Manchus follow the same pattern. The hutong are badly deteriorated and many have crumbling roofs patched with tin plates.

Clothing in the Northeast follows current Chinese styles. The "Mao" look is still in vogue, much more so than in Beijing, and is not as colorful. Clothing appears old but adequate with bland colors during the week and a bit more color on Sundays.

Manchu families have traditionally been organized along clan lines. The basic family unit included the husband, wife and children but also included the extended family. Additionally, families were associated into a village clan, which itself was part of a larger clan. The Manchu family is typically a part of the whole. Among Manchus, in former times, divorce was strictly prohibited: a women could not leave her husband for any reason. Men, however, had the right to divorce after a public declaration. After the Communist takeover divorce statistics skyrocketed, so much so that the government added restrictions to stem the tide.

The village clan is the basic social unit in traditional Manchu thinking. In the past this unit was closed to outsiders. But Manchu clans, for political reasons, saw a need to allow outsiders to view their official and festive occasions. Because of their assimilation into Chinese culture, they now relate more openly to their neighbors. However, since they live mainly in Manchu "pockets" they still seem somewhat clannish. In addition, the majority Han community surrounds ethnic minorities and keeps them under control by keeping them in pockets.

Manchus observe the New Year celebration and the spring planting and autumn harvest festivals as well as many of the Chinese festivals and holidays. In addition, they sometimes gather during festive occasions and engage in activities such as wrestling, ice skating and horseback riding exhibitions. This is more so in rural areas. In leisure time they enjoy storytelling and puppet shows. In earlier times Manchus had a festival for every month.

Traditionally, Manchu children were given "free rein" when they were small and had no real labor demanded of them although as they got older the boys were expected to learn a warrior's ways and girls were expected to learn to take care of the home. Manchu children and youth are taught by their parents to do work around the house (mainly the girls). Boys in rural areas are expected to work in the fields and in animal husbandry.

Morality problems among Manchu children and youth do not seem to be flagrant. Neither families nor the government permit pre-marital sex. Clan consciousness helps to enforce this. The traditional Manchu religious practices and ceremonies had to do with spirits and centered around Shamanism, but as the Manchus were assimilated more and more into Chinese culture, the traditional was replaced by Chinese influences in ancestor worship and Buddhism along with Confucianism. Manchus became less and less religious and more and more philosophical. The education program of the People's Republic has done away with many of the religious values of the Manchus, but ancestor worship and shamanism still persist, especially in rural areas.