A Study on the Chess Culture of Ethnic Minority Groups in Gansu Province

As a region inhabited by large populations of ethnic minority groups, Gansu province boasts rich ethnic cultural resources which reflect traditional culture and intangible cultural heritage that had taken shape thousands of years ago. Among these are various ethnic folk chess games. They are time-honored with many types such as the “Fang” chess of the Hui ethnic group, the “Jiu” chess of the Tibetans, the “King and Ministers” chess, the Mongolian chess, the Mongolian military chess, etc. These games embody distinctive ethnic and regional characteristics, as well as the cultural elements of a particular ethnic minority group. It is of great significance, therefore, to study the ethnic chess by collecting, documenting and comparing different types of related chess. The paper explores ways to standardize, protect and promote them scientifically in joint efforts, and draws a conclusion that examining their significance in the present era and the ethnic characteristics is the key to understanding the profound culture behind the chess.

THE STUDY OF POPULATION GENETIC RELATION AMONG TEN ETHNIC GROUPS IN NORTHWEST CH INA

Objective To investigate the genetic relation am on g ten ethnic groups in northwest China. Methods Allele frequ encies of six STR(short tandem repeat ) loci in D13S1358, VWA, FGA, D5S818, D13S 317, and D7S820 were collected from Lasa Tibetan, Changdu Tibetan, Xi'an Han, G ansu Dongxiang, Gansu Yugu, Xinjiang Uygur, Ozbak, Kirgiz, Sibe, Ningxia Hui by the results of State Key laboratory, Forensic Science Department, school of medi cal, Xi'an Jiaotong University and internet biological information data bank, a nd compared with that of the Mongolian, Zhuang in China, and White and Negro in USA. The polymorphism index (H, DP, PPE, PIC) and genetic distance, then the phy logenetic tree of all population were reported. Results The res ulting tree topology exhibited strong geographic and racial partitioning consist ent with that obtained with HLA and classical genetic polymorphisms. Conclusion The results suggest that forensic STR loci may be particular ly powerful tools and provide the necessary fine resolution for the reconstructi on of recent human evolutionary history.

Endogamous marriage and the prevalence of hemoglobin E in ethnic groups of northern Thailand

Objective:To investigate the impact of the endogamous marriage culture on the prevalence of the hemoglobin E(HbE) recessive variant.Methods:The prevalence of the hemoglobin E(HbE)recessive variant was determined by dot-blot hybridization in 4 endogamous villages(1 Mlabri and 3 Htin ethnic groups) in comparison with 9 other nearby non-endogamous populations.Results:Although the overall HbE prevalence in the population studied(8.44%,33/391)was not significantly different from that of the general southeast Asian population,a high prevalence and individuals with homozygous HbE were observed in two villages,the Mlabri from Wiang Sa district and the Htin from Thung Chang district of Nan province(26.3%and26.9%,respectively).The low HbE allelic frequency noticed in some endogamous populations suggests that not only endogamy but also other evolutionary forces,such as founder effect and HbE/β-thalassemia negative selection may have an effect on the distribution of the HbE trait.Conclusion:Our study strongly documents that cultural impact has to be considered in the extensive prevalence studies for genetic disorders in the ethnic groups of northern Thailand.

USING STR POLYMORPHISM TO STUDY THE GENETIC RELATIONSHIPS AMONG A CHINESE KOREAN POPULATION AND OTHER GROUPS

Objective To discuss the genetic relationship between Chaoxian and the other populations with STR polymorphisms, and study the origination of Chaoxian with historical data, analyze the difference among them. Methods Samples were obtained from 91 unrelated individuals of Jilin province. PCR amplification was performed using PE9700, the results were analyzed with the GeneScan software and then using the Genetic Analyzer ABI377 and Genotyper2.5. Tests for Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and the clustering map were carried out using SPSS11.5. The DA (genetic distance) according to Nei's was calculated and a phylogenetic tree based on the neighbor-joining method using Mega2 software package was constructed. Results 81 alleles and 196 genotypes were observed, with the corresponding frequencies ranging from 0.0055 to 0.4615 and 0.0110 to 0.2747, the observed and expected of genotypes were evaluated using χ 2-test and all of the loci were in accordance with Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (P> 0.05). Chaoxian was clustered with the other Chinese ethnic groups, then the American Black and the White; it was clustered with the Baishan Han, the Beijing Han of China first, then the South Korean. Conclusion The differentiation among races is larger than that among minorities, and, the differentiation among minorities is related to and is consistent with their geographic location.

