海南少数民族篇

Ethnic Minorities in Hainan Part I: Origins

If you look at the administrative map of Hainan, you will notice 6 counties with names different from the other counties. Their names have a suffix, ‘Li Autonomous County,’ or ‘Li and Miao Autonomous County’. They are Qiongzhong, Baoting, Lingshui, Ledong, Baisha, and Changjiang. The Li and Miao ethnic minorities in Hainan are located in these counties. The Li people (1.5 million) are the most populous and the earliest inhabitants of Hainan. The Miao people (80,000) are less populous, and they arrived later. They share 2 autonomous counties with the Li people.

Hainan is also home to other ethnic minorities. The Zhuang people (40,000) are scattered throughout Hainan. They are the direct descendants of the ancient Baiyue (百越) people. The Zhuang community is the largest ethnic group in China, with a total population of 18 million. Their ancestral homeland is Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The Hui people (14,000) live in Sanya. Their Huihui dialect (回辉话) is considered a unique language in the Austronesian family. They are Muslims and descendants of the Cham people, from the ancient kingdom of Champa located in central and southern Vietnam. They migrated to Hainan many centuries ago and were later classified as ‘Hui’ under China's ethnic identification system. However, the Hui community in Hainan is different from the Hui community in Ningxia. The Dan (Tanka) people (15,000), often called ‘sea gypsies, traditionally live on boats and have developed unique customs, songs, and a lifestyle centered on fishing. In Hainan, they are mainly found in the coastal areas and ports like Lingshui. The Dan people and the ‘boat dwellers’ in Hong Kong are from the same ethnic group.

The Li community in Hainan is divided into five main branches, namely, Ha (哈, 侾), Qi (杞, 岐), Run (润, 本地黎), Meifu (美孚) and Sai (赛, 加茂黎). They reside in different regions of the island. Interaction and intermarriage between them have historically been limited; hence these branches are still distinguishable by their own dialects, cultural practices, and traditional attire. I shall elaborate further on this theme in Part II: Intangible Cultural Heritage of this article.

In 2024, the first open-air Paleolithic site was excavated at Nanhuohe River in Baisha County. Dating methods have placed it at about 10,000 years ago. This site is exceptionally rich, yielding over 26,000 stone artifacts. Archaeologists also found a hearth, indicating this was a living and working area for prehistoric people who made stone tools there. The tools are characterized by a ‘cobble stone tool’ tradition similar to some sites in southern China but also share features with the Hoabinhian culture of Southeast Asia. In 2025, archaeologists excavated a prehistoric grave at the Luobidong (Falling Pen Cave) site in Sanya. It contained the remains of a young child who was buried on its side with bent limbs and shell ornaments placed near the head and waist. Dating methods have determined the burial to be about 12,000 years old. The discovery of the child's burial with its unique ornaments hints at complex social and ritual practices that also connected them to other communities across the wider region.

The Neolithic period in Hainan (6,000 to 3,000 years ago) saw significant cultural development. Archaeological findings at sites in Yingdun, Sanya (~6,000 years ago), Lianziwan, Lingshui (~5,000 years ago), and Qiaoshan, Lingshui (~3,000 years ago), have revealed a rich and complex picture of life on the island along its southeastern coast. The double-shouldered stone tools found at many archaeological sites are a hallmark of prehistoric cultures in southern China and Southeast Asia, suggesting significant cultural exchange and shared traditions. Evidence even suggests that during this period people from Hainan and the surrounding coasts ventured out to the Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands), as archaeological remains have also been found there.

These early inhabitants, who were the ancestors of the modern Li people, developed a unique, resilient culture adapted to the island's coastal and forest environments. Genetic studies provide the clearest link that the Li people are the direct descendants of these early migrants to Hainan. For instance, a 2022 study found that the Li have retained an exceptionally high proportion (~ 85%) of the Baiyue ancestral component. This is largely due to Hainan's geographic isolation through the Qiongzhou Strait, which limited genetic mixing with later mainland populations. Archaeological findings support the genetic story. The Li people are consistently identified as the earliest inhabitants of the island based on archaeological records from hundreds of Neolithic sites in Hainan. In addition, the traditional pottery-making techniques practiced by Li women today are several thousand years old and viewed as a direct continuation of Neolithic crafts. This tradition, passed down through generations, often retains rituals and methods rooted in deep antiquity. Historical records, such as the Han Dynasty's Records of the Grand Historian (史记), also document that the Li people of Hainan share a common origin with the Baiyue tribes of southern China. In short, the modern Li people are the direct descendants of the inhabitants who have lived on the island for thousands of years, preserving a unique genetic and cultural heritage.

The "Two Layer" hypothesis proposes that the history of Southeast Asia unfolded in two major layers. During the Paleolithic period, the inhabitants in the region, including Hainan, were the Hoabinhian people, who were related to modern Australo-Melanesian populations. During the Neolithic period, a major migration of farming populations from Northeast Asia, which includes the ancestors of the Baiyue people, moved into Southeast Asia. They largely replaced or heavily mixed with the indigenous Hoabinhian populations. The significant genetic and morphological differences between ancient Hoabinhian and modern Southeast Asian populations align with this model. In short, the Hoabinhian people were transformed into the Baiyue people and then to the Li people.

The Miao people arrived in Hainan only about 400 years ago, during the Ming Dynasty, primarily as soldiers from Guangxi. Their language is closely related to the Yao people of mainland China. Hence, some researchers even suggest they may be the descendants of the Yao people.