A Living Encyclopedia of Chinese Ethnic Groups

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Common Development of All Ethnic Groups

China’s ethnic minorities not only enjoy the equal rights with the majority Hans as endowed by the Constitution and other laws, but also enjoy the right to regional autonomy in areas where minorities live in compact communities. In February 2001, the NPC Standing Committee revised the law on ethnic regional autonomy for minorities, adding new provisions on increasing investment in the areas of ethnic minorities to accelerate local development.

Upholding Equality and Unity Among Ethnic Groups, and Freedom of Religious Belief

Since the founding of the People＇s Republic of China, the Chinese government, to ensure equality and unity among ethnic groups and achieve their common development, has formulated a series of ethnic and religious policies on the basis of the actual situations of the various ethnic groups and religions, and these policies have been continuously enriched and improved in practice.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups.ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

Mongolian AN ethnic group known for ＂growing up on horsebacks,＂ the Mongolians live mostly in the In- ner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the northern part of China, which includes vast tracts of excel- lent natural pastureland with numerous herds of cattle, sheep, horses and camels. The rest are also distributed in Liaoning Jilin. Heilongjiang. Qinghai and Gansu provinces. Living on grasslands and relying on raising stock as their economic mainstay, the Mongolians have kept their nomadic living style for hundreds of years. Mongolian herdsmen used to live in yurts,which were usually seven to eight feet high and 10 feet in diameter, with an opening in the top of the umbrella-shaped roof. The structure can offer ideal ventilation and good protection against wind and cold. After the mid-20th century, as more and more herdsmen ended their nomadic life and settled down, they began to build yurt-like houses made of mud and wood.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

Korean THE Korean people mainly reside in northeast China, Their largest concentration is in the Yanbian Ko- rean Autonomous Prefecture in Jilin Province. They can also be found in Heilongjiang and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, They have their own spoken and written language, Korean. which is also the official language of South and North Korea. The ancestors of the Korean ethnic group - mostly peasants fleeing their oppressive feudal landlords - migrated from the Korean Peninsula around the late 17th century. When they settled down in China they gradually formed unique customs, Today.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups.ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

MAINLY distributed over Yunnan. Sichuan. Guizhou provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Yi is an ethnic minority with a long history and splendid culture within southwest China.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

Tibetan THE Tibetan ethnic minority mostly lives in the Tibet Autonomous Region,but there are also Tibetan communities in Qinghai,Gansu,Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.The places they live are mostly highlands and mountainous areas studded with snow-capped peaks.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

KazakTHE Kazak people, mainly living in the Xin- jiang Uygur Autonomous Region in northwest China, can also be found in Gansu and Qinghai provinces, where they live in small groups. The Kazak language is a fnember of the Turkic branch of the Altaic language family. The written language originally used the Arabic al- phabet. It is still in use but a new Latinized form was developed in 1954.

China:A United Country of 56 Ethnic Groups

OUR"COVER GIRL"for this issue is a young woman of the Lisu minority who lives in the Nu River valley of China's southwestern Yunnan Province.A number of color pictures,together with two articles in the issue,outline changes that have taken place in Yunnan,the province with the largest diversity of China's ethnic minorities.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups. Chin Africa presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups

THE Hanis are an ethnic farming group living in the mountainous area between the Honghe and Lancangjiang rivers in the south of Yunnan Province. Their language had no characters of its own until the Chinese Government helped to create a set of characters based on Latin in the 1950s.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups.ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

Bouyei ）） MOST of the Bouyei people live in south Guizhou Province in southwest China, with the rest living scattered in Yunnan and Sichuan provinces and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. As valley dwellers blessed with rivers, they enjoy a fertile land and mild climate, mak- ing their living from agriculture.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups.ChinAfrica presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups.

Uzbek〉Region：Around the 16th century,Uzbek businessmen traveled along the Silk Road to sell their goods in China.Some of them settled down in northwest China and formed the Uzbek ethnic minority of China.Today,they mainly live in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.〉Population：Around 14,000〉Language：The Uzbek language belongs to the Turkic branch of the Altaic family.

China is home to 56 ethnic groups.Chin Africa presents a regular introduction to these colorful cultural groups

DongTHE Dong people live mainly in Guizhou and Hunan provinces though they can also be found in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, as well as Jiangsu, Guangdong and Zhejiang provinces. In addition to agriculture, they make their living by growing timber trees, which are then logged and sold. Trees are so important in their lives that they have a unique custom of planting 18 fir trees when a child is born. When the child reaches the age of 18 and gets married, the matured fir trees are felled and used to build houses for the bride and groom